An extraordinary cast – Farah Alvin, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, Jessica Molaskey, Matthew Risch, Diane Sutherland, and Tony Yazbeck – brings a seminal work by composer Ricky Ian Gordon (The Grapes of Wrath, Intimate Apparel) to vibrant life. Sycamore Trees, Gordon’s American family saga exploring his own tumultuous upbringing and early adulthood, premiered in 2010 at Virginia’s Signature Theater, but no official recording was made at the time. Fortunately, original sound designer Matt Rowe recorded excerpts from a performance for archival purposes; now, recent advances in audio technology – and the eagerness of the original cast to come into the studio 14 years later to see the work properly preserved on disc – allow that “board mix” to be transformed into a genuine cast album: one that reflects both the spontaneity and suppleness of a live performance and the precision and expansiveness of a studio mix. The new album features the original orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin, with music direction by Fred Lassen and Andrew Resnick on piano. Released to coincide with Gordon’s acclaimed memoirs, Seeing Through: A Chronicle of Sex, Drugs, and Opera, this recording was produced by Tommy Krasker and Bart Migal, with audio restoration by Migal, and was made possible by the support and generosity of Ted & Mary Jo Shen, with additional funding provided by So-Chung Shinn. PS Classics is proud to present the original cast recording of a show “aimed at the American dream itself … a fresh and stimulating tribute to family” (Washington Examiner) that “reveals with sharpness and affectionate eccentricity the joys and tensions in one Long Island Jewish household” (The Washington Post).

Let There Be Light

In May of 2012, the Metropolitan Museum of Art requested permission from PS Classics to include “Broadway Baby” in an upcoming compilation disc. Because the track on the New Broadway Cast Recording includes brief reprises of other tunes, Jayne Houdyshell kindly went back into the studio to record a new solo ending.

Broadway Baby (Jayne Houdyshell solo version from Follies - New Broadway Cast Recording)

Cooking Breakfast For The One I Love

Celebrating the heritage of Broadway and American popular song.

Let There Be Light

PS Classics

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