This has been a year of successful revivals and creative reinventions on Broadway, and the upcoming Tony Awards promise a thrilling evening of production numbers we won’t soon forget! Some of you may be twirling your way through a chorus of I Could Have Danced All Night from My Fair Lady while others are memorizing every word of Barrett Wilbert Weed belting I’d Rather Be Me from Mean Girls. And of course, there’s the Spongebob and Frozen set who will have those soundtracks on endless repeat – I feel for all of you long-suffering parents!
The Tony Awards will air this Sunday night. Here’s a handy guide to some library materials to help you keep in step with everything that’s happening on the Great White Way:
The nominees are:
The Band’s Visit
David Yazbek’s musical stars Tony Shalhoub, and earned 11 nominations. An Egyptian police band arrives in Israel to play a concert. After a mix up at the border, they are sent to a remote village where they have to spend the night with locals and find connections they never expected.
- The band’s visit : original Broadway cast recording
- Also available on hoopla.
Carousel
This revival is nominated for 11 Tony Awards. Brash carousel barker Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan, a quiet girl who works in the mill, fall in love, marry, and have a stormy relationship that leads to tragedy .
While the original cast recording won’t be released until July, you can immerse yourself in this classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with earlier soundtrack recordings and the film version!
- Carousel The soundtrack of the
1956 film. - Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel : 1994 Broadway cast recording
- The Rodgers & Hammerstein collection includes Carousel, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music, and State Fair.
- Carousel : Vocal selections This is the score for piano and voice, with guitar chords.
Frozen
Based on the beloved 2013 Academy Award-winning Disney film, this stage adaptation tells the timeless tale of two sisters pulled apart by a mysterious family secret. While the oh-so-familiar songs from the movie are included, there are new songs to love, too!
The Frozen soundtrack is due out this week, so place a hold on it, or get your Frozen fix with some other great offerings:
Frozen – The Broadway Musical Soundtrack - Frozen The soundtrack of the Disney film.
- Frozen The Disney film
- Frozen : music from the motion picture soundtrack This is the score (sheet music) of the songs so you can learn to play them at home!
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Parts 1 and 2
The eighth chapter in the Harry Potter story has been nominated for 10 Tony Awards for its Broadway premiere. Harry’s youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted.
- Harry Potter and the cursed child. Parts one and two Read the book before you see the play!
Mean Girls
Tina Fey’s 2004 movie came to Broadway as a musical and scored 12 nominations, tying for the most-nominated show of the season! Cady Heron learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung. I’d Rather Be Me Than Be With You has been on constant rotation in my house!
The Broadway soundtrack will be released on June 15. Go ahead and place a hold, listen to it on hoopla (available now!), or relive the 2004 movie.- Mean Girls Original Broadway Cast Recording The forthcoming soundtrack CD.
- Mean girls This is the 2004 movie starring Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams.
My Fair Lady
Another revival of a perennial favorite, this Lincoln Center Theatre production earned 10 nominations.My Fair Lady 2018 Broadway Cast Recording The cast recording for the current revival comes out later this week. You can place a hold on it now or you can step back in time with Eliza Doolittle and Professor Higgins through one of the other great productions below.
- My fair lady The classic 1964 film starring Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison
- My fair lady : original Broadway cast recording The 1956 version with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison.
- My fair lady. Vocal selection The vocal score to all your favorite songs.
Once on this Island
This Ahrens & Flaherty musical returns to Broadway, and scored eight nominations. Ti Moune is a fearless peasant girl who falls in love with a wealthy boy from the other side of the island. As you might guess, drama ensues!
Saint Joan
Condola Rashad earned a Tony Award nomination leading the company as the title role in this George Bernard Shaw revival. Saint Joan tells the story of a country girl whose mysterious visions propel her to fame. When the nation’s rulers become threatened by her popularity and influence, they unite to bring her down and she finds herself on trial for her life.
- Selected plays, with prefaces The plays of George Bernard Shaw, including Saint Joan.
Spongebob Squarepants, The Broadway Musical
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?!… I’m sure most of you will be singing the Spongebob theme for the rest of the day. Sorry about that.
Based on the Nickelodeon animated series, this new musical tied with Mean Girls for most-nominated show of the season with 12 nods.
As I’m sure you know, there are about a bazillion items related to Spongebob Squarepants, including the DVDs of the TV series, the movie, music CDs, children’s picture books, and video games. Instead of listing every item here, I encourage you to search the library’s catalog for “Spongebob Squarepants,” or ask a librarian if you need help finding all of the goodies from the gang at Bikini Bottom!
Springsteen on Broadway
Bruce Springsteen earned a special Tony Award for this critically acclaimed show. After a career of more than 40 years, 20 Grammys and an Oscar, Springsteen comes to Broadway with a solo acoustic performance for an intimate night with his guitar, a piano, and his stories.
No word yet on when (or if) Bruce Springsteen will release recordings of these performances, but you can find loads of The Boss’ music by searching the catalog for “Bruce Springsteen” music CDs!
Summer: The Donna Summer Musical
Earning two nominations for actress and featured actress in a musical, this biomusical about Donna Summer is “Hot Stuff”!
No word on this one yet, either, but you can immerse yourself in the sounds of the day with digital music through Hoopla!
- Live and more / Donna Summer
- 20 #1’s: disco / Various Artists
Three Tall Women
The Edward Albee Pulitzer Prize winner makes its Broadway debut, and received six Tony nominations. The work is based on his own mother, as three women of different ages talk about their lives and their relationships with their families. Over time, we come to realize that they may all be the same woman.
Travesties
Tom Stoppard’s Tony-winning play—about life in 1917 Zurich for artist Tristan Tzara, James Joyce, and Lenin—has been revived and earned four nominations this time around.
- Travesties : [a play] / by Tom Stoppard
-Jill, WFPL Reference
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