CD Review: Once Upon A Time Step – Songs from the Ron Lytle Musical Fairy Tales – Various Artists

ONCE UPON A TIME STEP – Songs from the Ron Lytle Musical Fairy Tales – Various Artists (Take the Cakeable Records – Downloadable plus CD)

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★★

Delightful! Simply delightful!

For all of you out there who love pantomime and also some Tin Pan Alley style music – you have just landed on a crock of gold.

The album contains 16 tracks that are taken from Ron Lytle’s one-act musicals which take a fresh look at the old fairy tales and bring us something totally different. Soaring ballads, rousing anthems plus the campest songs you will ever hear, without Mr Lytle taking them over the top.

The songs come from his various musicals: Cinderella (Gone to the Dogs!); The King’s New Klothes; That’s Our Snow White!; The Bluegrass Musicians of Bremen Fats; It Must Be Pinocchio; The Great and Glorious Toad, to name a few plus a track from his latest full-length musical: Christmas in Oz.

Cast includes: Will Arundell, Jessica Coker, John Erreca, Joryn Foley, Juanita Harris, Tania Johnson, Alonso Melgoza, Michael Mendelsohn, Marah Sotelo, Oscar Tomasada and Chris Vettel.

Tracks: ‘Best in Show’, ‘A Really Rotten Day’, ‘I Laugh My Worry Away’, ‘I Remember Oz’, ‘Clothes Make the Man’, ‘It’s Good to be Queen’, ‘Little Boy’, ‘How Do You Like Them Apples?’, ‘Hell You Fellows!’, ‘That’s Why Cinderella Is My Name’, ‘Watch Out!’, ‘How Could Anybody Love Me?’, ‘Fabulous Shoes’ and ‘It’s a Great Big World’.

This is a CD you want to put on when you feel a little bit down – believe me, a smile will be taking over that frown in no time at all. This is for everyone – very family-friendly, just like a pantomime!

Nick Wakeham