CD Review: Rags The Musical – Original London Cast Recording

RAGS THE MUSICAL – Original London Cast Recording (Ghostlight Records – download)

Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Rags The Musical is my all-time favourite Strouse/Schwartz score. I absolutely loved the original (almost) Broadway version and, when I worked for a production company in London in the 1990s I tried desperately to get the company interested in producing it. Unfortunately, they thought the book wasn’t up to scratch and put it on the back burner – way back on the back burner!

I was absolutely delighted when I saw that Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre was doing this production with revised book and some additions, revisions in the music as well. I just hoped it would be as good as I always thought it should be – I didn’t get a chance to see it but I have been sent the cast recording to review and I can emphatically say that I am overjoyed with what I am hearing.

Yes, there have been changes made since the original, but I think, apart from one instance, it has all been for the best. That one instance? The title song ‘Rags’ is just mind-blowing on the American version and has been watered down quite a bit for this one – I mean no detriment to the lovely Martha Kirby who sings it on this cast recording.

The cast includes: Carolyn Maitland, Dave Willetts, Sam Attwater, Debbie Chazen, Alex Gibson-Giorgio, Rachel Izen, Martha Kirby, Oisin Nolan-Power, amongst others, and they are a fine cast too. Beautifully orchestrated, so much so that you forget how small an orchestra is involved. I am certainly not going to pick out any one performance on this album as it is truly an ensemble piece and Hope Mill, London’s Park Theatre and Aria Entertainment have got it just right.

I only received the album this morning but I have played it through three times already and I think it is going to be on repeat on my system for quite a while to come. A MUST for all musical theatre fans out there.

Nick Wakeham