The Pajama Game (Highlights)

The idea behind the series of studio cast albums made by the British JAY/TER label is to present "complete" versions of classic Broadway musicals (i.e., usually two-CD sets featuring all the songs, including reprises, and other incidental music) using the original orchestrations with a cast of stage veterans doing the singing. That concept was applied to a double-disc version of songwriters Richard Adler and Jerry Ross' 1954 Broadway hit The Pajama Game, recorded in 1996 with the original Don Walker charts and a cast including several American expatriates often seen on the London stage, notably Judy Kaye, Ron Raines, and Kim Criswell. Curiously, the label undercuts one of the chief attributes of the series by also issuing various abridged versions of the recordings. The album under consideration here is part of TER's Music Theatre Hour series, in which the "complete" recordings are pared down to single one-hour CDs. Thus, the 88-minute, 27-track double-disc version becomes a 15-track single disc running 60:26. It's still pretty good. Those orchestrations are effectively played by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards, and the cast members, even if they were not performing this show in a theater at the time, give excellent performances. This is a broad, cartoon-like show, and Kaye, Raines, Criswell and company understand that; they overplay the material, which is just what it requires. The hit songs are all here, of course: "Hey There," "Steam Heat," and "Hernando's Hideaway." But just as enjoyable are numbers like "I'll Never Be Jealous Again," with Brooks Almy and Avery Saltzman whooping it up in their minor roles. The full-length version of this recording is worth having, but it's also much more expensive, and this shorter one presents it well in a third less time and probably half the cost. ~ William Ruhlmann|

The idea behind the series of studio cast albums made by the British JAY/TER label is to present "complete" versions of classic Broadway musicals (i.e., usually two-CD sets featuring all the songs, including reprises, and other incidental music) using the original orchestrations with a cast of stage veterans doing the singing. That concept was applied to a double-disc version of songwriters Richard Adler and Jerry Ross 1954 Broadway hit The Pajama Game, recorded in 1996 with the original Don Walker charts and a cast including several American expatriates often seen on the London stage, notably Judy Kaye, Ron Raines, and Kim Criswell. Curiously, the label undercuts one of the chief attributes of the series by also issuing various abridged versions of the recordings. The album under consideration here is part of TERs Music Theatre Hour series, in which the "complete" recordings are pared down to single one-hour CDs. Thus, the 88-minute, 27-track double-disc version becomes a 15-track single disc running 60:26. Its still pretty good. Those orchestrations are effectively played by the National Symphony Orchestra conducted by John Owen Edwards, and the cast members, even if they were not performing this show in a theater at the time, give excellent performances. This is a broad, cartoon-like show, and Kaye, Raines, Criswell and company understand that; they overplay the material, which is just what it requires. The hit songs are all here, of course: "Hey There," "Steam Heat," and "Hernandos Hideaway." But just as enjoyable are numbers like "Ill Never Be Jealous Again," with Brooks Almy and Avery Saltzman whooping it up in their minor roles. The full-length version of this recording is worth having, but its also much more expensive, and this shorter one presents it well in a third less time and probably half the cost. ~ William Ruhlmann