The Golden Apple - Original B'way Cast (1954)

One of the most original shows of its era (and ever), "The Golden Apple" was a hit off-Broadway in 1954 but died a quick death when it transfered to Broadway. Not one but two original cast albums were made (one one Elektra off Broadway, one on RCA as a "Broadway production") with the same cast. Featuring a wonderful score by Jerome Moross (who'd soon be writing "The Big Country" and other film scores), lyrics by poet John Latouche and dazzling orchestrations by Hershey Kay, the musical reset the story of "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" in the Pacific Northwest at the turn of the century. Conceived as a folk operetta, the entire show was sung and the cast recording, limited to one disc, preserved about half the music. The recording was a much-sought-after collector's item for decades and was finally reissued on CD. One number, "Lazy Afternoon," became a standard and has been recorded by numerous artists, but the entire score is a delight. Of the original stars, Kaye Ballard would go on to a major theater and cabaret career and Stephen Douglass next played Joe opposite Gwen Verdon in the original cast of "Damn Yankees." Perhaps one day a full recording of the show will happen - as happened with Sondheim's "Follies." Until then, we can be thankful for this recording, especially Ms. Ballard's original version of the spell-binding "Lazy Afternoon."

To bridge awkward transitions caused by cuts to the score, the recording inserted a narrator reciting rhymed couplets to fill the story gaps. In order to remove annoying clicks and breaks between digital files, I merge all tracks into a continously playing file, which is the how the show was meant to be heard.

Mono sound - lossless WAV file.