Anything Goes (2011 Broadway revival cast recording)

Anything Goes (2011 Broadway revival cast recording)
Name	Anything Goes (2011 Broadway revival cast recording)
Type	Cast album
Artist	Broadway cast of Anything Goes
Released	2011
Recorded	2011
Studio	Angel Recording Studios
Genre	Musical theatre
Label	Ghostlight Records
Producer	Thomas Z. Shepard, John McDaniel

Anything Goes (2011 Broadway revival cast recording)

The 2011 Broadway revival cast recording captures the score of the Cole Porter musical as staged on Broadway, featuring a company led by Sutton Foster, Joel Grey, and Patti LuPone. The album preserves musical numbers arranged and orchestrated for a production directed by Kathleen Marshall with choreography influenced by Gower Champion and Jerome Robbins. It documents a transfer of an interwar American musical into a 21st-century Broadway context, reflecting collaborations among producers, designers, and record label professionals.

Background and production

The revival originated with producers including Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, and the Nederlander Organization, mounting a production at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre with sets by Derek McLane, costumes by William Ivey Long, and lighting by Kenneth Posner. Direction by Kathleen Marshall and musical direction by John McDaniel reimagined Cole Porter’s material originally premiered at the Alvin Theatre in 1934 with choreography lineage tracing to Fred Astaire, Ethel Merman, and later revivals starring Elaine Stritch and Bonnie Langford. Casting combined stage veterans associated with Lincoln Center Theater and Encores! productions—Sutton Foster, Joel Grey, and Patti LuPone—drawing attention from critics at The New York Times, Variety, and The Wall Street Journal. The recording sessions were supervised by producer Thomas Z. Shepard with orchestration adjustments by Michael Starobin and Doug Besterman, and engineers from Angel Recording Studios facilitating multitrack captures used by Ghostlight Records.

Track listing

1. Overture / "I Get a Kick Out of You" – Company with lead vocals by Sutton Foster, Joel Grey, Patti LuPone, including ensemble members from the Broadway company known from productions at Roundabout Theatre Company and Manhattan Theatre Club. 2. "I Won't Dance" – Duet spotlighting principal cast, arranged to echo orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett and Hans Spialek. 3. "All Through the Night" – Feature for supporting cast drawing on harmonic idioms associated with Cole Porter and Gershwin contemporaries. 4. "You're the Top" – Quartet arrangement referencing interpretations by Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Bing Crosby on historic recordings. 5. "Anything Goes" – Company number choreographed to evoke Fred Astaire sequences, backed by orchestra reflective of Broadway pit ensembles at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre and Gershwin Theatre traditions. 6. "Friendship" – Comic duet with callbacks to performances by Ethel Merman and later revivals cast recordings. 7. "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" – Finale medley arranged for large ensemble and chorus, acknowledging legacy orchestrators and musical directors associated with Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Opera House concerts. (Additional tracks include reprises, overtures, and incidental music adapted for the revival's scene changes and dance sequences; full track sequencing appears on Ghostlight Records release.)

Performers and personnel

Principal cast on the recording includes Sutton Foster (noted for work at Broadway and Encores!), Joel Grey (Tony Award winner associated with Cabaret and Broadway landmarks), and Patti LuPone (renowned for Evita and Sweeney Todd). The orchestra comprised Broadway session musicians affiliated with the American Federation of Musicians and the Broadway League, with orchestrations by Michael Starobin, Doug Besterman, and arrangements influenced by Robert Russell Bennett. Musical direction by John McDaniel coordinated with conductor logistics used at New Amsterdam Theatre recordings and recording producer Thomas Z. Shepard, whose credits include cast albums for Lincoln Center Theater and the Shubert Organization. Production staff also featured choreographic consultants referencing Jerome Robbins, recording engineers from Angel Recording Studios, and mastering by specialists with credits at Sony Classical and Decca Records.

Release and promotion

Ghostlight Records issued the cast recording concurrent with the Broadway run, featuring cover photography by a photographer active with Playbill and Broadway.com. Promotional activities included appearances on Good Morning America, segments in The New York Times arts coverage, features on NPR’s arts programming, and partnerships with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS events. Select tracks were previewed on digital platforms and in retail outlets such as Barnes & Noble and Tower Records affiliates, while labels negotiated distribution channels used by Concord Music Group and Sony Music’s Broadway catalog. The company presented cast performances and CD signings in Times Square and participated in interviews hosted by Entertainment Weekly and Vanity Fair’s theater columns.

Critical reception

Reviews in The New York Times, Variety, The Wall Street Journal, and The New Yorker noted Sutton Foster’s vocal clarity, Joel Grey’s characterization, and Patti LuPone’s powerhouse presence, often comparing interpretations to historic recordings by Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra. Critics at Rolling Stone and Entertainment Weekly commented on the freshness of the arrangements and the recording’s fidelity to Broadway sound standards exemplified by previous cast albums such as West Side Story and Oklahoma!. Trade publications including Billboard and Playbill assessed commercial prospects and awards eligibility for Grammy and Drama Desk recognition, with commentary on orchestration choices and vocal balances relative to landmark cast recordings archived at the Library of Congress and the Museum of Broadway.

Commercial performance

The album charted on Billboard’s Cast Albums chart and appeared in regional sales reports monitored by Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard’s Top 200 listings for musical theater releases. Sales were bolstered by the production’s Tony Award nominations and wins, plus national publicity from television appearances and radio play on SiriusXM Broadway channels. Retail placement in New York City outlets and online digital platforms contributed to cumulative unit totals consistent with successful Broadway revival cast recordings distributed by Ghostlight and Rounder Records.

Legacy and influence

This cast recording contributed to the ongoing revival of interest in Cole Porter’s repertoire among Broadway companies, conservatories such as Juilliard and NYU Tisch faculty, and repertory theaters including the Old Globe Theatre and the Goodman Theatre. It influenced subsequent revivals and concert stagings at Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and regional houses by demonstrating contemporary orchestration possibilities and casting strategies that bridge classic stars with modern musical theater performers. The recording remains a reference for musical directors, choreographers, and scholars studying 21st-century approaches to reviving Golden Age American musicals and their presentation in commercial and institutional contexts.

Category:Cast recordings Category:Ghostlight Records albums Category:Broadway cast recordings