Michae John LaChiusa: Hello Again - Original Broadway Cast

Hello Again is a musical adaptation of La Ronde, Arthur Schnitzler's controversial play about the excitement and costs of casual sexual encounters. This is without doubt one of Michael John LaChiusa's finest musicals, and the recording more than does the show justice.

Characters come vividly to life in each song, and as the lyrics sharply point out what they think they want, the music subtlety evokes their hidden desires. The opening sweet-yet-weary siren song of a prostitute grows into a hot and bothered jazz seduction by a jaded soldier, which in turn becomes the domination of a young college boy and so on, until the circle is complete. Don't be put off by the serious tone either - this is one of the funniest of musicals. Just listen to the scene where the Young Wife attempts to bring the College Boy to climax in a movie theatre or the scene on the Titanic where the husband tries to pretend to his young male companion that there is nothing wrong with the boat.

There is not a weak link in the wonderful ensemble cast, and the album has the unexpected bonus of featuring many stars before they were well-known. It would be almost impossible to get Donna Murphy, Carolee Carmello, Malcolm Gets, John Cameron Mitchell, Michele Pawk, John Dossett and Judy Blazer to do a show like this today, so it is fantastic to hear them together on this recording.

Standout songs include Tom, Mistress of the Senator and The One I Love. Even in 1994, Michael John LaChiusa was proving himself to be a rising star among newer theatrical composers. Hello Again shows why he has amassed such a devoted following among music theatre enthusiasts.