Hear More Golden Apple Than Ever Before! Song Clips Released from New Live Album | Playbill

News Hear More Golden Apple Than Ever Before! Song Clips Released from New Live Album PS Classics has released three clips from its forthcoming live album of the rarely-seen 1954 musical The Golden Apple.

Due in stores June 2, the album features nearly 90 minutes of previously unrecorded material from the John Latouche and Jerome Moross musical that produced the single "Lazy Afternoon."

The sound clips, which tease theatre lovers with nearly five minutes of previously unrecorded music, are currently streaming at PSClassics.com.

PS Classics co-founder and album producer Tommy Krasker told Playbill.com, "We thought it would be fun to unveil soundclips in stages, as we had them ready. I think these first three will be especially fun for folks who know the score, as they all start with music that was on the original cast album, but then – where the album stopped, and skipped ahead – these tracks keep going, with new settings and new musical themes and new characters. We've got Helen's opening number, a long musical passage between Ulysses and Penelope, and the aftermath of Mother Hare unveiling the golden apple."

In an exclusive arrangement with PS Classics, Playbill.com will unveil the next three Golden Apple song clips April 28.

The original 1954 Broadway production, which launched the career of Kaye Ballard, was preserved on a 50-minute LP, capturing only a portion of the award-winning musical's score.

The two-disc PS Classics album captures 135-minute sung-through musical in its entirety.

PS Classics' live release stems from a fully staged production of The Golden Apple, featuring an orchestra of 38 playing the original orchestrations, which was presented last fall at Lyric Stage in Irving, TX. The final four performances were recorded by PS Classics for the new album.

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Christopher J. Deaton and Kristen Lassiter in The Golden Apple at Lyric Stage Photo by James Jamison/Lyric Stage

The 43-member Lyric Stage cast, whose performances are featured on the disc, included Christopher J. Deaton as Ulysses, Kristen Lassiter as Penelope, Danielle Estes as Helen, Deborah Brown as Mother Hare and Andy Baldwin as Menelaus.

The production was directed by Stefan Novinski and choreographed by John de los Santos, with music direction by conductor Jay Dias.

Krasker told Playbill.com, "Susanna and I have been talking about a full-length recording of The Golden Apple for over two decades now; I mean, to have an award-winning musical, and one of this caliber, where less than half the score has been preserved on disc – it's mind-blowing. When I was freelance producing in the '90s, I tried to convince a half-dozen labels to underwrite a recording, but with no luck. So when Susanna called me last fall and said that Lyric Stage was doing a fully staged production, with the original orchestrations, it seemed like a prime opportunity. And when we heard the production, we realized it was the perfect chance to preserve The Golden Apple in its entirety. We recorded the last four performances, and have spent the winter editing and mixing. This is a true labor of love, and I'm thrilled with the results."

Written by composer Moross and librettist Latouche, The Golden Apple opened Off-Broadway at The Phoenix Theatre March 11, 1954, before transferring to Broadway April 20, 1954. Critics praised the musical that blended American folklore and Greek myth, taking inspiration from Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey" and re-setting it in the turn of the century American Northwest.

Numerous cast albums are also available at PlaybillStore.com.

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