Such a small price for a complete Gem of a CD!!!. From the bright and breezy opener, "Smile", to the melancholic and reflective final track "New Words", the conducter Tom Fay hardly puts a foot wrong. His brilliant take on "Starfish", from the maybe- unsuccessful, but certainly brilliant musical "La Strada", is one of the many highlights of this disc. However, there is also low points, like the less than sublime version of Milton Schafers "She's Roses" from "Drat! the Cat!" which drags along slightly, but the quality returns with "At My Side" from "Welcome to the Club" by Cy Coleman, another of my personal favourites.
Personally , I enjoyed this CD so much because of the orchestras appreciation of the character of the pieces, shown by their subtle orchestration of dynamics in the songs. I would recommend this Cd to any fans of the major musicals, like "Miss Saigon", "West Side Story", "Les Miserables" et al, who want to hear the less publicised musicals that are floating around our town centres.
The reasons I gave this CD 5 stars, then- Brilliant musicality from the orchestra and Tom Fay, Great, catchy melodies and ear-pleasing harmonies, fantastic contrast between the selected pieces, and the great choruses