The Frogs / Evening Primrose (2001 Studio Cast)
After unearthingStephen Sondheim's youthful effort,Saturday Night, a couple of years ago, producers desperate to bank on the name of one of Broadway's last living titans continue chasing after obscure offerings.The Frogswas a 1974 adaptation ofa play by Aristophanesand was staged by the Yale Repertory Theater for a week. This recording, the first complete one, boasts the presence of Nathan Lane, Davis Gaines, and Brian Stokes Mitchell. In Broadway star power, that's like having Jim Carrey, Brad Pitt, and Tom Cruise in the same movie.Evening Primrosewas a 1966 ABC special, which spawned a couple of songs ("I Remember" and "Take Me to the World") that made it into the cabaret and solo recital repertories. Granted, these two pieces are for Sondheim completists, but they do provide an interesting glimpse into the mind of one of the musical theater's most brilliant auteurs.--Elisabeth Vincentelli