3hree
In November 2000, legendary director Hal Prince hosted3hree, an evening of three one-act musicals, at his namesake theater in Philadelphia. It says a lot about Prince's clout that a cast album was released a few months later; it says even more about his unflagging taste that the pieces are so good. Laurence O'Keefe and Neil Dunbar Benjamin's "The Mice" is a darkly comic romp about a couple and its mice problems, while Robert Lindsey Nassif's "The Flight of the Lawnchair Man" is whimsical but never cloying. "Lavender Girl" is set in 1927, thus allowingJohn Bucchino(whose songs have been championed by Patti LuPone) to let loose with a great Charleston ("We've Got Time"). He also shines with the passionate ballads that are quickly becoming his calling card (though "Real Enough to Change My Mind" admittedly teeters on the brink of Disney territory). Overall, the CD is remarkably strong and will be a great pick for those who crave new musical-theater voices but cringe atMichael John LaChiusaandAdam Guettel's lack of melodies.--Elisabeth Vincentelli