Chicago - The Musical (1998 London Cast)
Like 1997's Grammy-winning new Broadway cast recording, this disc benefits from CD length by featuring music and dialogue cut from 1975's original Broadway cast recording. Plus, time's been very kind to the Kander and Ebb musical, which was initially critically panned for its decadent cynicism...but that was before O.J. Simpson and, in the words of Chicago's Roxy Hart (played by the terrific Ruthie Henshall here), murder became an art. Ute Lemper can't touch Chita Rivera's wonderfully sex-drenched original Velma Kelly, but, then, neither did Bebe Neuwirth in 1997--and still, "All That Jazz" remains one of the greatest opening numbers in musical-theater history. Everything else here is as fine as, if not better than, the U.S. recordings, and all 23 tracks are just good old-fashioned Broadway gems.--Bill Holdship