August is family time — especially time for family car trips, where restlessness can set in and the inevitable refrain of “Are we there yet?” can frustratingly resound from young travelers. Luckily, there are a number of swell CDs that should tame the savage beasts of children and maybe even inspire a love of musical theater.
At the top of the list, particularly for pre-schoolers and those who have just hit grade school, is the original cast recording of John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean. The show focuses on a trio of fish that have an undersea adventure while following a treasure map that floats into their world, and in the process learn an important lesson about the meaning of friendship. Composer William Wade draws on a diverse array of musical traditions for his score, from contemporary Broadway sounds in the opening number to big band swing (“The Jelly Fish Jive”) to 1970s funk (“Which Way to Turn”). Tartaglia, who provides the voice for the show’s hero, Dorsel as well as several other characters, has also penned the book for the show and in both his work as performer and writer, gives the piece a wonderfully neurotic edge that will make the little ones giggle and adults smile. The disc is rounded out with two bonus tracks. One is a children’s chorus singing “The Treasure,” which sums up the show’s message about the nature of friendship, and the other is an incredibly catchy remix of “The Jelly Fish Jive,” which gives the tune an electronic beat that brings to mind Taco’s 1980s remix of Irving Berlin’s “Puttin’ on the Ritz.” This grand add-on only has one problem — it may make everyone in the car want to get up and dance.
Parents might also want to seek out Put On A Happy Face, which features Dick van Dyke & The Vanastix. The group offers doo-wop and tight barbershop quartet stylings of such classics as “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” “The Bare Necessities,” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.” Parents shouldn’t be surprised if they find themselves singing along with childhood favorites and grinning as Van Dyke sings the theme song to his eponymous 1950s TV show, which, though they were never heard during the opening moments of the beloved sitcom, did, indeed, have lyrics.
Another disc filled with a host of famous tunes is Dan Zanes’ 76 Trombones. The CD features such beloved theater songs as “Hello, Dolly” (in a duet with Carol Channing); “I Can Do That” that Zanes infuses twangy, kid-friendly zest; “I Am What I Am,” where the lyrics have been tweaked to create a grand young person’s anthem; a bilingual version of “Tomorrow (Manana),” in which Zanes is joined by Sonia de los Santos; and a zippy bluegrass rendition of “Before the Parade Passes By,” which features Matthew Broderick.
For a more classical experience, families might want to turn to Glen Roven’s Goodnight Moon / The Runaway Bunny Concerto, based on the beloved children’s books. These two works, featuring the vocal talents of Lauren Flanigan and Kate Mulgrew, respectively, are sure to delight the kiddies — and the latter could very well prove to be a contemporary Peter and the Wolf for the pre-school set.
If families want to go ‘old school,’ a disc featuring Mary Martin in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella is a grand option, where the legendary performer both narrates the story and sings the classic songs. The disc also contains a whimsical forgotten gem of Three to Make Music. This forgotten gem, a primer for smaller theatergoers, includes the delightfully silly, and yet oh-so-instructive, “What Kind of Audience Are You?”
Finally, older kids might enjoy the new deluxe two-disc set of Jason Robert Brown’s 13, the Musical. The set not only features the original Broadway cast recording of the show — about a New York teen (Graham Phillips) struggling to fit in with his peers in the midwestern town where he’s just moved — but also an accompaniment CD with full orchestrations that will allow the younger set to try their hand at becoming a Broadway star in the car or at home.
August is family time — especially time for family car trips, where restlessness can set in and the inevitable refrain of “Are we there yet?” can frustratingly resound from young travelers. Luckily, there are a number of swell CDs that should tame the savage beasts of children and maybe even inspire a love of musical theater.
