The short list for the year’s Best Musical Theater Album were announced this morning.
The 2019 Grammy nominations were announced this morning, which, for the world of Broadway, means another round of nods for Best Musical Theater Album.
This year's nominees are listed as follows:
The Band's Visit
Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Katrina Lenk and Ari'el Stachel, principal soloists; Dean Sharenow and David Yazbek, producers; David Yazbek, composer and lyricist (original Broadway cast)
Carousel
Renée Fleming, Alexander Gemignani, Joshua Henry, Lindsay Mendez and Jessie Mueller, principal soloists; Steven Epstein, producer (Richard Rodgers, composer; Oscar Hammerstein II, lyricist) (2018 Broadway cast)
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert
Sara Bareilles, Alice Cooper, Ben Daniels, Brandon Victor Dixon, Erik Grönwall, Jin Ha, John Legend, Norm Lewis and Jason Tam, principal soloists; Harvey Mason, Jr., producer (Andrew Lloyd-Webber, composer; Tim Rice, lyricist) (original television cast)
My Fair Lady
Lauren Ambrose, Norbert Leo Butz and Harry Hadden-Paton, principal soloists; Andre Bishop, Van Dean, Hattie K. Jutagir, David Lai, Adam Siegel and Ted Sperling, producers (Frederick Loewe, composer; Alan Jay Lerner, lyricist) (2018 Broadway cast)
Once on This Island
Phillip Boykin, Merle Dandridge, Quentin Earl Darrington, Hailey Kilgore, Kenita R. Miller, Alex Newell, Isaac Powell and Lea Salonga, principal soloists; Lynn Ahrens, Hunter Arnold, Ken Davenport, Stephen Flaherty and Elliot Scheiner, producers (Stephen Flaherty, composer; Lynn Ahrens, lyricist) (new Broadway cast)
The Band's Visit may have an edge on the competition, having won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Musical as well as the Tony for Best Score (composed by David Yazbek). However, Once on This Island, as the 2018 Tony winner for Best Revival of a Musical could give it some competition, along with My Fair Lady, which was a front runner in the Best Revival category as well.
Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel has opera star Renée Fleming in its corner, not to mention a full cast of Tony-nominated performances (and one win for Lindsay Mendez), but NBC's Easter Sunday telecast of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar should not be ruled out; it received rave reviews and featured a breakout performance by stage regular Brandon Victor Dixon — so maybe this year, television will best Broadway. The winners will be announced on February 10, 2019.