“There are moments in the theatre when you lean forward in your seat with shivers racing down the spine, and realize there is nowhere on God’s earth you’d rather be. End of the Rainbow is one such occasion.” That's how one newspaper described seeing Tracie Bennett in the Judy Garland tribute. And listening to the cast recording issued by Masterworks Broadway, it's easy to see why.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the piece, the setting is December 1968, and Judy Garland is about to make her comeback… again. In a London hotel room preparing for a series of concerts, with both her new young fiancé and her adoring accompanist, Garland struggles to get “beyond the rainbow” with her signature cocktail of talent, tenacity, and razor-sharp wit. The show played a triumphant run at the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End, and is now wowing audiences on Broadway.

For obvious reasons, this recording is all about Bennett, and the music of Garland. The performance put over on stage clearly shines through on the recording. To say it's a good impersonation cheapens it. It is perhaps the most accurate rendition you will ever hear of Judy's interpretation of the songs. If Judy had recorded in the digital era, then this is what it would have sounded like. Not only because it is virtually impossible to tell the two apart, but the overall sound, thanks to Chris Egan's wonderful arrangements, is accurate to the last screeching trumpet and the last soulful chord. The production of the album is first rate.

Picking a favourite is almost an impossible task - I found myself replaying the album several times to try and find one. I loved the uptempo 'Come Rain or Come Shine', and the emotional 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow'. But if I were pushed to pick one, then 'The Man That Got Away' would be the one I would have to go for.

Quite simply one of the most enjoyable and satisfying recordings I've heard in a long time.

10

Ian Gude