Musicals containing cheerleading are like buses. You get nothing for years, then two at once. The first to be brought to my attention was a musical based on the 2000 film Bring It On, named (surprisingly) Bring It On - The Musical, with music by Tom Kitt and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the composer of the superb In The Heights. However the first to hit Broadway, and the first to present me a full cast recording to review is Lysistrata Jones. Featuring music and lyrics by Lewis Flinn and a book by Tony nominee Douglas Carter Beane, Lysistrata Jones is loosely based on Aristophanes' Lysistrata.

The show centres on the Athens University basketball team, which hasn't won a game in 30 years. When Lysistrata Jones (played by Patti Murin) encourages the fed-up girlfriends to stop giving 'favours' to their boyfriends until they win a game, the basketball squad is forced to end their losing streak, or face the consequences.

On first listen, the album passed me by totally. It wasn't till the second or third listen that I started picking up the story, and made some progress in following it. Early tracks have some story attached, so things start great, but I would have welcomed more libretto on the later tracks too, as it's hard to pick out exactly what's happening. That said, there's an excellent plot synopsis and lyrics in the booklet, so armed with that, things made more sense. The tracks are punchy, and are what you would expect - a modern sounding, hip score, with more than a little nod to the High School Musical school of musicals.

The cast is relatively unknown, but are clearly at home with the material and deliver it well. Murin shines as Jones, and sings the quieter numbers (of which there are few) with great control - 'Where Am I Now' is my favourite track on the album by far. Other numbers are catchy, without being too predictable. 'Hold On', which appears a few times, is certainly the number I've been humming the last few days, and I'm hoping it will leave my head soon! 'You Go Your Way', and the 'Right Now' tracks also have that stick in your head lick, as does 'Give It Up'.

I imagine the musical was much more fun to watch than to listen to, but that doesn't make it a bad album by any means. It wasn't my type of music in the main, but I still listened to it several times and enjoyed it. It's extremely well produced, as one is coming to expect from Broadway Records, and the packaging and booklet really do set the standard for cast recording releases.

Have a listen - it may surprise you too.

7

Ian Gude