It’s so great to be back reviewing for Review Graveyard after a well-earned break. It was also pleasing to see a pile of Broadway Records releases on my pile to do. My readers will know that I am a huge fan of the New York-based label, who have released some of my favourite recordings over the past few years. I’m certainly looking forward to hearing these, and to sharing my thoughts with you.

First up is the original Off-Broadway Cast of the musical Emojiland. Emojiland is about a group of archetypes who take each other at face value - until a glitch threatens to destroy their entire lives, forcing the emoji faces to tackle some existential conundrums.

The recording features performances from the complete original Off-Broadway cast, which comprised Lesli Margherita (Matilda, Dames at Sea) as Princess, Josh Lamon (The Prom) as Prince, Lucas Steele (The Great Comet) as Skull, Ann Harada (Avenue Q) as Pile of Poo, George Abud (The Band's Visit) as Nerd Face, Emojiland co-writer Laura Schein as Smize, Felicia Boswell (Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert) as Police Officer, Natalie Weiss (Everyday Rapture) as Construction Worker, Max Crumm (Grease) as Man in Business Suit Levitating, Jacob Dickey (Aladdin) as Sunny, Dwelvan David (Finding Neverland) as Guardsman, Heather Makalani (Aladdin) as Kissy Face, Tanisha Moore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Woman Dancing, and Jordan Fife Hunt (A Chorus Line) as Man Dancing.

The new musical is co-written by Keith Harrison and Schein, with direction by Thomas Caruso (Southern Comfort), choreography by Kenny Ingram (The Lion King), and musical direction by Lena Gabrielle (Endangered!).

I picked this one first, mainly whilst I was fresh and excited, as I didn’t really enjoy the recent Emoji Movie, and had steered clear of this release previously because of this. Surprisingly perhaps, I really enjoyed it. It’s a very modern sounding score, as the subject matter dictates I guess, and it’s delivered with a huge amount of heart, and a fair portion of tongue in cheek. I wished I’d actually been able to see the musical - who knows, it may show up as a stream in these crazy times we’re in.

Performances from the leads are excellent, especially from stalwarts such as Lesli Margherita and Natalie Weiss, but also from Lucas Steel and George Abud as Nerd Face - I loved 'Zeroes And Ones'. As I mentioned, the score has a really modern sound and style to it, and this didn’t always hit the spot with me, and I did skip a couple of numbers part way through. However, there are some really great numbers. 'Work Together' and 'Stand For' were ones I came back to again, not just because I think Weiss is one of the best voices around at the moment. I also loved the cameo from Ann Harada as Pile Of Poo emoji ! Brilliant. The number 'A Thousand More Words' is also really well delivered by Felicia Boswell, and is a great number, as is ‘Anyway’ - just lovely. And you can’t help get infected by the infections ’It’s Just So Great To Be Alive’.

A fun, modern musical for today.

8

Ian Gude