Posted on December 17, 2008 at 1:21 pm
I’m all set to return to regular blogging after this insane year, but the season calls for a special entry: The JRB Holiday Gift List! (Of course you don’t really need this list, since you’ve already done all your holiday shopping. Right?)
The true JRB fanatic wouldn’t want to live without these fantastic bits of memorabilia, so hunt that person down and show him or her how much you care.
The best possible gift would be tickets to 13, currently finishing out its run at the Jacobs Theatre on Broadway! There are lots of great discount offers available, such as this one at BroadwayBox.com. You’ve only got until January 4 to see the most sensational cast and band (under OR over 18) in New York, so come now and worry about the economy later!
If you can’t handle tickets to 13, you can still give the gift of 13 in a variety of ways!
For example: the amazing Original Cast Recording on Ghostlight Records! I’m so proud of this album, and you can see why in this video, which captures the cast and band recording the show and having the time of their lives. (Also, lots of sexy footage of Kurt Deutsch with his shirt off.) (Okay, not really.)
Perhaps you needed a charming, funny, hardcover stocking-stuffer for the teen reader in your life? 13: The Novel, written by myself and Dan Elish, might be the perfect solution! According to Kirkus Reviews, “this tale of middle-school peer culture is handled especially well,” and who am I to argue with Kirkus? Pick up a copy right here!
Or there’s 13 swag! Yes, that’s right, all that crap you can get at the back of the theater is also available on the Internet! Get the fabulous 13 baseball shirt, the awesome 13 Yearbook Souvenir Program, or the chic 13 wristband set! Go to 13themusicalstore.com and see for yourself.
Some of you are saying, “Yeah, yeah, whatever with 13, you exploiter of child labor. We want the hardcore JRB stuff!”
The coolest JRB gift of the year is a somewhat risky proposition, because I can’t guarantee you’ll get it by Christmas. Tickety Tock, the picture book version of “The Schmuel Song,” illustrated by the amazing Mary GrandPré, is officially out in the world and it is beautiful and moving and fabulous and I love it to death. But according to the booksellers, it’s not really out until December 30. So the deal is, you can pre-order it on Amazon, and they’ll ship it to you as soon as it’s in stock, which may be tomorrow or it may not be. Or you can loiter around your local bookstores and just keep pestering the salespeople until the book shows up. But no matter how long you have to wait, I promise it’s worth it. Seriously: check it out!
And, finally, the most unexpected Jason Robert Brown gift of 2008: if you’re having a polyglot moment, I highly recommend brushing up your German with a little Die letzten 5 Jahre – das Musical, the original cast recording from the German premiere of The Last Five Years in Wuppertal in 2006. The CD was just released and the singers (Patrick Stanke and Charlotte Heinke) are phenomenal, even if I have no idea what they’re saying. It’s a really skillful and beautiful translation by Wolfgang Adenberg, and the musicians are top-notch. So add some Teuton to your life! You haven’t lived until you’ve heard “Shiksa Goddess” in German. The best price I found for it in the US was at AllMusicImport.com, but you can also find it at CD Universe, and of course if you’re in Europe, it’s on all of the European Amazon sites as well as every record store with any taste at all.
And now, my gift to you, my lovely readers: the always astonishing Julia Murney (captured by some tiny Walkman) singing “The Flagmaker, 1775” with a full orchestra in Australia in 2003 as part of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. The quality of the recording? Terrible. The quality of the singing? Sublime.
from Songs for a New World (1995)
Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Julia Murney: vocal
The Adelaide Art Orchestra (JRB, conductor)
Roger Butterley: electric guitar
Randy Landau: electric bass
Georgia Stitt: piano
Recorded by some crazed showtune queen with a crappy tape recorder, Adelaide Festival Hall, Adelaide, South Australia, 6/16/03
And for the Jews feeling left out, you can always go listen to my Chanukah Suite, which was just magnificently performed last weekend by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, right here on this site!
Have a wonderful holiday and an amazing New Year, and I’ll be back soon with more news and essays!
8 comments
Wow. The video footage when you guys were recording the album literally brought me to tears. Such a plethora of talent, and such a wonderful show.
Amazon is actually a little bit cheaper for “Die letzten 5 Jahre” at the moment, plus, free shipping! (Well, if you spend another $2.01, which I did when pre-ordering “Tickety Tock” and buying the “13” OBCR because I haven’t done so yet [shame, I know, but I DID see the show!]) Hopefully you’ll get the commission for all three items and not just the one I clicked the link for! *Crosses fingers*
Too bad I didn’t see these items a couple of days ago when pre-ordering “Dr. Horrible” b/c it’s FINALLY coming in both CD and DVD and it just shipped out, so I could have had EVERYTHING save for the book tomorrow. *pouts*
Then again, maybe it’s a good thing b/c I clicked their link and gave them some $$$, too. Hmmm…
Happy Holidays! (Happy Chanukah!) *Goes back to listening to “Carols for a Cure v.5″*
Well, Mr. Brown, just wanted to say thanks so much for bringing us some great gifts during 2008. 13 has been an amazing experience for the the music world, and I can’t wait to hear what you turn out next. My best friend is a German major, so I’ll be sure to be working through that crazy album with him. Also, can’t give you enough praise for your work with the karaoke contest this summer. It was so much fun to sing and to hear all the talent out there! I can’t imagine the behind-the-scenes hours you put into that. Anyway, glad to hear from you. Have a good holiday, and I hope that 2009 brings you the best!
Cheers.
Chels
Mr. Brown,
I have the 13 CD = BEST CAST RECORDING I have heard in a long time! Do you know when the sheet music will be out?
[FROM JRB: The people at Hal Leonard are working on it, but they’re moving really slowly and it’s driving me insane. I’m thinking late February at this point.]
Just wondering if a karaoke C.D. will be out soon for 13?! I love ALL the songs in that show!! Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much for informing us about Die letzten 5 jahre. My whole family lives in Germany and I have been contemplating going back over there to audition sometime. Now there are some more songs that I can add to my German rep.
I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and I wish you a happy and successful new year!
P.S. I haven’t told you this, but I had a blast in the JRB contest. Thanks again for making it possible 🙂
Hi, gang–just a quick word of advice about ordering Die Letzten 5 Jahre from CD Universe.
I placed an order and got my CD’s in the mail today–but what they sent was a CD called In The Mix by an artist called Boney M (which I must admit I’ve never heard of!). I’ve contacted them to ask how to proceed with a return or exchange; my guess is that there is a problem in their database or something, as the title on the packing list is Die Letzten 5 Jahre but the UPC on the packing list matches the Boney M product (which has more shades of pink in the cover art than I ever knew existed).
I’ll post an update once I get resolution from CD Universe.
Happy New Year, everybody!
Just saw the closing of “13” … you were so sweet thanking the cast and parents! We saw the show two times in two months – so great! I wish it stayed longer on Broadway (as my son wanted to audition for it).
Best of luck in your future endeavors.
The comments are closed.