Thirteen musicals were scheduled to open during the 2019-20 Broadway season. Only seven did, and of those only a few released more-or-less traditional cast albums. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to listen to — including some Off Broadway highlights. Here’s what’s out there.
‘Soft Power’
David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori’s musical within a play gets high scores for difficulty: It’s a political allegory, a crazy romance (involving Hillary Clinton) and a gleeful riposte to “The King and I.” Using clever pastiche and paradox to question American assumptions of supremacy, it is always working on many levels, as you can hear on the cast album scheduled to be released on April 17. (Ghostlight Records).
Listen to “It Just Takes Time”