ABSTRACT
As historical documents, Broadway cast recordings preserve the performances of the original singers fresh from the stage, but as record albums they were conceived to be satisfying in purely aural terms. So, while the recording may be known to a wider audience than ever experienced a show in the theatre. The custom with Columbia's cast albums was well established by then: to record a show, usually at the end of its first or second week, in one long session on the 'rest' day for Broadway theatres, invariably a Sunday at the time. With several of the principals making their first Broadway appearances in major roles, and certainly lacking experience as recording artists. Goddard Lieberson was pleasantly surprised to find it already so cohesive, and a glance at the musical numbers in the programme for the first night in Washington reveals a song list that is identical with that of the Broadway opening.
