As many of you know, For Tonight released a concept cast recording at the end of July, and I am in awe!
I was lucky enough to cross paths with this musical through Breaking The Curtain, the musical theatre podcast I host with my best friend Crissy over at Break a Leg.
Listening to the creatives talk about their show and this specific project was so moving, and I just knew it was going to be epic!
In the small amount of time this album has been out, it has quickly become one of my biggest new musical obsessions, so I am here to tell you all about it!
Full disclosure: I’ve never reviewed an album before, so I’m not going to try and make this overly “formal”, I’m just going to tell you why you should listen to this glorious album.
This album is freaking gorgeous.
For Tonight has everything you want in a musical theatre album.
Spencer Williams and Shenelle Salcido have penned a rich and beautiful score, which deserves a place amongst the genre's best. The score is accompanied by Joseph Perdue’s sweeping orchestrations, and it transports you to another place and time, maintaining a beautiful balance between the cinematic and intimate moments in the story.
The show’s characters have been brought to life by the talents of a strong ensemble of performers from across the U.K, with some artists even hailing from Wales, where the story takes place! The cast features Simon Gordon, Amy Di Bartolomeo, Dale Evans, Erin Caldwell, and Luke McCall. Through stunning solos and powerful group numbers, it’s a wall of impeccable sound from the vocalists, lead by Iestyn Griffiths, the music director.
The strength in this album lies in the fact that the show and album as a whole is sublime, but it is also full of individual songs that are moving, magical, and also exist beautifully on their own.
Of course, I couldn’t pick just one favourite…
So here are a few of the tunes I can’t stop listening to:
Keep It In, All This Time, Wait For The Morn, Home, and of course the titular track For Tonight.
But let me be clear, this album has ‘no skips’.
Here’s a link to where you can listen to my newest musical theatre obsession, For Tonight, and a bit more about the show itself:
For Tonight is a new musical from Shenelle Salcido and Spencer Williams, which is based on the journals of Williams’ third great grandfather.
The story begins in 1832, in a small town in Northern Wales where a Romani family travels through town, finding shelter on the farm of the Parry family. Soon after their arrival, the Parry parents die from an unknown disease and the Romani travelers are forced to go into hiding after being blamed for bringing “filth and death” to Trelawnyd.
For Tonight follows the three Parry children, Thomas, Haydon and Nettie, in the aftermath of their parents’ death. While the eldest brother, Thomas, struggles with the guilt of events surrounding the Romani’s departure, Haydon, runs off to Liverpool in search of a new life, leaving Nettie behind to deal with the overbearing Thomas. In Liverpool, Haydon falls in love with Mirela, a Romani woman, who poses a threat to his already strained family relationships. Haydon quickly learns however, that bias runs on both sides and that Mirela’s family will not accept a gadje (an outsider). This requires Haydon and Mirela to keep their love a secret. When events back home call Haydon to return, he and Thomas must finally face their past, and all three siblings face their biggest fears.
Through a riveting score, the atmospheric soundscape blends traditional Welsh choral, indie-pop, folk, and Romani inspired melodies and rhythms. At its core, For Tonight is an exploration of the power and meaning of home.
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