The Notebook has been breaking hearts on Broadway since its opening in March. Based on the acclaimed Nicholas Sparks novel and film of the same name, singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson has written a pop score to infuse music into the beloved story.
The "Way I Am" songstress composed 21 original songs that are now available to listen to through the musical's cast album, which was recently released by Atlantic Records. The label previously released Grammy-winning albums for musicals like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen.
The musical adapts the story into a sweeping theatrical feast, with the main couple, Allie and Noah, played by three sets of actors in the "younger," "middle," and "older" age range to encapsulate their years-long love affair.
"Leave the Light On" was the first single to be released prior to the full album's debut. It is sung by the middle-aged Noah, played by actor Ryan Vasquez, who has been seen in musicals like Wicked and Waitress. He says that immortalizing The Notebook through the album has been "surreal" after he worked on past iterations before finally making it to Broadway.
"It's partly surreal in that the impossibility of a show getting all the way to Broadway, from the seed of an idea, is such a blessing," Vasquez tells Music Times. "So to be able to crystallize this moment in a way that everyone will be able to enjoy, all over the world, is profound and not lost on me."
When the cast headed to the recording studio to record vocals for the album, they had the benefit of seasoned music industry vet Michaelson guiding them through the process.
"Ingrid was a dream collaborator," Vasquez says, "and I'm so thankful to have met her on this project. Her music is gorgeous -- that doesn't always guarantee that it would work as a score for a musical, but for this, it does. She was humble enough to work with her collaborators to create something that worked for the theater and confident enough in herself to continue to bring fresh, beautiful, and unique musical ideas to our show."
John Cardoza, who steals hearts as the youngest version of Noah, states that recording music by the "You & I" singer has been a career highlight for him.
"Ingrid is incredible," Cardoza enthused to Music Times. "She is supportive, collaborative, and specific. Singing her music on the album is one of the greater honors of my career thus far."
Actress Jordan Tyson, who made her Broadway debut playing the youngest iteration of Allie, recalls her time in the studio with Michaelson as "such a lesson in style and precision."
"My voice has what feels like 12,000 setting options, so it was really Ingrid and I (and my amazing coach, Roberta) who spent hours choosing what vocal sound would ultimately be right for this role and as a complement to the other music and voices in the show," Tyson says.
While Vasquez and Cardoza are Broadway vets, the album marks the first time that these three performers have been featured as main soloists on an original Broadway cast album.
"I remember listening to and falling in love with shows by way of their cast recordings when I was a kid because I didn't have much access to theater," Cardoza says. "It's amazing to think that I may be a small part of that experience for other kids and folks with this album."
Tyson agrees, saying she hopes this is just the first of many chances she'll get to record music in a studio. "I feel so proud to be a part of something where every artist -- from the musicians, vocalists, technicians, etc.-- is at the absolute top of their game," she says. "It's an honor. It's also a bit of a tease because it's only the beginning, only scratching the surface of the recording work I intend to do!"
The process of recording a companion album to a Broadway musical is often challenging, as the actors are suddenly tasked with taking the drama of the stage show out of its usual theater environment and making it come to life in a potentially isolating studio. But this cast enjoyed adapting for the vocal booths.
"I think one of greatest benefits of recording versus the live performance is that it's a different, more intimate environment and style of singing," Cardoza explains. "You can really play with vocal emotion and dynamics in a beautiful, subtle way that might not read while performing for an audience in a Broadway theater."
Tyson continued, "Some of the songs were perfectly translated as they exist in the theater. Others, we realized, really demanded an honoring of the more intimate medium that a recording offers. We had to capture the truth of the story with no aid, save for sound. It could have posed a challenge, but instead it upheld my mantra for everything: do less."
Vasquez concurs that recording the album was "certainly challenging," but he appreciates that there was a "focus on making this album sound like a pop album as well." Vasquez -- who also worked with singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles on her Waitress musical -- hopes that original pop scores such as these will draw a larger audience to theaters, opening the door for a broader sound within musicals.
Michaelson says that she turned to Barreilles while working on the musical. The "Love Song" singer premiered Waitress in 2015, which led to an extensive career in the theatre that has included hosting the Tony Awards and an acclaimed turn in a revival of Into the Woods.
"Sara is one of my good friends and has been a really lovely cheerleader and support. I would reach out whenever I felt like I was in need of some sort of wisdom," she said in a recent interview with Vanity Fair. "Another person who helped me through is Shaina Taub, the composer of Suffs. I didn't want to bother people, but I wanted little nuggets of encouragement, then to figure it out on my own."
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"Pop music is bringing more people into the theater, which is beautiful," Vasquez says. "And I think The Notebook will do just that."
The Notebook (Original Broadway Cast Recording) also features the voices of Maryann Plunkett, Dorian Harewood, Joy Wood, Andréa Burns, and Carson Stewart, along with Yassmin Alers, Alex Benoit, Chase Del Rey, Hillary Fisher, Jerome Harmann-Hardeman, Dorcas Leung, Happy McPartlin, Juliette Ojeda, Kim Onah, Charles E. Wallace, and Charlie Webb.
The musical, which has garnered rave reviews, is now playing at Broadway's Schoenfeld Theatre. For tickets and more information, visit www.NotebookMusical.com.
