The Rink: The Musical (1988 Original London Cast)

by Various Artists

This 1988 London cast recording of John Kander and Fred Ebb's The Rink lacks the star power of the 1984 original Broadway cast, but it's still pretty good. Josephine Blake takes the Chita Rivera role as Anna, who sells the family roller rink for development, and Diane Langton follows Liza Minnelli as the daughter who joins her on a series of flashbacks. Thirteen more minutes than the Broadway version as well as a slightly better booklet help explain the nonlinear plot, though lyrics again are not included. While the voltage level doesn't quite measure up, the two British stars actually sound a bit similar to the Americans--perhaps proving that the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree. --David Horiuchi