Newly released cast recordings you can listen to right now

If you’re looking for some fresh tunes to add to your stagey playlists, then look no further!

We’ve been blessed with many, many cast recordings released this year from the West End to Broadway, and beyond.

Here are our picks of 20 that you can listen to right now.

The Book Thief

Two years after its world premiere, the cast recording of The Book Thief arrived in March. The stage adaptation of Markus Zusak’s much-loved novel has music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson. Now, we don’t want to assume, but we hope this means another chapter for this five-star new musical.

Boop!

The classic cartoon character was brought to vivid techicolour on Broadway! David Foster and Susan Birkenhead’s zippy tunes are sung gorgeously by Jasmine Amy Rogers, who Boop-oop-a-doop’d herself a Tony nomination for her Broadway debut.

Buena Vista Social Club

The Buena Vista Social Club band received a special Tony Award this year, and with one listen of the cast recording, it’s easy to understand why. The hit show made history as the first musical on Broadway featuring an entire score sung in Spanish, and is, of course, inspired by the artists who recorded the original album.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

It was only a “Matter of Time” before The Curious Case of Benjamin Button allowed us a taste of the Pickled Crab at home. It’s hot on the tails of the two stars, Clare Foster and John Dagleish, receiving love at the Olivier Awards, with Dagleish taking home his second trophy.

Death Becomes Her

Tell me, Ernest, how desperate are you to see Death Becomes Her in the West End? For now, we can’t get enough of Megan Hilty, Jennifer Simard, and co on the cast recording – filled with short, snappy tunes that wiggle into the subconscious.

Drag: The Musical Live

Alaska Thunderfuck’s sequin-studded musical comedy has played in Hollywood and New York City with a rotating cast of Drag Race favourites. It follows two rival drag clubs owned by former lovers. Reportedly, a London production is in the works, so you should get practicing your lip-sync! Did I forget to mention that Liza Minnelli features?

Gypsy

If the answer to “How many times have you watched Audra McDonald‘s Tonys performance” is simply “Yes,” then I probably don’t need to inform you that there’s a cast recording from the current Broadway production. May they entertain you!

Heathers the Musical: Deluxe Edition

This summer, Heathers returned home to New World Stages! To celebrate that, and the tenth anniversary, a deluxe edition of the original world premiere cast recording has been released. Expect all of your favourites as well as bonus tracks of the tunes added to the London premiere, and a brand-new song, “One by One,” performed by Ingrid Michaelson and Gizel Jiménez. “Big Fun!”

Jo – The Little Women Musical

Christine Allado, Rob Houchen, Kelly Mathieson, Liam Tamne, Laura Benanti, Julian Ovenden and Tobias Turley are just a few of the starry names attached to the concept album based on the seminal novel. News of a West End staging is expected very soon, so get ahead of the hype!

Maybe Happy Ending

The story of two retired service robots who embark on a cross-country trip and fall in love bagged this year’s Tony winner for Best Musical. Darren Criss (who also picked up a Tony) and Helen J Shen feature in the charming new musical that has the UK waiting with bated breath.

Oliver!

Just when we thought we couldn’t get much more from the WhatsOnStage Award-winning show after its West End transfer, the new production released a cast recording! Now we’ll be “Oom-Pah-Pah”-ing seven days a week!

Once Upon a Mattress

Sutton Foster, Michael Urie, and more famously un-“Shy” talented theatre royalty lend their voices to the 2024 Broadway cast recording, which arrived earlier this year.

Real Women Have Curves

Despite being a fan favourite on the Great White Way, the new musical has unfortunately announced an early closing. Luckily for those who didn’t get a chance to see it, there’s a brilliant cast recording (produced by Julio Reyes Copello) to enjoy. It’s no wonder the show received a Tony nomination for its score, with a Latin American flavour, meet dreamer Ana, who’s ready to pursue a life in New York City, much to her parents’ dismay.

Redwood

Idina Menzel’s anticipated return to Broadway was the central point of this new musical about grief and letting go. While it was praised for its visual effects, the album contains some solid rock musical theatre bangers, delivered by one of the world’s most distinctive voices.

Smash

Fans of the TV show will likely recognise at least a few of the Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman numbers featured in the musical about staging a musical about Marilyn Monroe. Meanwhile, newcomers will delight in the syrupy tunes.

Starlight Express Deluxe

Despite what the number may say, we don’t think you can have “One Rock ‘N’ Roll Too Many” when it comes to the multi-WhatsOnStage Award-winning Starlight Express and its cast recording. On the deluxe edition, fans can find eight new remixes to play while they’re “Pumping Iron”!

Swept Away

Americana band the Avett Brothers provided the music for the tale of a 19th-century shipwreck and its survivors. The Prologue sets out the intention: to tell our story, tell it true, and tell it full.

Why Am I So Single?

The meta-musical from Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss is full of clever puns, catchy tunes, fresh lyrics, and viral moments. Chock-a-block with lengthy, story-telling numbers, you can catch up (and possibly relate) with the dating woes of two besties (played by WhatsOnStage Award nominees Leesa Tulley and Jo Foster) pretty quickly.

The Witches

The National Theatre’s stage adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches became a fan favourite a couple of years ago, and a cast recording has finally landed! We wonder what this means for the future of the production…

Your Lie in April

Manga musical Your Lie in April arrived in London first in an English-language concert, before a full-blown production with some show-stopping moments. They made history by bringing the first manga musical to play in the West End and to have a full Asian and Southeast Asian cast in a West End musical.