MICHAEL FRIEDMAN RECORDING PROJECT
“Each of these works is a shining testament to the brilliance of Friedman. Preserving his scores and making them more accessible will hopefully only serve to ensure that more productions occur and more people can be exposed to his thought-provoking, necessary, and meaningful art.” —David Clarke, Broadway World
“Beautifully produced recordings of wonderful songs.” —David Levy, CastAlbums
GHOSTLIGHT RECORDS and THE CIVILIANS have announced the release of four new albums as the final
installment of The Michael Friedman Collection. Adventures in Reality, Canard, Canard, Goose?, In the Footprint: The Battle for the Atlantic Yards, and Mr. Burns, a post-electric play will all be available in digital and streaming formats on Friday, March 24. This extraordinary long-term project will now comprise the premiere recordings of nine musicals from the beloved late Obie Award-winning songwriter Michael Friedman (1975-2017), a founding member of The Civilians. The recordings capture Friedman’s innovative spirit and unbridled creativity, now preserved to inspire a new generation of theater-makers. These new albums represent the work of a community of well over 100 artists who came together in spite of the pandemic’s challenges.
Additionally, The Civilians will honor Grammy-winning industry executive Kurt Deutsch, Senior Vice President, Warner Music Entertainment & Theatrical Ventures and Ghostlight Records at Adventures in Reality: The Civilians’ 2023 Spring Benefit. The event, which takes place on Monday, April 3 at 6:30 PM at City Winery (25 Eleventh Avenue), celebrates the jubilant culmination of The Michael Friedman Collection. Tickets can be purchased at www.thecivilians.org/benefit.
The new albums feature music and lyrics by Michael Friedman, with the exception of Mr. Burns, a post-electric play, which features lyrics by Anne Washburn. Canard, Canard, Goose? is written by Steve Cosson and the company. The new albums are produced by Steve Cosson and Kurt Deutsch, with Ghostlight Records and The Civilians serving as executive producers. The albums are co-produced by Ian Kagey and Wiley DeWeese. Andrea Grody serves as co-producer for Mr. Burns, a post-electric play. Adventures in Reality, Canard, Canard, Goose?, and In the Footprint feature orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese, who also serves as music director. Dan Lipton is co-music director for Adventures in Reality. Mr. Burns, a postelectric play features orchestrations by Michael Friedman, with additional orchestrations by Wiley DeWeese and Andrea Grody, who also serves as music director.
These four new titles follow the initial five: The Great Immensity, The Abominables, and This Beautiful City (released in 2019) and (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch and Paris Commune (released in 2020). The Michael Friedman Collection is made possible by the generous donors to the Michael Friedman Legacy Fund and by the artistic contributions of his many collaborators.