Desperate Measures - Original Cast Recording

Country music, particularly in the western style, promotes a very specific aura: That of sincerity combined with a message that can be effectively hidden behind the timbres of the harmonica and banjo. Now the musical writing team of David Friedman (composer) and Peter Kellogg (book and lyrics) have taken Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" and turned it into their own boot-strapping, musical comedy, "Desperate Measures," currently playing at the New World Stages in New York, and the Original Cast Recording is now available from Masterworks Broadway, featuring the wonderful cast from this production.

The award-winning Friedman, whose myriad of credits including conductor work for Disney's greatest hits ("Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin") and a large catalog of popular songs (including the often performed "Listen to My Heart" and "We Live On Borrowed Time") has created a snappy melange of melodies, all based in the twangy world of cowboy country, in order to bring Kellogg's ("Anna Karenina") lyrics to life. After an unsuccessful attempt to write the story in prose, the team turned the entire tale into verse, giving the classic a more timeless feel.

However, the story does have a time period: 1885, where Johnny Blood (Conor Ryan) has been falsely imprisoned for murder by the evil Governor von Richterhenkenpflichtgetruber (Nick Wyman from "Catch Me If You Can"), referred to as "the long name of the law." With the help of Sheriff Green (Peter Saide), Blood's estranged sister (Emma Degerstedt) is found and enlisted to help "negotiate" a deal with the governor for Johnny's release. Add in Johnny's loose girlfriend (Lauren Molina) and a priest (Gary Marachek), and the musical, which has been around since 2004, finally "measures" up to the task of entertaining audiences, both live and now recorded.

Musical highlights from the talented six-person cast include the "Anything You Can Do"-styled duet between Molina and Ryan, "Just For You," the aptly-titled opener "The Ballad of Johnny Blood," and the governor's solo (think Mel Brooks in "Blazing Saddles," but with the mentality of today's government), "Some Day They Will Thank Me." This recording of "Desperate Measures" is worth the listen, and will have its hooks firmly planted in your ears.

"Desperate Measures" (Original Cast Recording)
$13.98
CD and digital formats
www.masterworksbroadway.com