Marie Christine (1999 Broadway Cast)

A retelling of Medea transposed to 19th-century America, Marie Christine falls short of its lofty ambitions, which still makes it more audacious than most of the current Broadway fare. Composer-lyricist Michael John LaChiusa's lyrics can be cumbersomely narrative, and too often he dispatches a song without letting it develop fully, as if refusing to be overly easy on the ear. But the man's dramatic flair is undeniable, and this recording allows us to fully appreciate subtleties that got drowned in Graciela Daniele's often-dreary staging at Lincoln Center. Second-act opener "Cincinnati" shows that when he feels like it, LaChiusa can write the kind of boisterous big number that brings down a house. In the title role, Audra McDonald confirms that she is an incandescent presence. This welcome recording may help rehabilitate a misunderstood show. --Elisabeth Vincentelli