Top 10 Broadway Picks for November

The New Broadway Cast Album of the amazing, Tony Award-winning revival of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, superbly matches the energy and extraordinary talent of Kathleen Marshall's triple-threat phenom cast on stage. Singing the fantastic arrangements by Bill Elliott, the cast album's performers include Sutton Foster - who won the 2011 Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, Joel Grey, 2011 Tony nominee Adam Godley, Collin Donnell, and Laura Osnes, plus the rest of the Tony winning cast.

Think belting eight shows per week doesn't effect the voice? Think again. And this book, Everyday Voice Care, is just the sort of book to keep you on track with practical advice on how to take care of the voice. Written in layman's language by noted voice therapist Joanna Cazden, this book is a must-have for any serious student and performer of theatre -- both musical and non-singing theatre.

Rock singer and master vocal coach Sheri Sanders has put her years of experience and wisdom into the book, Rock the Audition: How to Prepare for and Get Cast in Rock Musicals. Ever since Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar shocked audiences a few decades ago, Musical Theatre singers have sought a way to bring the rock sound of the radio to the Broadway stage. Rock singing is more than technique; it's about emotion. And to sing rock 8 shows per week on Broadway in a safe and healthy manner doesn't happen naturally. This 224-page paperback gem belongs on every rock singer's bookshelf.

Broadway star Kate Baldwin teams up with iconic lyricist Sheldon Harnick for a live CD recorded over four performances at the renown Feinstein's at the Lowe's Regency in Manhattan. While some songs are very well known, such as "Will He Like Me?" and "Matchmaker," truly rare gems are sprinkled throughout the CD, like "Dear Sweet Sewing Machine" and "Gorgeous." (I dare you to not sing along with "Gorgeous"!) Baldwin's vocal range, both in octaves and emotionality, are remarkable. "She Loves Him" is for true aficionados of musical theatre and intimate cabaret.

Joan Melton once again puts valuable training and knowledge into an easy-to-read book for anyone wanting to learn the finer points of musical theatre training. An avid researcher, Melton bridges the needs of the performer with the instrument itself, focusing on alignment, breathing, and creating a foundation of habits that can build an overall technique to withstand the demands of performing professional musical theatre.

No one knows how to cause a stir better than the creators of the Emmy Award-winning TV show, "South Park," and Trey Parker and Matt Stone have accomplished that and more with their Tony Award-winning musical The Book of Mormon. With partners in crime Casey Nicholaw and Robert Lopez, Parker and Stone revived the traditional musical format for the next generation of musical lovers, poking fun at every icon imaginable along the way. This cast album contains EXPLICIT language which may not be suitable for some listeners.

Accomplished composer and accompanist Andrew Gerle has put his best advice forward for new auditionees in his book, The Enraged Accompanist's Guide to Auditions. Funny, insightful, and to the point, Gerle has managed to hit on all the important topics a novice (and many expeienced) performers can use. At 120 pages in paperback form, the book can easily fit in your audition bag so you can brush up on some "do's and don't's" on the way to your big audition.

Kids want cast albums, too! And Disney and Cameron Macintosh have created the ultimate live cast recording perfect for the entire family with Mary Poppins: Original Live Cast Recording. Recorded over five live performances of the Australian company of Mary Poppins in Melbourne, this CD provides every bit of excitement and energy of the singers' voices. If you cannot get to a production of Disney's Mary Poppins, listening to this live recording will keep you content until you can get tickets to the live show.

Eric Salzman and Thomas Desi have done an incredible job of mapping the vast and ever-changing artform of Musical Theatre. No longer viewed as the unfortunate hybrid of operetta and Vaudeville, Musical Theatre is an artform to be reckoned with and is the financial backbone of Broadway. This 416-page survey of changing writing and performing styles should be on the book of every theatre lover.

Applause Books has launched an amazing series of books that will thrill students and theatre nerds alike. Similar to the cast album that preserves the music and singing of a show, Applause's new series of libretti preserves the the book, or libretto, of famous Broadway musicals. The Applause Libretto Series includes classics such as Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music and Oklahoma! plus newer shows like Jason Robert Brown's 13 and Tony Award-winning Best Musicals Avenue Q and Memphis.