Kristen Anderson-Lopez, co-writer of Frozen, also co-wrote a musical called In Transit that premiered on Broadway last year and closed after 145 performances. It was Broadway’s first acapella musical and the cast album was just released on Hollywood Records, for some bizarre reason.
This entire thing seems like a favor to Kristen being released by Disney. Now, I’m not saying it shouldn’t be released. I believe every Broadway musical deserves a cast album, as without them, they get lost to time and aren’t performed as often across the country. It’s just weird Disney is releasing a non-Disney cast album, something they don’t even do themselves most of the time.
This show follows a group of strangers dealing with the subway system, their lives, and their goals. Yep. That’s about it.
The music starts and ends very strong. The opening number, “Deep Beneath the City/Not There Yet” is instantly memorable and you’ll have it stuck in your head for months. The big finale song for Margo Seibert, an underrated gem of the theatre scene, is killer. It showcases her gorgeous voice with a lyrical melody.
The rest is very “eh.” The performers are all giving 110%, especially since these vocal arrangements are so much more intricate and precise than most shows. However, nothing else is memorable or really worth your time.
I’m happy the album is out. I’m happy this piece of Broadway history exists. It is not required listening.