Coraline features music and lyrics by Merritt and a book by Greenspan. Jayne Houdyshell starred in the title role and is featured along with the original Off-Broadway cast on the recording.
The cast also features Julian Fleisher (Save It for the Stage) as Cat, Francis Jue (Yellow Face) as Father and Miss Forcible, January LaVoy (Home) as Mother and Miss Spink, Elliot Villar (The Brothers Size) as Mr. Bobo and William Youmans (Wicked) as Other Father with librettist Greenspan ( Some Men) as Other Mother.
"Poor bored Coraline. She's left to rattle 'round her perpetually distracted, workaholic parents' house all by her lonesome," according to an MCC release. "But late one night, her dreams of a better reality come true as she opens a big, carved, wooden door at the far end of the drawing room and passes into a perfect replica of her own world... [But] Coraline begins to suspect that, perhaps, all is not as perfect as it seems..."
The track listing for the album follows:
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2. "A New House"
3. "I Am Miss Spink (And I Am Miss Forcible)"
4. "A Mouse Circus"
5. "Mum and Dad"
6. "At the Other End"
7. "Song of the Rats"
8. "When We Were Young and Trod the Boards"
9. "Fluorescent Green Gloves"
10. "Welcome Home"
11. "A Lot of Noise"
12. "Theatre Is Fun"
13. "Stay With Us"
14. "The Ballad of the Wasps"
15. "O What a Lovely Trip"
16. "Go To Sleep"
17. "We Were Children Once"
18. "When You‘re a Cat"
19. "Recollections"
20. "Whatever You Want"
21. "The World Goes Flat"
22. "I Saw a Show On Telly Once"
23. "Falling... Falling..."
24. "One Long Fairytale"
Houdyshell starred as the titular nine-year-old in the stage show. About the casting, director Silverman previously stated, "Coraline is a wildly unconventional musical and having the exquisite Jayne Houdyshell play the precocious nine-year old, gleefully defines the surprising and extraordinary spirit of the piece."
Leigh Silverman directed the work based on the novel by Neil Gaiman (which also served as the source material for the Academy Award-nominated animated film). Previews began May 8, 2009, for the production that opened Off-Broadway June 1 at Off-Broadway's Lucille Lortel Theatre and played an extended run through July 7. MCC Theater presented in association with True Love Productions.
Coraline was originally commissioned by St. Ann's Warehouse, in association with Meet the Composer. The 90-minute, intermissionless show was recommended "for children 8 years of age or older," according to a note from MCC.
The original Off-Broadway cast recording of Coraline is available in CD and on iTunes. For more information, visit sh-k-boom.com.
