‘Randy Newman’s Faust,’ the Songwriter’s Brilliant but Rarely Produced Stage Musical, Rises Again for a Weekend in L.A. at the Soraya

variety.com:

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic The devil is making them do it… or maybe it’s actually an exercise in divine justice. “Randy Newman‘s Faust,” the only musical comedy ever written for the stage by the dean of barbed American singer-songwriters, has never been produced in its creator’s hometown before.

In fact, it’s almost never been produced anywhere, despite its legend among some for being among Newman’s great works. That will change this weekend, as the Soraya will put on a concert version of the exceedingly rare show, for two performances only.

Newman will be in attendance on opening night, and so, perhaps, will be the gods of irreverent theater. This “Faust” is being done with narration to fill in the pieces of the storyline, rather than the between-song dialogue that was part of the only two full productions that were ever done to date, in pre-Broadway tryouts at the La Jolla Playhouse in 1995 followed by the Goodman Theater in 1996 (where David Mamet took a crack at revising Newman’s book).

But fans of Newman are in for a feast of music. This production will include all 17 songs that were heard on his original ’95 concept album — where the parts were sung by Newman (as the devil), James Taylor (as the Lord), Don Henley (as Faust), Linda Ronstadt (as the innocent Margaret), Bonnie Raitt (as the temptress Martha) and Elton John — along with several more that were only ever heard in the stage productions, or as demos. “If you leave the drama and the big thoughts about ‘Faust’ and what it means aside for a second,” says Thor Steingraber, the show’s director, “there are about 20 tracks in this piece that are incredible musical compositions that will be sung by incredible musical artists.