The 1979 Broadway revival of opened on December 13, 17 days before the show's composer, , died. Directed by , the son of ' lyricist partner , the new production was a faithful reproduction of the wildly successful original, retaining the orchestrations conducted by , who had wielded the baton back in 1943 as well as for the 1955 film version. Even 's revolutionary choreography was reproduced. The new cast album demonstrated that the cast, led by and , was enthusiastic and talented. Unlike the original Broadway cast album, which was recorded for 78 rpm records with their inherent time limitations, the new LP, recorded in early 1980, was able to include more of the music than ever before. It and the show from which it derived made for a fitting memorial for and confirmed the primacy of in the history of the musical theater. ~ William Ruhlmann