Following Jimmy Valentine started life as a full-cast audiobook musical from composer Jeff Flaster, based on an O. Henry story and a Hudson River School painting. This is the 18-song cast album, out since October 2025 on Melodic Music LLC.
I’ve never listened to an album like this before, and I’m sure that’s the same for a lot of you, but it probably won’t be the last after you listen to this one. It’s such a beautifully vivid experience. It’s like listening to a short film as your mind fills in the visuals; it’s a very engaging experience, though it might not seem like it if you pitch it incorrectly. So it’s theater with your eyes closed? No, now you’re thinking of it like a lesser experience. Actually it is music with theatrical elements, so listening to this like normal works perfectly fine, but if you engage your imagination, you will be rewarded.
Musically this is a dynamic concept album essentially where each song is one scene passing the baton to the next as the story is weaved between all the classic instrumentation you would associate with musicals, like Patrick Stockbridge’s piano and programmed orchestra, Jamie Stockbridge on woodwinds, Abigail Jackson on violin and viola and Miranda Lewis-Brown on cello, but the reason why it’s so special is the all star cast with Hadley Fraser, Kerry Ellis and Celinde Schoenmaker leading alongside Jacqui Dankworth, David Hunter, George Blagden, Alison Arnopp and Simon Shorten, and each of them bring nuance and life to this vivid story.
One of my favorite songs and moments on this album is “The Line”; the keyboard line is so catchy and also sounds like the 60s/70s era, which is very special for me. The vocals from Kerry Ellis and Alison Arnopp glide so freely, and effortlessly it’s like a disney princess is singing in the wind to no one and everyone at the same time.
If I sat here and talked about all of my favorite moments, we would be here all day, and I have no problem with that; I just want you to experience this firsthand. I think theater kids and others alike will enjoy embarking on this beautiful auditory experience
The album opens with “Easy Does It” and closes on “Every Song,” and “Shine” puts Fraser, Ellis, and Schoenmaker on the same track. It was recorded at Jukebox Studios and produced by Sarah Golding of Wireless Theatre, and the full audiobook is available at FollowingJimmyValentine.com.