Bring Broadway (and beyond) home with new CDs and DVDs

When the temperature hovers above 90 degrees one is inclined to head for the shore rather than the sidewalks of Times Square. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bring the glories of Broadway and beyond to the beach, your backyard or car CD player.

The latter is, in fact, a perfect coolant for any traffic tie-ups wherever your destination.

The crop of new CD releases below will fill your summer with sunshine that needs no sun-block; An ocean voyage for the price of a DVD will bring on gales of laughter. And, on July 28, your youngsters can wallow in an undersea adventure at a special Barnes & Noble swim party with the puppet-fishes of Imaginocean. How cool is that!

The best of Broadway

If you haven’t seen the delightful current Broadway revival of the Neil Simon (book), Burt Bacharach and Hal David (score) musical, “Promises, Promises,” the newly released Broadway cast recording will surely have you dancing to the Broadway theatre, humming as you go. Although the musical hadn’t lit a Broadway marquee in over 40 years, its fabulous score is packed with pop standards. The new Masterworks Broadway CD, featuring 2010 Tony nominee Sean Hayes, Kristin Chenoweth and 2010 Tony winner Katie Finneran is a feast of sing-along nostalgia that includes “I Say a Little Prayer” and the catchy, comic “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again.”