The Original Broadway Cast. I can't tell you how much I adore this recording. Of course, that may change when I've got something to compare it to, but for now, it is simply the recording that made me love this show!! The cast is WONDERFUL...I can't think of another show with a stronger overall cast. Special mentions must go to Michael Cerveris as Thomas Andrews and Brian D'Arcy James as Frederick Barrett. They are both fabulous!! I also love the orchestration...does anybody else get shivers everytime they play the "Sail on" part in the overture? My absolute favourite song to listen to would have to be "The Proposal", but I really do enjoy it all. My major complaint is that it's not a complete recording!! :-) And also, that the sound is a bit muffled when compared with other recordings - anyone know why that might be?

The Original Dutch Cast. It's funny, I normally have no problem with listening to recordings in a language that I don't understand. However, with this recording, it really detracts from my enjoyment of it. I guess maybe it's because this score isn't made up of traditional "songs", but is a lot of sung dialogue, and musical themes. When they are actually singing the songs, I have no problem with it. But parts like Alice Beane's opening just seem really off to me. I guess if you're Dutch though, you might not have the same objections. :-) None of this is the fault of the cast, who are really great for the most part. The group numbers are spectacular. If you're a die-hard fan, there are definitely things to enjoy here, but otherwise I'd say stick with the Broadway cast.

The Original German Cast. Okay, I'm going to completely contradict what I just said about the Dutch recording. :-) I enjoy this recording much more than the Dutch one - the language issues don't bother me nearly as much. Maybe this is because I'm more familiar with German than Dutch? Or maybe it's because the translations are a little more successful at achieving the same syllable emphasis as the songs had in English. Either way, it's how I feel. :-) The cast here is wonderful too, in particular Patrick Stanke as Barrett (his bit in "In die Rettungsboote" breaks my heart!), Jasmin Madwar as Kate McGowan and Carsten Lepper as Thomas Andrews. I imagine I will still listen to the Broadway recording more, but if you want a foreign language recording, I would recommend this one over the Dutch one.