"Phantom" original cast recording

A bit disgruntled to find that my newly-acquired 'original cast recording' of "The Phantom of the Opera" in a 2-CD set is in fact nothing like a full production -- made very obvious by the fact that the box does contain a full libretto with all the sizeable excised sections and scenes clearly indicated! In fact it's the same versions of the songs as those in my original 1980s Highlights tape (clearly simply a selection taken from this recording), where I was expecting a stage production that actually gives you the intervening plot and dialogue. It's not a question of material having been audibly cut: this is a reduced score that removed many of the minor lines before it ever reached the studio in order to concentrate on the hit numbers.

Overall it does contain about forty minutes of extra music, but the effect on plot comprehensibility is weird: for example, the scene where Raoul and Christine first meet includes only the few lines of the 'Little Lotte' song, without either the explanation of their earlier friendship or Raoul's subsequent attempt to take her out to dinner, then cuts directly to the Phantom's anger without showing what provoked it! This makes, if anything, less sense than the 'Highlights' version, where "Insolent boy" starts off this scene and apparently refers back to Raoul's excitement at "Think of Me" ("she may not remember me, but I remember her!")

Still, the full libretto is worth having, albeit rather frustrating, and it's interesting hearing somewhat expanded versions of some of the scenes, notably the 'Notes'.