Showtunes is the result of collaboration between Stephin Merritt with Chen Shi-zheng on three pieces of musical theatre; Orphan of Zhao (2003), Peach Blossom Fan (2004), and My Life as a Fairy Tale (2005). Select tracks from these are featured on this album. It was released on Nonesuch Records on March 16, 2006 but was available from peer-to-peer networks from February 20, 2006. The remainder of songs from the shows were released exclusively through online music stores.

Showtunes
Soundtrack album by Stephin Merritt
Released	March 16, 2006
Genre	Indie pop
Length	48:33
Label	Nonesuch
Stephin Merritt chronology
Pieces of April (2003) Showtunes (2006) Obscurities (2011)

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Daily Herald	[3]
Entertainment Weekly	B[4]
The Gazette	2/5[5]
The Guardian	[6]
The Harvard Crimson	[7]
MusicOMH	[8]
NOW	4/5[9]
Pitchfork	7.5/10[10]
Slant Magazine	[11]

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics; on Metacritic, it has a score of 69 out of 100.

Track listing

1. "Theme from The Orphan of Zhao" – 00:59
2. "At Madam Plum's" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 02:35
3. "The Top and the Ball" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 01:49
4. "What a Fucking Lovely Day!" [From Orphan of Zhao] – 01:22
5. "Auntie Toothache" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 02:48
6. "It's Hard to Be the Emperor" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:08
7. "Sounds Expensive" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:36
8. "The Red Shoes" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 01:43
9. "Fan Dance Cha-Cha" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:17
10. "The Little Maiden of the Sea" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 03:53
11. "Ukulele Me!" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:08
12. "Train Song" [From Orphan of Zhao] – 01:17
13. "The Little Hebrew Girl" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 02:10
14. "Shall We Sing a Duet?" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 00:55
15. "The Song of the Humble Serf" [From Orphan of Zhao] – 00:56
16. "The Collar and the Garter" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 01:40
17. "Shall We Sing a Duet?" (Reprise) [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:38
18. "Sorry, Wrong Show" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:41
19. "The Storks" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 01:24
20. "In the Spring, When I Was Young" [From Orphan of Zhao] – 02:02
21. "The Ugly Little Duck" [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 03:41
22. "And He Would Say..." [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 03:02
23. "The World is Not Made of Flowers" [From Orphan of Zhao] – 01:14
24. "Behold the Lowly Centipede" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:41
25. "In China, Said the Moon..." [From My Life as a Fairy Tale] – 03:37
26. "Hail! Son of Heaven" [From Peach Blossom Fan] – 01:06

References

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