Leonard Bernstein composed the music for "Wonderful Town", a musical based on works by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov. The libretto was written by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The Broadway premiere took place on February 25, 1953 at the Winter Garden Theatre.
The original cast included Rosalind Russell as Ruth Sherwood, who also participated in the album recording. The production was directed by Joseph Fields and choreographed by Donald Saddler. The musical won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical.
The original album was released by Columbia Masterworks in 1953, with the orchestra conducted by Lehman Engel. The recording captured the show's energy and became a bestseller. Bernstein did not personally conduct this recording but supervised the musical production.