FREDERICK (Fritz) LOEWE (1901 - 1988)
was born on June 10, 1901 in Berlin, Germany. Loewe's Viennese father was a successful actor and singer of Viennese light opera songs (such as Franz Lehar's THE MARRY WIDOW), an element in Loewe's youth that undoubtedly influenced some of music he would later write in his collaboration with Alan Jay Lerner. Fritz himself was a child prodigy, playing the piano at age 5, composing for his father's presentations at 7, and at 13 becoming the youngest soloist to appear with the Berlin Philharmonic. Loewe wrote a popular song, “Katrina,” at age 15, whose sheet music reportedly sold over 2 million copies. However, Loewe arrived in the United States in 1924 unheralded and unknown with the desire to compose for the Broadway stage. He was unsuccessful until he met Alan Jay Lerner in 1942 at the Lambs Club, a theatrical club in New York City. They collaborated on two failed works, WHAT'S UP (1943) and THE DAY BEFORE SPRING (1945), before achieving success on Broadway with BRIGADOON in 1947. This was followed by PAINT YOUR WAGON (1951), the Tony-winning MY FAIR LADY (1956), the Oscar-winning MGM film GIGI (1958), and the Broadway hit CAMELOT (1960). Loewe's music ranged from high romance (“If Ever I Would Leave You” from CAMELOT and “On the Street Where You Live” from MY FAIR LADY) to lighthearted melodies (“The Night They Invented Champagne” and “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” from GIGI) to subtle settings for nearly spoken songs (such as those for Rex Harrison in MY FAIR LADY and for Richard Burton in CAMELOT). Personal differences between Loewe and Lerner surfaced during the writing of CAMELOT, and they suspended their collaboration for more than a decade -- Loewe in retirement and Lerner writing with other composers. They reunited to adapt GIGI for the stage in 1973 and to write the score for the film THE LITTLE PRINCE in 1974. After that, Loewe retired for good and lived comfortably in Southern California on his laurels and considerable musical royalties until his death at the age of 86 on Feb. 14, 1988 in Palm Springs.
ALAN JAY LERNER (1918-1986)
was born on August 31, 1918 in New York City. His father founded the famous Lerner Stores and Alan grew up in privileged circumstances. He was educated at private schools in England and Connecticut, the Juilliard School of Music in New York City, and at Harvard University (B.S., 1940). Lerner's archly romantic and literate librettos (in part the product of his sophisticated background and education) and his witty and romantic lyrics (influenced by his post-college friendship with lyricist Lorenz Hart of Broadway's Rodgers & Hart) matched Loewe's music perfectly. Lerner skillfully integrated music, character and story into a seamless whole similar to the celebrated works of Rodgers & Hammerstein. Lerner also won Oscars for two of his musical screenplays, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951) and GIGI (1958). Three of Lerner's eight marriages were to actresses: Marion Bell (1947-48) who starred in his 1947 Broadway success BRIGADOON; movie actress Nancy Olson (1950-57) with whom he was married when he wrote PAINT YOUR WAGON and MY FAIR LADY; and his last wife, British actress Liz Robertson, who had starred in a London revival of MY FAIR LADY. Robertson and Lerner were married from 1981 until his death in New York City on June 14, 1986. He was 67 years old.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
LERNER & LOEWE LECTURES
RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN / LERNER & LOEWE
SIMILARITIES
Dramatic Plot Development,
Song/Plot Integration,
Strong Character Portrayals
Dramatic use of Dance & Ballet
Similar Song Types (handout)
DIFFERENCES
Rodgers and Hammerstein (major works)
Emphasis: Social Concerns Method: Romantic Realism
Oklahoma! (1943) Carousel (1945)
South Pacific (1949)
The King & I (1951)
Flower Drum Song (1958)
The Sound of Music (1959)
Emphasis: Personal Relationships Method: Realistic Fantasy
Brigadoon (1947)Paint Your Wagon (1951)
My Fair Lady (1956)
Gigi (movie 1958)
Camelot (1960)
Composer FREDERICK LOEWE
(1901-1988)
Biography and Influences
Classical European Music
(child prodigy)
Melodious Popular Viennese Operetta Music
(his father’s operetta concerts)
Excerpts from Franz Lehar’s celebrated Viennese Operetta
THE MERRY WIDOW (1905)
THE MERRY WIDOW (1905)
Excerpt One -- think of the musical style in Gigi...
Excerpt Two -- think of the comedy songs of Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
Excerpt Three -- think of the romantic L&L songs...esp in Camelot...
Excerpt Four -- think of the misogynist songs of Higgins in My Fair Lady...
Playwright / Lyricist ALAN JAY LERNER (1918-1986)
(1918 - 1986)
Biography and Influences
Friend and mentor LORENZ (Larry) HART (1896 -1943) (Rodgers & Hart)
Friends during Lerner's post-college days and last 3 years of Hart's life... Hart was witty & cynical...but also melancholy and ROMANTIC...
”My Funny Valentine”...”Where or When”...”Isn’t It Romantic”...”BLUE MOON”
Strong early relationship with his father JOSEPH LERNER (founded Lerner Stores)
Alan had privileged youth...well educated in England and US...grad Harvard (1940)
Alan was favored middle son to father...attended boxing matches (lost eye at Harvard)
...attended NY theatre with father...vowed to have a career writing on Broadway..
Rejected his father's anti-romantic, anti-spiritual and misogynist view of life...
“All his life, it would seem, Lerner was caught in a conflict between his instinctive romanticism and the cynicism about women (and religion and life generally) preached to him by his father. He wanted to believe that love transforms all; he wanted to believe that the paths of glory do not lead to an all-too-final grave." --Gene Lees, Inventing Champagne: The Worlds of Lerner and Loewe, p. 324
Friday, April 15, 2011
Plot & Song Synopsis CAMELOT
CAMELOT (1960) -- Plot Synopsis (Musical numbers in Bold Italics)
(Overture). The play opens with the festive arrival of Guenevere from abroad to marry Arthur, the young king of Camelot (Parade March). Shy and nervous about his upcoming marriage, Arthur is hiding in the nearby woods (I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight). Guenevere herself is uncertain about her future and the loss of youthful dreams (The Simple Joys of Maidenhood) when she stumbles into Arthur, not knowing who he is. He reassures her about the wonderful place that will now be her new home (Camelot) and then identifies himself as her new husband. They both seem to be charmed with each other and look forward to the future together. Arthur has been tutored from childhood by the wise wizard Merlyn who has fostered in him the concepts of peace and brotherhood. But aging Merlyn is seduced and called away to his last resting place by the nymph Nimue (Follow Me) and Arthur must face any new challenges alone. Arthur establishes his Round Table for knights who want to share his dream of establishing peace and justice. The news of this reaches the handsome young knight Lancelot in France who comes to Camelot to join Arthur's knights (C'est Moi). After he arrives, a gala outing takes place (The Lusty Month of May), where Arthur introduces his wife to Lancelot, but Guenevere and the rest of the court take an instant dislike to this arrogant fellow. She encourages three knights to engage him in a jousting match (Then You May Take Me to the Fair). Arthur tries to dissuade Guenevere from taking sides against Lancelot, but he gives up and remembers Merlyn's advice (How to Handle a Woman). In the jousting match Lancelot handily defeats all three knights and brings one of them back to life to the amazement of the Court and gains the respect and admiration of Guenevere and perhaps the beginning of something more. Lancelot also has unspoken romantic feelings for the Queen that causes him internal conflict over his feelings for her and devotion to Arthur. He asks permission to leave Camelot to engage in foreign good works. As he leaves, Guenevere begins to realize her own deep unspoken feelings for him (Before I Gaze on You Again). He comes back to Camelot two years later, and in an impressive ceremony Arthur now makes him a Knight of the Round Table. But Lancelot's feelings for Guenevere have not changed during his absence and he finally reveals it to her (If Ever I Would Leave You). She acknowledges her own love for him but feels she must remain true to her husband. Arthur begins to fully realize the romantic feelings Lancelot and Guenevere have for each other, but he feels powerless to do anything about it. To further complicate matters, Mordred, Arhur's illegitimate son by a sorceress, now arrives on the scene with an evil plan to dishonour and replace his father on the throne (The Seven Deadly Virtues). Still loyal Guenevere tries to rally Arthur's spirits (What Do the Simple Folk Do?). To add to Arthur's problems, the knights are unused to peace and harmony and long for battle and heroic deeds (Fie on Goodness). One night Mordred prevails on the sorceress Morgan le Fey to trap Arthur in her enchanted forest. While Arthur is gone, Lancelot visits Guenevere in her chambers where she breaks down and tells Lancelot how much she loves him (I Loved You Once in Silence). Mordred bursts into the room with some of the knights to accuse Lancelot of treachery and to imprison him. Lancelot succeeds in escaping from prison, but Guenevere is sentenced to burn at the stake. At the last minute, however, with the secret connivance of Arthur, she is saved by Lancelot who escapes with her to France (Guenevere). For the sake of his own honor and that of Camelot, Arthur must now wage war on Lancelot. Just before the final battle which will kill both Arthur and Mordred and many of the knights, Arthur meets Lancelot and Guenevere and forgives them both. But the battle must go on. In camp Arthur meets a young stowaway who wants to join the Round Table. Arthur knights him and sends him back to England to grow up there and keep the memory and spirit of Camelot alive (Camelot reprise and Finale Ultimo).
(Overture). The play opens with the festive arrival of Guenevere from abroad to marry Arthur, the young king of Camelot (Parade March). Shy and nervous about his upcoming marriage, Arthur is hiding in the nearby woods (I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight). Guenevere herself is uncertain about her future and the loss of youthful dreams (The Simple Joys of Maidenhood) when she stumbles into Arthur, not knowing who he is. He reassures her about the wonderful place that will now be her new home (Camelot) and then identifies himself as her new husband. They both seem to be charmed with each other and look forward to the future together. Arthur has been tutored from childhood by the wise wizard Merlyn who has fostered in him the concepts of peace and brotherhood. But aging Merlyn is seduced and called away to his last resting place by the nymph Nimue (Follow Me) and Arthur must face any new challenges alone. Arthur establishes his Round Table for knights who want to share his dream of establishing peace and justice. The news of this reaches the handsome young knight Lancelot in France who comes to Camelot to join Arthur's knights (C'est Moi). After he arrives, a gala outing takes place (The Lusty Month of May), where Arthur introduces his wife to Lancelot, but Guenevere and the rest of the court take an instant dislike to this arrogant fellow. She encourages three knights to engage him in a jousting match (Then You May Take Me to the Fair). Arthur tries to dissuade Guenevere from taking sides against Lancelot, but he gives up and remembers Merlyn's advice (How to Handle a Woman). In the jousting match Lancelot handily defeats all three knights and brings one of them back to life to the amazement of the Court and gains the respect and admiration of Guenevere and perhaps the beginning of something more. Lancelot also has unspoken romantic feelings for the Queen that causes him internal conflict over his feelings for her and devotion to Arthur. He asks permission to leave Camelot to engage in foreign good works. As he leaves, Guenevere begins to realize her own deep unspoken feelings for him (Before I Gaze on You Again). He comes back to Camelot two years later, and in an impressive ceremony Arthur now makes him a Knight of the Round Table. But Lancelot's feelings for Guenevere have not changed during his absence and he finally reveals it to her (If Ever I Would Leave You). She acknowledges her own love for him but feels she must remain true to her husband. Arthur begins to fully realize the romantic feelings Lancelot and Guenevere have for each other, but he feels powerless to do anything about it. To further complicate matters, Mordred, Arhur's illegitimate son by a sorceress, now arrives on the scene with an evil plan to dishonour and replace his father on the throne (The Seven Deadly Virtues). Still loyal Guenevere tries to rally Arthur's spirits (What Do the Simple Folk Do?). To add to Arthur's problems, the knights are unused to peace and harmony and long for battle and heroic deeds (Fie on Goodness). One night Mordred prevails on the sorceress Morgan le Fey to trap Arthur in her enchanted forest. While Arthur is gone, Lancelot visits Guenevere in her chambers where she breaks down and tells Lancelot how much she loves him (I Loved You Once in Silence). Mordred bursts into the room with some of the knights to accuse Lancelot of treachery and to imprison him. Lancelot succeeds in escaping from prison, but Guenevere is sentenced to burn at the stake. At the last minute, however, with the secret connivance of Arthur, she is saved by Lancelot who escapes with her to France (Guenevere). For the sake of his own honor and that of Camelot, Arthur must now wage war on Lancelot. Just before the final battle which will kill both Arthur and Mordred and many of the knights, Arthur meets Lancelot and Guenevere and forgives them both. But the battle must go on. In camp Arthur meets a young stowaway who wants to join the Round Table. Arthur knights him and sends him back to England to grow up there and keep the memory and spirit of Camelot alive (Camelot reprise and Finale Ultimo).
Plot & Song Synopsis GIGI
GIGI (Film 1958) -- Plot Synopsis (Musical numbers in Bold Italics)
(Main Title Music with turn-of-the-century period drawings behind the credits). The film opens in the leafy Bois de Boulogne in 1900 Paris with elderly but debonair bachelor Honore Lachaille narrating to the camera his admiration of all the attractive women on view and ends with a song about the young girls playing nearby who will soon be attractive young women themselves (Thank Heaven for Little Girls). His nephew Gaston, a younger bachelor man-about-town, joins him for a carriage ride but complains that he is dissatisfied with his life (It's a Bore). Gaston leaves Honore and goes to his only solace--a quiet visit with one of his uncle's old mistresses, Mamita Alverez (Grandmama). She lives with her impetuous teen-aged tomboy granddaughter Gigi, who is taking lessons from her former courtesan aunt, Alicia, in the ways to be alluring to men -- not for marriage or love but for financial security thru romantic alliances. However, Gigi reacts to the Parisian obsession with such things negatively (The Parisians) Gaston takes Gigi to a skating rink where they meet Gaston's current romantic flame, Liane. Gaston and Liane go to a party at Maxim's and he is forced to admit to himself that Liane's attentions are not completely on him (She is Not Thinking of Me). When Gaston and Honore catch her being unfaithful, Liane unsuccessfully attempts suicide to which Honore congratulates Gaston on his "first suicide!" But Gaston is still bored with his life and continues to visit Grandmama and Gigi who beats him in a game of cards. For a reward, Gaston says he will take Grandmama and Gigi on a trip to the seaside resort of Trouville. They celebrate with Gigi's first champagne (The Night They Invented Champagne). They all have a grand time at Trouville where Grandmama has an unexpected visitor in her old beau Honore and they reminence about their love affair of long ago but with different memories (I Remember It Well). Knowing that Gaston is now free from Liane and has taken Gigi to the seashore, Aunt Alicia thinks he might be interested in Gigi as a mistress and intensifies her lessons in such things as how to choose good wine and cigars, serve tea, sit elegantly, and wear nice clothes. However,when Gaston comes calling, he is appalled when Gigi models her new adult gown for him. He does not accept that she is an adult ready for such clothing. When Grandmama tells him that he cannot see Gigi alone anymore unless he promises to secure her future, he tells her that he is shocked and disgusted because she is still a child. He roams the streets of Paris in deep thought, at first upset that Grandmama would think Gigi was at an age when she was mature enough to be physically desirable and then upon reflection realizes that she has changed and he did feel an attraction to her (Gaston's Soliloquy and Gigi). He goes back and tells Grandmama that he indeed does want to take Gigi as his mistress and will take care of her in the grandest style. Gigi becomes angry and resents the offer of becoming Gaston's mistress which she considers demeaning. Gaston leaves and asks Honore for advice. Afterward Honore muses that he no longer has these problems (I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore). When Gigi relents because of her love for Gaston, he decides to take her to Maxim's although she is very anxious about such a visit (Say a Prayer for Me Tonight). All goes well at Maxim's except that Gaston begins to feel conscience-stricken and goes back to the house and asks Grandmama if he can have Gigi's hand in marriage. The film ends where it began at the Bois de Boulogne, with Gaston and Gigi married and riding together in a fashionable carriage with Honore's apparent blessing (Thank Heaven for Little Girls reprise).
(Main Title Music with turn-of-the-century period drawings behind the credits). The film opens in the leafy Bois de Boulogne in 1900 Paris with elderly but debonair bachelor Honore Lachaille narrating to the camera his admiration of all the attractive women on view and ends with a song about the young girls playing nearby who will soon be attractive young women themselves (Thank Heaven for Little Girls). His nephew Gaston, a younger bachelor man-about-town, joins him for a carriage ride but complains that he is dissatisfied with his life (It's a Bore). Gaston leaves Honore and goes to his only solace--a quiet visit with one of his uncle's old mistresses, Mamita Alverez (Grandmama). She lives with her impetuous teen-aged tomboy granddaughter Gigi, who is taking lessons from her former courtesan aunt, Alicia, in the ways to be alluring to men -- not for marriage or love but for financial security thru romantic alliances. However, Gigi reacts to the Parisian obsession with such things negatively (The Parisians) Gaston takes Gigi to a skating rink where they meet Gaston's current romantic flame, Liane. Gaston and Liane go to a party at Maxim's and he is forced to admit to himself that Liane's attentions are not completely on him (She is Not Thinking of Me). When Gaston and Honore catch her being unfaithful, Liane unsuccessfully attempts suicide to which Honore congratulates Gaston on his "first suicide!" But Gaston is still bored with his life and continues to visit Grandmama and Gigi who beats him in a game of cards. For a reward, Gaston says he will take Grandmama and Gigi on a trip to the seaside resort of Trouville. They celebrate with Gigi's first champagne (The Night They Invented Champagne). They all have a grand time at Trouville where Grandmama has an unexpected visitor in her old beau Honore and they reminence about their love affair of long ago but with different memories (I Remember It Well). Knowing that Gaston is now free from Liane and has taken Gigi to the seashore, Aunt Alicia thinks he might be interested in Gigi as a mistress and intensifies her lessons in such things as how to choose good wine and cigars, serve tea, sit elegantly, and wear nice clothes. However,when Gaston comes calling, he is appalled when Gigi models her new adult gown for him. He does not accept that she is an adult ready for such clothing. When Grandmama tells him that he cannot see Gigi alone anymore unless he promises to secure her future, he tells her that he is shocked and disgusted because she is still a child. He roams the streets of Paris in deep thought, at first upset that Grandmama would think Gigi was at an age when she was mature enough to be physically desirable and then upon reflection realizes that she has changed and he did feel an attraction to her (Gaston's Soliloquy and Gigi). He goes back and tells Grandmama that he indeed does want to take Gigi as his mistress and will take care of her in the grandest style. Gigi becomes angry and resents the offer of becoming Gaston's mistress which she considers demeaning. Gaston leaves and asks Honore for advice. Afterward Honore muses that he no longer has these problems (I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore). When Gigi relents because of her love for Gaston, he decides to take her to Maxim's although she is very anxious about such a visit (Say a Prayer for Me Tonight). All goes well at Maxim's except that Gaston begins to feel conscience-stricken and goes back to the house and asks Grandmama if he can have Gigi's hand in marriage. The film ends where it began at the Bois de Boulogne, with Gaston and Gigi married and riding together in a fashionable carriage with Honore's apparent blessing (Thank Heaven for Little Girls reprise).
Plot & Song Synopsis MY FAIR LADY
MY FAIR LADY (1956) -- Plot Synopsis (Musical numbers in Bold Italics)
(Overture). The play opens on rainy night outside the Covent Garden Opera House. Across the street under the columns of St Paul's Church, Prof. Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, is taking down notes of people's speech as they emerge from the opera. He meets Colonel Hugh Pickering who is also a linguistics expert on leave from his post in India. Admitting their mutual admiration, Higgins invites Pickering to stay at his home. But before they can leave Higgins is irritated by the cockney accent of the flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and the variety of other almost unintelligible English speakers on the scene (Why Can't the English). He gets into an argument with Eliza who thinks he is spying on her. However, she is intrigued when Higgins off-handedly tells Pickering that he could pass Eliza off as a lady by merely changing her speech. After Higgins and Pickering leave, Eliza laments her sad state with the overnight garden workers and longs for a situation where she can enjoy simple body comforts (Wouldn't It be Loverly). Her father, Alfred P. Doolittle, "a common dustman", arrives on the scene broke after a night of bar-hopping with his deadbeat cronies and asks Eliza for some pocket money from her earnings that evening. He expresses his personal philosophy of getting by in life without putting up much personal effort (With a Little Bit of Luck). The next day, Eliza unexpectedly arrives at Higgins' house demanding that he take her money and teach her to speak properly so that she can one day better herself by opening a flower shop. At first he threatens to throw her out, but he relents when he decides to make a bet with Pickering that he can teach her to speak so well that she will be accepted at a court ball. She will have to stay for some time at his house and avoid going home while this transformation is perfected. When Doolittle gets word of this situation, he arrives with the expectation that Higgins will give him some money for raising a daughter who has now "gained the attention" of men like Higgins and Pickering. The Colonel is outraged but Higgins is amused by Doolittle and sends him on his way with a bit of money. Both Higgins (I'm an Ordinary Man) and Eliza (Just You Wait) become frustrated with each other as Higgins dogged and high-handed attempts to improve her speech seem to be failing. But late one night as Higgins and Pickering are laying about exhausted from the training, Eliza slowly gets it right. The three of them partake in a joyous dance of celebration (The Rain in Spain). Afterward, Eliza tells the head housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce, how much she enjoyed the experience (I Could Have Danced All Night). Higgins decides that the first public test of Eliza's new proper speech will be at the annual opening of the posh Ascot Race Track (Ascot Gavotte). The day is not a complete success as Eliza occasionally slips back into her cockney speech at inopportune times, but she does attract the adoring attention of the well-mannered and eligible, if less-than-bright, upperclass young bachelor Freddie Eynsford-Hill. He is soon delivering flowers by hand to her door and waiting outside hoping to catch a glimpse of her (). Higgins decides that the big test for Eliza is to be the annual Embassy Ball (Embassy Waltz). The night proves to be a great success, and back at the house Higgins and Pickering celebrate by recounting the events of the evening (You Did It) and congratulating themselves while ignoring Eliza who can hardly contain her anger at their selfish abandonment. When she and Higgins are left alone and he asks her where his slippers are, she angrily throws them at him. She leaves the house and runs into Freddy who tries to express his love in high-flown words but she interrupts, suspecting that he, like Higgins, is all talk (Show Me). She asks Freddy to take her back to her old neighborhood of Covent Garden. At first she is hardly recognized with her corrected English and nice clothes when she arrives there. Doolittle appears on the scene near the end of a night of drinking and carousing for the last time. He has been "shoved into the middle class" he says because Higgins has written to a wealthy American philanthropist who has awarded Doolittle a large sum of money as "the most original thinker in England." Doolittle says he hasn't the nerve to refuse the money and will marry Eliza's stepmother in the morning because she is demanding respectability, too (Get Me to the Church on Time). Higgins awakens to find Eliza gone and he and Pickering start a frantic search to see where she might be. Higgins berates her in absentia as being an emotional and irrational woman (A Hymn to Him). Higgins finally finds Eliza at his mother's house where she has gone to receive a little understanding and sympathy. Eliza refuses Higgins offer of a truce if she will "just stop behaving like a fool." She proclaims that life will go on quite nicely without him whether he realizes it or not (Without You). As he slowly walks home alone after refusing to admit he was wrong, Higgins begins to realize how much he has lost (I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face). When he returns home he turns on his voice recorders and hears his early disparaging remarks about Eliza and obviously senses how inconsiderate, cruel, and stupid he was. Then he realizes that Eliza is standing at the door. He sits down in his easy chair and shouts for his slippers. Eliza stands with a bemused smile on her face as the final curtain falls.
(Overture). The play opens on rainy night outside the Covent Garden Opera House. Across the street under the columns of St Paul's Church, Prof. Henry Higgins, a phonetics expert, is taking down notes of people's speech as they emerge from the opera. He meets Colonel Hugh Pickering who is also a linguistics expert on leave from his post in India. Admitting their mutual admiration, Higgins invites Pickering to stay at his home. But before they can leave Higgins is irritated by the cockney accent of the flower girl, Eliza Doolittle, and the variety of other almost unintelligible English speakers on the scene (Why Can't the English). He gets into an argument with Eliza who thinks he is spying on her. However, she is intrigued when Higgins off-handedly tells Pickering that he could pass Eliza off as a lady by merely changing her speech. After Higgins and Pickering leave, Eliza laments her sad state with the overnight garden workers and longs for a situation where she can enjoy simple body comforts (Wouldn't It be Loverly). Her father, Alfred P. Doolittle, "a common dustman", arrives on the scene broke after a night of bar-hopping with his deadbeat cronies and asks Eliza for some pocket money from her earnings that evening. He expresses his personal philosophy of getting by in life without putting up much personal effort (With a Little Bit of Luck). The next day, Eliza unexpectedly arrives at Higgins' house demanding that he take her money and teach her to speak properly so that she can one day better herself by opening a flower shop. At first he threatens to throw her out, but he relents when he decides to make a bet with Pickering that he can teach her to speak so well that she will be accepted at a court ball. She will have to stay for some time at his house and avoid going home while this transformation is perfected. When Doolittle gets word of this situation, he arrives with the expectation that Higgins will give him some money for raising a daughter who has now "gained the attention" of men like Higgins and Pickering. The Colonel is outraged but Higgins is amused by Doolittle and sends him on his way with a bit of money. Both Higgins (I'm an Ordinary Man) and Eliza (Just You Wait) become frustrated with each other as Higgins dogged and high-handed attempts to improve her speech seem to be failing. But late one night as Higgins and Pickering are laying about exhausted from the training, Eliza slowly gets it right. The three of them partake in a joyous dance of celebration (The Rain in Spain). Afterward, Eliza tells the head housekeeper, Mrs. Pierce, how much she enjoyed the experience (I Could Have Danced All Night). Higgins decides that the first public test of Eliza's new proper speech will be at the annual opening of the posh Ascot Race Track (Ascot Gavotte). The day is not a complete success as Eliza occasionally slips back into her cockney speech at inopportune times, but she does attract the adoring attention of the well-mannered and eligible, if less-than-bright, upperclass young bachelor Freddie Eynsford-Hill. He is soon delivering flowers by hand to her door and waiting outside hoping to catch a glimpse of her (). Higgins decides that the big test for Eliza is to be the annual Embassy Ball (Embassy Waltz). The night proves to be a great success, and back at the house Higgins and Pickering celebrate by recounting the events of the evening (You Did It) and congratulating themselves while ignoring Eliza who can hardly contain her anger at their selfish abandonment. When she and Higgins are left alone and he asks her where his slippers are, she angrily throws them at him. She leaves the house and runs into Freddy who tries to express his love in high-flown words but she interrupts, suspecting that he, like Higgins, is all talk (Show Me). She asks Freddy to take her back to her old neighborhood of Covent Garden. At first she is hardly recognized with her corrected English and nice clothes when she arrives there. Doolittle appears on the scene near the end of a night of drinking and carousing for the last time. He has been "shoved into the middle class" he says because Higgins has written to a wealthy American philanthropist who has awarded Doolittle a large sum of money as "the most original thinker in England." Doolittle says he hasn't the nerve to refuse the money and will marry Eliza's stepmother in the morning because she is demanding respectability, too (Get Me to the Church on Time). Higgins awakens to find Eliza gone and he and Pickering start a frantic search to see where she might be. Higgins berates her in absentia as being an emotional and irrational woman (A Hymn to Him). Higgins finally finds Eliza at his mother's house where she has gone to receive a little understanding and sympathy. Eliza refuses Higgins offer of a truce if she will "just stop behaving like a fool." She proclaims that life will go on quite nicely without him whether he realizes it or not (Without You). As he slowly walks home alone after refusing to admit he was wrong, Higgins begins to realize how much he has lost (I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face). When he returns home he turns on his voice recorders and hears his early disparaging remarks about Eliza and obviously senses how inconsiderate, cruel, and stupid he was. Then he realizes that Eliza is standing at the door. He sits down in his easy chair and shouts for his slippers. Eliza stands with a bemused smile on her face as the final curtain falls.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Plot & Song Synopsis BRIGADOON & PAINT YOUR WAGON
BRIGADOON (1947) -- Plot Synopsis (Songs in Bold Italics)
(Overture) As the curtain rises, offstage voices are heard introducing the play's plot (Once in the Highlands). Two American tourists -- Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas -- lost in a forest in Scotland briefly argue when Jeff speaks about the value of accepting only what your rational mind and senses tell you and Tommy argues there is possibly something deeper to expericnce in life than just the realistic surface. Tommy also confides that he feels there is "something wrong" or missing in his feelings for his fiancee back in New York. Tommy and Jeff hear distant voices singing (Brigadoon), then see a village come into view through the haze although it is strangely not on their maps. Entering it, they come to a square where a colorful local fair is taking place (Vendors' Calls; Down on MacConnachy Square). Andrew MacLaren has come there with his two daughters, Fiona and Jean. The latter is soon to be married to Charlie Dalrymple, much to the displeasure of Harry Beaton, who is also in love with her. Meg Brockie, a bold young woman, expresses surprise that Fiona is not jealous of her sister's betrothal. Fiona explains that she is waiting for a true love (Waitin' for My Dearie). When strangers Jeff and Tommy come upon the square, the villagers are stunned, but warily accept the strangers in their midst. The attention now goes to bridegroom Charlie who reveals that he is giving up his roving eye and looking forward to his new life with his betrothed (I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean). Tommy is attracted to Fiona, who at first declines when Tommy asks if he can join her to go gather heather for her sister's wedding, but relents after his further persuasion (The Heather on the Hill). In the next scene, amorous Meg makes advances to Jeff and tells him of her many failed attempts to catch a man and keep him (The Love of My Life). Later, in the MacLaren home, the village girls help Jean pack her things in preparation for her imminent wedding (Jeannie's Packin' Up). Bridegroom Charlie comes to inscribe his name in the MacLaren family bible and is told he cannot see his bride until it is time for the wedding (Come to Me, Bend to Me). Fiona and Tommy return from their heather-gathering expedition, late and happy. Fiona goes into the next room with Jean and Tommy confides to Jeff his joy at being with Fiona that day and she returns to join him in these thoughts (Almost Like Being in Love). Glancing through the McLaren family bible, Tommy and Jeff are startled to read that Fiona and Jean were apparently born 200 years before in the eighteenth century. Fiona refuses to enlighten them about this strange circumstance but introduces them to the town schoolmaster, Mr. Lundie. He tells them that Brigadoon was saved from the possible destruction of a witch's curse by the miracle of only coming to life one day every 100 years. However, if any of the townspeople left, the whole village would disappear forever, although Lundie reassures Jeff that any strangers who happened on the town could leave without any negative effects on the town. Upon Tommy's questioning, Lundie also confides that if a stranger did decide to stay because of his love for one of the villagers that person could become a citizen of the town but also could never leave without destroying the town. With the burden of these disclosures on their minds, Tommy and Jeff attend the festive wedding ceremony of Jean and Charlie. Suddenly Jean's other suitor, Harry Beaton, arrives. After making an unsuccessful pass at Jean, Beaton runs away vowing to leave Brigadoon which will, of course, destroy the town forever. All the men, including Tommy and Jeff, chase after him, but they eventually find him dead -- fallen on a hard rock (The Chase). When Tommy returns after the chase, he confesses his love to Fiona and says he wants to stay in Brigadoon with her (There But For You Go I). In the next scene, there is comic relief as Meg confides that there were other weddings that were "far more daft than this" (My Mother's Wedding Day). As night approaches, Jeff convinces Tommy that it is impossible for Tommy to live in a dream, that reality dictates Tommy must return home to New York and marry his fiancée. Tommy sadly accepts the seeming rational truth of Jeff's words. He bids Fiona a tender farewell (From This Day On) and leaves Brigadoon with Jeff. Some months later in a New York bar, Tommy's finacee rebukes him for having failed to "come to me" and letting her know that he was in town. The words "come to me" strike a responsive chord with Tommy. In a mist he sees Fiona before him in Brigadoon and there is a mystic reprise of many of the previous songs from his time in Brigadoon. This vision convinces him that he must break with his financee and return to Scotland no matter how vain such a trip might be. With Jeff once again as his companion, Tommy is back in the forest outside Brigadoon. Suddenly Tommy and Jeff hear voices in the distance (Brigadoon reprise) and see Mr. Lundie approaching them. He takes Tommy by the hand to lead him back to Brigadoon. "You see," explains Mr. Lundie, "love can do anything -- even miracles." Waving farewell to Jeff who stands in astonishment, Tommy follows Mr. Lundie into the Highland mists as the music swells and the play ends.
PAINT YOUR WAGON (1951) -- Plot Synopsis (Songs in Bold Italics)
The play, set in 1853 during the northern California gold rush, begins with Jennifer, Ben Rumson's uneducated sixteen-year-old daughter, discovering gold while running her hands through the dirt during a funeral. News travels fast and prospectors of many backgrounds and nationalities rush to Rumson Creek to make their fortune (I'm on My Way). Jennifer is the only female among 400 men, and in her youthful naivity does not understand why her untouchable presence frustrates so many miners (Rumson and What's Goin' on Here?). Eventually she strikes up a close relationship with a handsome young miner named Julio Valveras, who is forced to live out of town because he is Mexican (I Talk to the Trees). The lack of female companionship coupled with the cold harshness and loneliness of the geography is expressed by one of the miners (They Call the Wind Maria). Jennifer asks her father to tell her more about her deceased mother and Ben movingly complies (I Still See Elisa), but berates Jennifer when he sees her doing Julo's laundry and dancing with Julio's shirts (How Can I Wait?). Ben wants Jennifer to leave on the next Eastbound coach to be educated. But before this can happen, Jacob, a middle aged Mormon, arrives at Rumson and is told that he must auction off one of his two wives. Elizabeth is sold to Ben who tries to woo her (In Between). Ben is feted by the other miners on his wedding day (Whoop-Ti-Yay). Jennifer packs her bags and runs to Julio's cabin in the mountains, but Julio convinces her that she should indeed go East to school and give him time to make his fortune for them (Carino Mio). To the delight of the other miners, a minor named Jake sends for his girl friend (Cherry) and her fandango dancers and all celebrate (There's a Coach Comin' In and Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans). However, the gold begins to run out and everyone slowly begins to leave, including depressed Julio (Another Autumn). Elizabeth leaves Ben by running off with another man. Now educated and "civilized" Jennifer returns intending to marry Julio (All for Him) only to find that he has left looking for a strike somewhere else. Ben ruminates over his own earlier nomadic life (Wanderin' Star) but decides he cannot leave Rumson, the town he founded and is named after him. The play ends when Julio returns unexpectedly and, as he and Jennifer move toward each other on the stage, the whole expanse of California is revealed in backdrop with wagons and people on the move.
(Overture) As the curtain rises, offstage voices are heard introducing the play's plot (Once in the Highlands). Two American tourists -- Tommy Albright and Jeff Douglas -- lost in a forest in Scotland briefly argue when Jeff speaks about the value of accepting only what your rational mind and senses tell you and Tommy argues there is possibly something deeper to expericnce in life than just the realistic surface. Tommy also confides that he feels there is "something wrong" or missing in his feelings for his fiancee back in New York. Tommy and Jeff hear distant voices singing (Brigadoon), then see a village come into view through the haze although it is strangely not on their maps. Entering it, they come to a square where a colorful local fair is taking place (Vendors' Calls; Down on MacConnachy Square). Andrew MacLaren has come there with his two daughters, Fiona and Jean. The latter is soon to be married to Charlie Dalrymple, much to the displeasure of Harry Beaton, who is also in love with her. Meg Brockie, a bold young woman, expresses surprise that Fiona is not jealous of her sister's betrothal. Fiona explains that she is waiting for a true love (Waitin' for My Dearie). When strangers Jeff and Tommy come upon the square, the villagers are stunned, but warily accept the strangers in their midst. The attention now goes to bridegroom Charlie who reveals that he is giving up his roving eye and looking forward to his new life with his betrothed (I'll Go Home with Bonnie Jean). Tommy is attracted to Fiona, who at first declines when Tommy asks if he can join her to go gather heather for her sister's wedding, but relents after his further persuasion (The Heather on the Hill). In the next scene, amorous Meg makes advances to Jeff and tells him of her many failed attempts to catch a man and keep him (The Love of My Life). Later, in the MacLaren home, the village girls help Jean pack her things in preparation for her imminent wedding (Jeannie's Packin' Up). Bridegroom Charlie comes to inscribe his name in the MacLaren family bible and is told he cannot see his bride until it is time for the wedding (Come to Me, Bend to Me). Fiona and Tommy return from their heather-gathering expedition, late and happy. Fiona goes into the next room with Jean and Tommy confides to Jeff his joy at being with Fiona that day and she returns to join him in these thoughts (Almost Like Being in Love). Glancing through the McLaren family bible, Tommy and Jeff are startled to read that Fiona and Jean were apparently born 200 years before in the eighteenth century. Fiona refuses to enlighten them about this strange circumstance but introduces them to the town schoolmaster, Mr. Lundie. He tells them that Brigadoon was saved from the possible destruction of a witch's curse by the miracle of only coming to life one day every 100 years. However, if any of the townspeople left, the whole village would disappear forever, although Lundie reassures Jeff that any strangers who happened on the town could leave without any negative effects on the town. Upon Tommy's questioning, Lundie also confides that if a stranger did decide to stay because of his love for one of the villagers that person could become a citizen of the town but also could never leave without destroying the town. With the burden of these disclosures on their minds, Tommy and Jeff attend the festive wedding ceremony of Jean and Charlie. Suddenly Jean's other suitor, Harry Beaton, arrives. After making an unsuccessful pass at Jean, Beaton runs away vowing to leave Brigadoon which will, of course, destroy the town forever. All the men, including Tommy and Jeff, chase after him, but they eventually find him dead -- fallen on a hard rock (The Chase). When Tommy returns after the chase, he confesses his love to Fiona and says he wants to stay in Brigadoon with her (There But For You Go I). In the next scene, there is comic relief as Meg confides that there were other weddings that were "far more daft than this" (My Mother's Wedding Day). As night approaches, Jeff convinces Tommy that it is impossible for Tommy to live in a dream, that reality dictates Tommy must return home to New York and marry his fiancée. Tommy sadly accepts the seeming rational truth of Jeff's words. He bids Fiona a tender farewell (From This Day On) and leaves Brigadoon with Jeff. Some months later in a New York bar, Tommy's finacee rebukes him for having failed to "come to me" and letting her know that he was in town. The words "come to me" strike a responsive chord with Tommy. In a mist he sees Fiona before him in Brigadoon and there is a mystic reprise of many of the previous songs from his time in Brigadoon. This vision convinces him that he must break with his financee and return to Scotland no matter how vain such a trip might be. With Jeff once again as his companion, Tommy is back in the forest outside Brigadoon. Suddenly Tommy and Jeff hear voices in the distance (Brigadoon reprise) and see Mr. Lundie approaching them. He takes Tommy by the hand to lead him back to Brigadoon. "You see," explains Mr. Lundie, "love can do anything -- even miracles." Waving farewell to Jeff who stands in astonishment, Tommy follows Mr. Lundie into the Highland mists as the music swells and the play ends.
PAINT YOUR WAGON (1951) -- Plot Synopsis (Songs in Bold Italics)
The play, set in 1853 during the northern California gold rush, begins with Jennifer, Ben Rumson's uneducated sixteen-year-old daughter, discovering gold while running her hands through the dirt during a funeral. News travels fast and prospectors of many backgrounds and nationalities rush to Rumson Creek to make their fortune (I'm on My Way). Jennifer is the only female among 400 men, and in her youthful naivity does not understand why her untouchable presence frustrates so many miners (Rumson and What's Goin' on Here?). Eventually she strikes up a close relationship with a handsome young miner named Julio Valveras, who is forced to live out of town because he is Mexican (I Talk to the Trees). The lack of female companionship coupled with the cold harshness and loneliness of the geography is expressed by one of the miners (They Call the Wind Maria). Jennifer asks her father to tell her more about her deceased mother and Ben movingly complies (I Still See Elisa), but berates Jennifer when he sees her doing Julo's laundry and dancing with Julio's shirts (How Can I Wait?). Ben wants Jennifer to leave on the next Eastbound coach to be educated. But before this can happen, Jacob, a middle aged Mormon, arrives at Rumson and is told that he must auction off one of his two wives. Elizabeth is sold to Ben who tries to woo her (In Between). Ben is feted by the other miners on his wedding day (Whoop-Ti-Yay). Jennifer packs her bags and runs to Julio's cabin in the mountains, but Julio convinces her that she should indeed go East to school and give him time to make his fortune for them (Carino Mio). To the delight of the other miners, a minor named Jake sends for his girl friend (Cherry) and her fandango dancers and all celebrate (There's a Coach Comin' In and Hand Me Down That Can o' Beans). However, the gold begins to run out and everyone slowly begins to leave, including depressed Julio (Another Autumn). Elizabeth leaves Ben by running off with another man. Now educated and "civilized" Jennifer returns intending to marry Julio (All for Him) only to find that he has left looking for a strike somewhere else. Ben ruminates over his own earlier nomadic life (Wanderin' Star) but decides he cannot leave Rumson, the town he founded and is named after him. The play ends when Julio returns unexpectedly and, as he and Jennifer move toward each other on the stage, the whole expanse of California is revealed in backdrop with wagons and people on the move.
BOOKS BY AND ABOUT LERNER & LOEWE
BOOKS BY OR ABOUT LERNER & LOEWE
Alan Jay Lerner, THE STREET WHERE I LIVE, 1978. A memoir whose first chapter includes his early relationship with his father and Larry Hart and then consists of three long chapters on the original productions of his three most popular works -- all from the glory years,1956-1960 -- the shows MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT and the movie GIGI -- with occasional asides to his other works and associations.
Alan Jay Lerner, THE MUSICAL THEATER: A CELEBRATION, 1986. Written right before he died, Lerner delivers a lively history of the American musical from his perspective.
Benny Green, A HYMN TO HIM: THE LYRICS OF ALAN JAY LERNER, 1987. A compilation of many of Lerner's lyrics from his 18 shows and movies with each production usefully introduced, beginning with WHAT'S UP (1943) and ending with the unproduced MY MAN GODFREY at the end of his life.
Gene Lees, INVENTING CHAMPAGNE: THE WORLDS OF LERNER AND LOEWE, 1990. A very readable book with philosophical, psycholgical, historical overtones as well as L&L biography. Presents useful insights and information about the productions and interesting anecdotes concerning the author's own experiences with L&L and others associated with them. He also comments on how Lerner's creative work reflected his life and personal beliefs.
Doris Shapiro, WE DANCED ALL NIGHT: MY LIFE BEHIND THE SCENES WITH ALAN JAY LERNER, 1990. Written by Lerner's personal assistant in the middle 1950s-1960s period, noted mainly because of information about her and Lerner's doctor-injected drug use during the latter part of this period.
Edward Jablonski, ALAN JAY LERNER: A BIOGRAPHY, 1996. A thorough-going biography by the author of well-known books about other classic American popular song writers (the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, etc) and a number of books on other subjects.
Stephen Citron, THE WORDSMITHS: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN 2nd AND ALAN JAY LERNER, 1995. An interesting dual biography of the two lyricists.
Alan Jay Lerner, THE STREET WHERE I LIVE, 1978. A memoir whose first chapter includes his early relationship with his father and Larry Hart and then consists of three long chapters on the original productions of his three most popular works -- all from the glory years,1956-1960 -- the shows MY FAIR LADY and CAMELOT and the movie GIGI -- with occasional asides to his other works and associations.
Alan Jay Lerner, THE MUSICAL THEATER: A CELEBRATION, 1986. Written right before he died, Lerner delivers a lively history of the American musical from his perspective.
Benny Green, A HYMN TO HIM: THE LYRICS OF ALAN JAY LERNER, 1987. A compilation of many of Lerner's lyrics from his 18 shows and movies with each production usefully introduced, beginning with WHAT'S UP (1943) and ending with the unproduced MY MAN GODFREY at the end of his life.
Gene Lees, INVENTING CHAMPAGNE: THE WORLDS OF LERNER AND LOEWE, 1990. A very readable book with philosophical, psycholgical, historical overtones as well as L&L biography. Presents useful insights and information about the productions and interesting anecdotes concerning the author's own experiences with L&L and others associated with them. He also comments on how Lerner's creative work reflected his life and personal beliefs.
Doris Shapiro, WE DANCED ALL NIGHT: MY LIFE BEHIND THE SCENES WITH ALAN JAY LERNER, 1990. Written by Lerner's personal assistant in the middle 1950s-1960s period, noted mainly because of information about her and Lerner's doctor-injected drug use during the latter part of this period.
Edward Jablonski, ALAN JAY LERNER: A BIOGRAPHY, 1996. A thorough-going biography by the author of well-known books about other classic American popular song writers (the Gershwins, Harold Arlen, etc) and a number of books on other subjects.
Stephen Citron, THE WORDSMITHS: OSCAR HAMMERSTEIN 2nd AND ALAN JAY LERNER, 1995. An interesting dual biography of the two lyricists.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)