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By Jason Fortner
Each month, Jason Fortner spotlights one or more musical theatre composers
and/or lyricists, offering his own unique perspective on the songwriting legends
of musical theatre. Send your comments/questions on this column to
happgood@aol.com.
To access past Songwriters columns, click on the Songwriters archive
link to the left.
July 2009
"It's Hammer-stein:
Part 4"
After their tremendous
success with OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL, Oscar & Dick were undoubtedly the Kings of
Broadway. In addition to writing their own musicals they also became producers
for other writers' works, including such shows as ANNIE GET YOUR GUN (1946),
JOHN LOVES MARY (1948) and THE HAPPY TIME (1951). In addition, Oscar provided
book & lyrics to CARMEN JONES (1943 & 1946) a modern retelling of Bizet's CARMEN
with an African-American cast that featured such songs as "Beat Out That Rhythm
On a Drum."
With Rodgers, Oscar wrote
STATE FAIR (1946), the musicalization of a story already told in film (and
remade again sans Oscar in 1962). The heartwarming story of an Iowa farm family
taking their prize pig and pies to the Iowa State Fair, it featured a number of
terrific songs and proved a hit for 20th Century Fox. One of the standouts of
the score was the now classic "It's A Grand Night For Singing", which also
served as the title of an Off-Broadway musical tribute to R & H. Here's the
lyric:
It's a grand night for
singing,
The moon is flying high,
And somewhere a bird
Who is bound he'll be heard,
Is throwing his heart at the sky!
It's a grand night for singing,
The stars are bright above.
The earth is a-glow
And, to add to the show,
I think I am falling in love!
Falling, falling in love!
Maybe it's more than the
moon,
Maybe it's more than the birds,
Maybe it's more than the sight of the night,
And a light too lovely for words!
Maybe it's more than the earth,
Shiny and silvery blue,
Maybe the reason I'm feeling this way
Has something to do with you!
It's a grand night for
singing,
The moon is flying high,
And somewhere a bird
Who is bound he'll be heard,
Is throwing his heart at the sky!
It's a grand night for singing,
The stars are bright above.
The earth is a-glow
And, to add to the show,
I think I am falling in love!
Falling, falling in love!
It's a Grand Night for Singing
After their first three
successes, Hammerstein teamed with Rodgers to write an original musical, ALLEGRO
(1947). The story of a good hearted doctor who is lured but does not succumb to
corruption, it proved to be les than a blockbuster for the writers, largely due
to its' minimalist sets, Greek Chorus and avant garde staging. Despite the lack
of public enthusiasm for the project, the score has both truly moving and
humorous songs, and it's a shame it has fallen by the wayside. One of my
favorites is "The Gentleman Is A Dope", probably the closest Oscar ever came to
the style of Lorenz Hart. Here's the lyric:
The gentleman is a dope a
man of many faults.
A clumsy Joe who wouldn't know a rhumba from a waltz.
The gentleman is a dope and not my cup of tea
Why do I get in a dither?
He doesn't belong to me!
The gentleman isn't
bright
He doesn't know the score.
A cake will come, he'll take a crumb
And never ask for more.
The gentleman's eyes are
blue
But little do they see?
Why am I beating my brains out?
He doesn't belong to me!
He's somebody else's
problem,
She's welcome to the guy!
She'll never understand him, half as well as I
The gentleman is a dope
He isn't very smart
He's just a a lug you like to hug
And hold against your heart.
The gentleman doesn't know
How happy he could.
Look at me crying my eyes out,
As if he belonged to me.
As if
He'll never belong to me.
Famed 40-50s vocalist Jo Stafford performs THE
GENTLEMAN IS A DOPE
After the mixed reviews
for ALLEGRO, Rodgers & Hammerstein again struck Broadway gold with SOUTH
PACIFIC, a mega-hit that is still packing them in today. The score is full of
gems, but the song that most stands out for Oscar the fighter of injustice is a
little song in Act Two that many wanted cut, due to the strong sentiments of the
bitter lyric. Thankfully, everyone involved stood their ground and "Carefully
Taught" remains a testament to Hammerstein's politics. Here is the short but
biting lyric:
You've got to be taught
To hate and fear
You've got to be taught
From year to year
It's got to be drummed
In your dear little ear
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught
To be afraid
Of people whose eyes
Are oddly made
And people whose skin
Is a different shade
You've got to be carefully taught.
You've got to be taught
Before it's too late
Before you are 6 or 7 or 8
To hate all the people
Your relatives hate
You've got to be carefully taught.
Tony Award-winning performer Mandy Patinkin sings
CAREFULLY TAUGHT
In 1951 Rodgers &
Hammerstein opened THE KING & I, another blockbuster that has provided a
cavalcade of hits and multiple Broadway revivals. Originally starring Gertrude
Lawrence and Yul Brynner, the show has remained a timeless classic and is often
performed in theatres worldwide. One of my favorite numbers is Anna's tour de
force number "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You?" in which she imagines a
forceful confrontation with the stubborn Siamese monarch. Here's the song, a
veritable scene unto itself, and true showstopper:
Your servant? Your
servant?
Indeed I'm not you servant --
Although you give me less than servant's pay --
I'm a free and independent employé
(Sigh) employee.
Because I'm a woman
You think, like ev'ry woman
I have to be a slave or concubine.
You conceited, self-indulgent libertine! ...(sigh)
libertine!
How I wish I called him
that!
Right to his face! Libertine!
And while we're on the subject, sire,
There are certain goings on around this place
That I wish to tell you I do not admire:
I do not like polygamy
Or even moderate bigamy
I realize
That in your eyes
That clearly makes a prig o' me.
But I am from a civilized land called Wales!
Where men like you are locked in county jails!
In your pursuit of pleasure, you
Have mistresses who treasure you
They have no ken of other men
Beside whom they can measure you
A flock of sheep and you're the only ram
No wonder you're the wonder of Siam!
[Spoken] I'm rather glad
I didn't say that...
not with the women right there...and the children
[Singing] The children,
the children,
I'll not forget the children,
No matter where I go I'll always see
Those little faces looking up at me...
At first, when I started
to teach,
They were shy and remained out of reach,
But lately I've thought
One or two have been caught
By a word I have said
Or a sentence I've read
And I've heard an occasional question
That implied, at least, a suggestion
That the work I've been trying to do
Was beginning to show with a few...
That Prince Chululongkorn
Is very like his father.
He's stubborn-but inquisitive and smart...
I must leave this place before they break my heart
I must leave this place before they break my heart!
Goodness! I had no idea
it was so late.
Shall I tell you what I
think of you?
You're spoiled!
You're a conscientious worker
But you're spoiled.
Giving credit where it's due
There is much I like in you
But it's also very true
That you're spoiled!
Everybody's always bowing
to the King
Everybody has to grovel to the King.
By your Buddha you are blessed
By your ladies you're caressed,
But the one who loves you best is the King.
All that bowing and kow-towing
To remind you of your royalty,
I find a most disgusting exhibition.
I wouldn't ask a Siamese cat
To demonstrate his loyalty
By taking this ridiculous position
How would you like it if you were a man
Playing the part of a toad?
Crawling around on your elbows and knees.
Eating the dust of the road!
Toads! Toads! All of your
people are toads!
Yes, Your Majesty;
No, Your Majesty.
Tell us how low to go, Your Majesty;
Make some more decrees, Your Majesty,
Don't let us up off out knees, Your Majesty.
Give us a kick, if you please Your Majesty
Give us a kick, if you would, Your Majesty
Oh, That was good, Your Majesty!
In 1953 Dick & Oscar had
another less than successful show in ME & JULIET, a backstage romance that
featured songs like ?That's The Way It Happens? and ?No Other Love?, crafted
from tune Rodgers penned for the TV series VICTORY AT SEA. PIPE DREAM was
another less successful show for the team, garnering only an 8 month run in
1955/56.
Rodgers & Hammerstein
fared much better with FLOWER DRUM SONG (1958), a true musical comedy set in San
Francisco's Chinatown and featuring a largely Asian cast. Rarely produced today
(and thoroughly revised in a short lived politically correct 2002 Broadway
revival) the score has a bouquet of great songs. One of my favorites is the very
clever "Don't Marry Me", sung by Sammy Fong to Mei Li. Here's the lyric:
You are young and
beautiful,
Sweet as the breath of May.
Earnestly I speak to you.
Weigh ev'ry word I say.
If you want to have a
rosy future
And be happy as a honeybee,
With a husband who will always love you,
Baby, Don't marry me.
If you want a man you can
depend on,
I can absolutely guarantee
I will never fail to disappoint you,
Baby, Don't marry me.
I eat leechee nuts and
cookies in bed
And I fill the bed with nutshells and crumbs.
I have irritating habits you'll dread,
Like the way I have of cracking my thumbs.
My grandpa was a big game
hunter,
He met grandma swinging on a tree.
If you want to have attractive children,
Baby, Don't marry me.
(I would like to see my
sons and daughters
Sliding up and down their father's knee.)
They'll get splinters in their little fannies,
Cookie, Don't marry me.
I'm devoted to my dear
old Mama,
And if you and Mama disagree,
I would always side with her against you,
Schnookie, Don't marry me.
(I would always like to
know where you go.
I don't like a man to keep me in doubt.)
Honey that's a thing that's easy to know,
You will always know where I am, I'm out!
I am talking like a
Chinese uncle.
I'm as serious as I can be.
I am saying this because I love you,
Darling, Don't marry me!
Marry a dope, innocent or
gaga
Marry a Khan, Ali or the Aga
Marry for money or marry for free
But don't marry me!
Throughout their
collaboration Oscar saw countless revivals of their hits and watched all
Broadway shows take on the winning Rodgers & Hammerstein formula, one that is
still largely in use today. Hammerstein died during the early part of the run of
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1959), passing away on August 23rd, 1960 in his beloved
Doylestown, Pennsylvania home. His last completed lyric was a simple one, yet
very symbolic of the gift for poetry he possessed. It is sung is the show as an
Austrian folk song, and many people who have seen the show or film assume it is
really Austrian, but it is pure Rodgers & Hammerstein. To conclude this look at
one of my favorite writers, I'd like to lead all of you in a simple chorus of
this lyrically beautiful song, "Edelweiss".
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Every morning you greet me
Small and white, clean and bright
You look happy to meet me
Blossom of snow may you
bloom and grow
Bloom and grow forever
Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless my homeland forever
Promotional clip of
EDELWEISS from the 2006 West End revival of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. Note: As
with most clips from promo reels, only a portion of the song is seen and heard.
