By Steven Suskin
07 Sep 2003

BROWNSTONE [Original Cast OC-6052]
It has taken 20-odd years for me to catch up with Brownstone, a five-character musical intertwining the residents of a New York City abode. Brownstone was developed in 1979 under the guidance of André Bishop at Playwrights Horizons, as Don't Tell Me Everything. Composer Peter Larson and composer/lyricist Josh Rubins redrafted the show, with director Andrew Cadiff collaborating on the book, for two different productions at off-Broadway non-profits.

The Hudson Guild did Brownstone in 1984, with Maureen McGovern and Loni Ackerman among the cast. Two years later, producer Roger Berlind arranged for a production at the Roundabout — then housed in what is now the Union Square Theatre — with Liz Callaway, Rex Smith, Ben Harney and Ernestine Jackson. A bad review from the Times made the already planned Broadway transfer futile, and that was it for Brownstone.

The Berkshire Theatre Festival revived the almost-forgotten show at its Unicorn Theatre in the summer of 2002, with Larson and Rubins coming in with rewrites and three new songs. That production has resulted — finally — in a recording of the show. And it turns out that Brownstone has a very nice score. Tuneful, engaging, with lyrics that bring us into the lives of its characters. Add to this a quintet of good performances from top-rate performers, namely Ms. Callaway, Brian D'Arcy James, Debbie Gravitte, Rebecca Luker and Kevin Reed. Harold Wheeler's orchestrations from the Roundabout production have been reused, supplemented by new ones by composer/conductor/pianist Larson. Let me also mention that this musical contains some very fine five-part vocal writing.

Given the place and the era, it is not surprising that Brownstone sounds like something of a cross between Company and March of the Falsettos (which was developed at Playwrights shortly after Brownstone). Without the vibrancy, character-sense or edginess of those scores, mind you; but not bad company to be in. A promising score, certainly, although the failure of Brownstone apparently drove Larson and Rubins away from musical theatre. From the evidence of their work on the 2002 production and this recording, it is to be hoped that they are back in business in the business. Hopefully, this friendly CD will give Brownstone — finally — a life in the regional and stock & amateur fields.

AND OFF THE RECORD
Marc Blitzstein is an all-but-forgotten name on the list of important Broadway composers. His work is esoteric, yes, and what they used to call caviar to the general. As recently as 1998, his work was all but out of print, and few bothered to notice. Leonard Lehrman noticed.

Lehrman has long been a champion of Blitzstein, since conducting a Harvard production of The Cradle Will Rock in 1969. Leonard Bernstein — Blitzstein's protégé, who got his start conducting a Harvard production of Cradle in 1939 — authorized Lehrman to complete one of Blitzstein's unfinished projects, an adaptation of Bernard Malamud's story Idiot's First. Lehrman has been editing and reconstructing Blitzstein ever since.

Among Lehrman's efforts have been not one but two volumes of "The Marc Blitzstein Songbook" [Boosey & Hawkes], which have only just come to my attention. The first includes 28 of the more popular songs, although popular is not perhaps the best word to describe the work of Blitzstein. His one and only song hit is the durable "Mack the Knife," for which he contributed the English-language lyric. Blitzstein's marvelous title image transformed the 25 year old "Moritat" of Weill and Brecht into an international standard. Blitzstein's adaptation of The Threepenny Opera is not included in the Blitzstein songbooks, although they are happily available elsewhere.

The second volume contains 31 songs, most of which have never before been published. (Many were recorded by Lehrman on "A Blitzstein Cabaret" [Premier PRCD 1005] and "A Marc Blitzstein Songbook" [Original Cast OC 4441].) Between the two volumes of the published "Songbook", we have much of Cradle Will Rock and No for An Answer; nine songs from the ill-fated but fascinating Reuben, Reuben; and eight from the ill-fated but fascinating Juno. Plus five songs from Sacco and Vanzetti, the opera Blitzstein was working on at the time of his murder in 1964.

Those familiar with the old sheet music from Chappell will be surprised and pleased by the layers of complexity in these arrangements, devised by Lehrman from the composer's original manuscripts and ancient tape recordings. Be advised: These are not easy-play arrangements, and might well be beyond the pianistic abilities of some (myself included). Even so, the two "Marc Blitzstein Songbook"s are of inestimable value and most welcome.

—Steven Suskin, author of the "Broadway Yearbook" series, "Show Tunes," and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached by e-mail at Ssuskin@aol.com