By Steven Suskin ON THE SHELF
This is not a so-called "complete lyrics" book. Herman gives us many, but by no means all, of his songs. He gives us the "official" lyrics, ignoring all those alternate lyrics and working versions and additional verses that we are accustomed to from the Kimball collections. The songs are arranged by show, preceded by an early off-Broadway section. Each chapter starts with a brief, informative essay by theatre historian Bloom (whose work includes the invaluable, four-volume American Song). Many of the songs are accompanied by a relevant sentence or two from Herman, which in some way illuminate the specific song or the songwriter himself.
The illustrations and design help make this book more than a simple collection of song words. The photos are especially remarkable. (Frank Vlastnik, better known in my house as "The Snail with the Mail" in Frog and Toad, did the photo research.) Mixed in with familiar shots are things that I don’t expect anyone has ever seen before. Carol Channing doing "So Long, Dearie" with top hat, cane and a delicious yellow dress from Freddy Wittop, for example; no time for a costume change, so out it went in Detroit. There are a couple of shots of Angela Lansbury in her Mame wigs, which were similarly cut before the show reached the stage. Herman also gives us photos of many of his Dollys and Mames.
Most special, perhaps, are the color shots of Lansbury in Dear World. These are amazing costumes, also by Wittop. There are 16 shots of Angela doing the Madwoman; one of the shots gives an explicitly close view of her remarkable makeup for the show.
19 Oct 2003
Jerry joins Cole, Ira, Larry, Oscar and Irving on the coffee table with "Jerry Herman: The Lyrics, A Celebration" [Routledge]. As I’m sure Herman would be the first to admit, his output differs from that of the aforementioned gentlemen. Herman and co-author Ken Bloom have given us a book of collected lyrics very different from Robert Kimball’s series (which continues, in November, with a much-awaited volume on Frank Loesser). This is a wise and canny choice; Jerry Herman: The Lyrics, A Celebration is breezy to read and overloaded with eye-catching illustrations.
Some readers are bound to ask how Jerry handles the question of unattributed lyrics, by himself or by others. With class, is how; he even includes a generous acknowledgment to the late Bob Merrill. I’ll also note that Jerry humbly addresses one of his songs, which has been frequently chastised for over-the-top rhyming, with the following: "This is one of the only songs I’ve ever written that I wish I hadn’t – J.H." A handsome and classy volume.
AND ALSO ON THE SHELF
One of the benefits of the Internet is that it allows us to access theatre critics across the land with a mere double-click. Among the out-of-town theatre writers I frequently read in this manner is Richard Ouzounian of the Toronto Star, who usually has something pertinent to say and an entertaining way of saying it. Ouzounian has compiled a collection of 50 odd celebrity profiles from the Star into a highly entertaining book called "Are You Trying to Seduce Me, Miss Turner?" [McArthur].
The interviews are by no means all theatre-related; a few of the subjects are far enough afield that I’ve never even heard of them. But Ouzounian’s heart is clearly in the Broadway theatre. He begins his book by confessing that he marched off to the St. James when he was 12 and talked himself into Nanette Fabray’s dressing room; in his intro, he reprints the interview with the star of Mr. President that ran in his school paper. Ouzounian experienced a eureka moment 30 years later, when the Star gave him carte-blanche to interview whomever he wanted. Suddenly, an excuse to sit down with Gwen Verdon, Stephen Sondheim, Maggie Smith, Julie Andrews, Uta Hagen, Edward Albee, Twyla Tharp, Susan Stroman, Cameron Mackintosh and more.
On a personal note, I was especially interested in Ouzounian’s discussion with Mandy Patinkin about his September 10, 2001, concert at the Neil Simon. Patinkin’s finale that evening was one of the most chilling things I have ever seen in the theatre. While singing "Hatikvah," Patinkin erected twin pedestals on a music stand, using child-sized Israeli and Palestinian flags. In a sudden fit of fury, he exploded the towers, moving into a nightmarish "Children Will Listen." This haunted me half the night, and 11 hours later the World Trade Center was no more. It turns out that Mandy, too, was spooked by what happened. I discussed this sequence in detail in "Broadway Yearbook 2001-2002," but I’ve never read or heard any reference to it. The only other critic I saw in the theatre that night, from one of the major New York dailies, never ran a review. He seemed to be dozing off by then, anyway, as is his habit.
The interviews are friendly but knowledgeable, a nice combination. Ouzounian typically throws in relevant-but-unexpected questions that jolt the subjects into talking personally; too many interviewers ask the same old question, resulting in the same old answers. The result is that these interviews — many of which have been expanded from their newspaper length — sound less like publicity releases and more like real-life conversations. Which makes "Are You Trying to Seduce Me, Miss Turner?" — from an interview with Kathleen Turner, during the tryout of The Graduate — enjoyable and enlightening.
—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.
