Quote of the day: Middle age is when you go to bed at night and hope you feel better in the morning. Old age is when you go to bed at night and hope you wake up in the morning.—Groucho Marx Having used some excerpts from The Sound of Music in my little Sondheim video, I … Continue reading Elsa and Max
Rodgers & Hammerstein
Celeste, Bea, and Jack
On Monday May 23, 1994, at 8:00 PM I was sitting in the Family Circle in the Academy of Music waiting for the Light Up the Night Against AIDS benefit to begin. There are seven names listed in the program, but I can really only remember three of them clearly, after all these years. In … Continue reading Celeste, Bea, and Jack
“Life is a loveless tale”
Quote of the day: A rich man is one who isn't afraid to ask the salesperson to show him something cheaper.—Jack Benny It was 1942 and Richard Rodgers wanted get to work on Green Grow the Lilacs, a play that had failed on Broadway a decade earlier but in which he saw possibilities for a … Continue reading “Life is a loveless tale”
The Animated Version
I heard there was an animated movie of The King and I released in 1999, and I further heard that it was awful. So I decided to try to watch it, fully expecting that I’d have to turn it off after a few minutes. Now I’m not a big fan of animated films lately, so my … Continue reading The Animated Version
The Wrong Maps
What’s wrong with these maps? This first one is from the 1956 movie version of The King and I. Anna has persuaded the King to purchase a new map of the world for her class. Remember this is taking place in 1862. The next photo is from the Broadway production of 2018. Why is it very … Continue reading The Wrong Maps
Suddenly Lucky
From Joshua Logan’s memoirs, an anecdote I didn’t mention in my South Pacific series: Cable had no song to sing after he had made love to Liat in the hut. Oscar studied the scene again and again. He was fascinated by Liat's waiting for Cable's boat to come around the bend. One day they took … Continue reading Suddenly Lucky
A Puzzlement
Oscar Hammerstein to Richard Rodgers, November 28, 1956 Dear Dick: Last night I saw the picture, “The King And I” again. This morning I am convinced that this is our best work. I have a kind of humble feeling of not knowing how we did it. It has more wisdom as well as heart than … Continue reading A Puzzlement
Journey’s End
When Rossano Brazzi was cast as Emile de Becque in the movie version of South Pacific he assumed he would be singing the songs. He recorded “Some Enchanted Evening” in Italy and played it for Rodgers and Hammerstein, but when they heard it, they were aghast and immediately went in search of someone to provide … Continue reading Journey’s End
James Michener Returns
In 1986 60 Minutes aired an interview with James Michener where he took Diane Sawyer with him back to visit the islands in the South Pacific where he wrote his book Tales of the South Pacific. Many things had changed, including the woman on whom he had modeled Bloody Mary.
Wash That Man Part 2
Yesterday I gave Mary Martin’s explanation for why “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” didn’t get the audience response that its creators expected at the initial previews. Today we’ll get Josh Logan’s version from the first volume of his memoirs, Josh. The show went as we prayed it would, but it came … Continue reading Wash That Man Part 2