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| re: One of the biggest omissions | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 05:43 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 05:40 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: One of the biggest omissions - PlayWiz 08:16 pm EDT 08/18/17 | |
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| Definitely one of Jerry Herman's best scores. Charlie Smalls' ''The Wiz'' won for Best Score, and it's easy to see why Gary Geld and Peter Udell's ''Shenandoah'' got nominated. But it's a little mystifying to see what the Tony committee nominated INSTEAD of Jerry Herman's ''Mack & Mabel.'' * ''The Lieutenant'' by Gene Curty, Nitra Scharfman & Chuck Strand: A 1975 rock-opera about the court-martial of Lieutenant Calley during the Vietnam War. Starred Eddie Mekka (later Carmine of "Laverne & Shirley"). And it ran for only 7 previews and 9 performances. * ''A Letter for Queen Victoria'' by Alan Lloyd: Robert Wilson's opera about an autistic boy. It ran for only 3 previews and 18 performances. Admittedly, I've never heard either of these 2 scores, but could they have been that much better than ''Mack & Mabel''? |
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| re: One of the biggest omissions | |
| Posted by: CCentero 06:23 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: One of the biggest omissions - WaymanWong 05:40 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
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| People might be forgetting or weren't around to remember that Jerry Herman was one of the most artistically vilified writers in Broadway history. Before everyone than turned their venom toward Andrew Lloyd Webber, he was made into the poster boy for people who viewed his writing as old fashioned, corny and passe. His incredibly emotional speech when he won for La Cage was for me, understandable given that many people had stamped his career as "over." Yes, he deserved a Tony nom for Mack and Mabel. And, yes, we all put too much stock into awards.. | |
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| Look what happened to 'Mabel' | |
| Last Edit: WaymanWong 08:26 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| Posted by: WaymanWong 08:19 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: re: One of the biggest omissions - CCentero 06:23 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
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| I don't know if Jerry Herman was ''one of the most artistically vilified writers in Broadway history,'' but critics seemed NOT to blame his score (which wasn't Tony nominated), but on Michael Stewart's book and Gower Champion's direction (both of which WERE Tony nominated). In Hark Harris' N.Y. Times review (Oct. 7, 1974), he writes: ''We have all seen a musical with book trouble before, but this one has book trouble so bad that it is practically library trouble. ... Mr. Champion throws everything at the audience, including even a bathtub, in which Mack briefly ponders and parades. ... Here is a case where the bath should have gone out with the bathwater. Never have so many props propped up so much show ... ''The burden is carried by [the score]. Mr. Herman is usually underrated by everyone but the public, but he has the common touch, a gift for melodies that seem at once familiar and memorable, and lyrics that are always painless, sometimes neat and occasionally clever. In happy addition, the musical collaborators here—Donald Pippin, Philip J. Lang and John Morris—know how to give a score that authentic Broadway gloss and brassiness.'' For the record, ''Mack & Mabel'' still got 8 Tony nominations, and the Drama Desk DID nominate Herman for Best Score. (When Herman returned a few seasons later, he got a Tony nomination for Best Score for ''The Grand Tour.'') There's always been talk of a major ''Mack & Mabel" revival, but the book and downbeat ending always seem to be the stumbling blocks. |
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| re: Look what happened to 'Mabel' | |
| Last Edit: CCentero 11:31 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| Posted by: CCentero 11:20 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
| In reply to: Look what happened to 'Mabel' - WaymanWong 08:19 pm EDT 08/19/17 | |
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| "Mr. Herman is usually underrated by everyone but the public." Underrated is kind. Vilified is more like it. Steven Suskin's writes in MORE OPENING NIGHTS ON BROADWAY: "Herman has been critically trounced over the years." Suskin is certainly not a huge Herman fan, but his facts are correct. In interviews, Herman has been more than honest that he's been hurt by the hostility hurled at him by many in the theatre community. He's not inventing it. Here are some of Herman's other reviews for M&M: Martin Gottfried in the Post: Herman's music is as frustrating as usual." Gottfried and Douglas Watt in the Daily News both took Herman to task for "When Mabel Comes In the Room" being too much like the title songs of Dolly, Mame and Dear World. Watt: "Everything about Mack and Mabel is designed to please, with the unfortunate exception of the book and the songs." Walter Kerr in the NYT puts blame on Stewart's book--there's nothing particularly complimentary about Herman. The reviews for Herman's work in Dear World are mostly nasty. Kerr and Norman Nadel in the World Journal were dismissive of his work in Mame. I love Mack and Mabel's score. I've never seen a production of the show, so I have no idea if it can be fixed. |
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