I agree that the score of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is filled with gems. It has some of Lerner's best lyrics, and a lot of terrific music. The only reason I didn't mention it was because NewtonUK didn't. The problems Lerner had with directors on that show may have been crucial in leading him to choose a very weak director for Carmelina and to direct Dance a Little Closer himself, although I also wonder if high-level directors were simply not interested, either because they thought the shows were weak (and in the case of Carmelina, just too old-fashioned) or because Lerner was felt to be too much of a handful.
Of course, if he'd lived longer, he might have ended up being the lyricist or co-lyricist on Phantom, which would have brought him together with Hal Prince and with a massive hit (presuming it would have been just as much of a hit with his lyrics as it was with Charles Hart's). |
