|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
New book features American musical luminaries
The hows and whys a musical is produced and what makes it successful are the focus of the book. As the editors write, in a dramatic production, the playwright has the final decision as to what is said on stage. With musicals, however, there is no final word, and "those involved in its creation include a composer, a lyricist, a librettist, a director, a choreographer, an orchestrator, a musical director, a dance arranger, designers, producers and performers....With so many opinions and talents clamoring for recognition, the key questions are how and why a musical ever gets produced...." As in their previous book, the editors went to the source and interviewed those directly involved in musical comedy. Some of the interviews originated in the Smithsonian Institution’s series, "Presenting...The American Musical Theatre!," and others were conducted personally by Davison and Bryer. The persons selected for the book are luminaries in musical and theatrical circles, and talking to them about their careers gives a backstage view of how musical productions are conceived, written and staged. Each section includes a short biographical sketch of each person’s professional accomplishments, followed by a question and answer interview. Among those personally interviewed by Davison and Bryer are Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune, UD alumna Susan Stroman and Hal Prince. "Everyone was gracious about sharing their experiences with us although they are very busy people," Davison said. "At first, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim, wrote me that he made a blanket rule not to give any interviews, and I wrote him back and said if he changed his mind to let me know. A few months later, out of the blue, I had a note saying that John Weidman and Hal Prince had prevailed upon him to talk to us. We visited with him in his wonderful townhouse in mid-Manhattan for an hour until he had to stop because he promised to ‘tweak’ some songs for a production of The Frogs." In the interviews, Davison and Bryer asked each person about how they started them on their careers. For example, choreographer and director Kathleen Marshall recalled how she, her brother and sister were selected to be von Trapp children in a production of The Sound of Music by the Pittsburgh Summer Light Opera, where she later began her dancing career. She eventually earned a Tony Award for On the Town.
UD alumna Susan Stroman, who has been a choreographer, director, writer and performer, was another born dancer. As a student, she was the choreographer for a campus production of Candide and also got her start working in local summer theatre. Composer, lyricist and playwright Stephen Sondheim credits Oscar Hammerstein II, as a tremendous influence on his life and career, calling him his “surrogate father.” The Art of the American Musical is a contribution to the history of the American theatre, Davison said. As the editors write in the book, the musical "has rightly been designated as the only indigenously American theatrical form," and the book records the creation of musicals in the words of those have achieved success and recognition for their contributions. There will be a reading and book signing of The Art of the American Musical by Davison at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 15, in 127 Memorial Hall. Article by Sue Moncure To learn how to subscribe to UDaily, click here. |
|
|
