I have screamed enough about "RAGS" on here, but was privilged to see the Original Production, back in 1986, and the show fortunately rendeered itself a Cast Recording, which is one of my musical theater treasrures.
Now, "The Yearling," Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings' novel, first published in March of 1938, and made into a masterful movie by MGM, in 1946, wherein Claude Jarman, Jr., as Jody Baxter, gave one of the most compelling child performances, especially for a boy. He won a Special Juvenile Oscar, for his incandescent performance.
As Broadway was getting ready to mount a musical of "The Yearling," I was just discovereing "The Yearling," as a novel. Having read all the key animal books of my youth--"Black Beauty," by Anna Sewell, "Beautiful Joe," by Margaret Marshall Saunders, "Lassie, Come Home," by Eric Knight, and "My Friend Flicka," by Mary O'Hara, it was inevitable I would get to "The Yearling." And, like most of these titles, it is heartbreaking, yet with a message.
The message of "The Yearling" is that childhood must end, and puberty continues us onward. Way past this point now, I still don't cherish this fact.
Jody Baxter, loved by his parents, Penny and Ora, (Penny is the father) is nevertheless lonely, until he encounters a friend in an orphaned fawn he finds, whom he names Flag. Flag is cute and sweet, bonds with Jody, and things are happy, until Flag begins to age, and Jody has to make the most difficult choice of his life, at that point. In addition to Jody, there is another child, Fodder Wing, hunchbacked and crippled, on a farm nearby, in swampland Florida. Fodder Wing and Jody both love animals, and Jody learns things from his friendship with the disabled youngster.
The time of the story is several years past the Civil War!
Much as I would love to watch the film again, I don't think I could bear to. So, imagine this being turned into a Broadway musical, which it was. "The Yearling," the musical, was produced by Lore Noto, who had delivered the hit, "The Fantasticks." He also served as the Book and Lyric writer, along with Herbert Martin, who also wrote the lyrics. The Composer was Michael Leonard. Save Noto, I never heard of them. It opened at the Alvin Theatre, on West 52nd Street, (home of such gems as "Company" and "Annie") on December 10, 1965, and closed on December 11, 1965, after a run of 11 previews, and 3 actual performances.
I was in fifth grade when I read the book, and all this took place. On a childdren's program of the day, I recall Sonny Fox interviewing a young girl, who said that she auditioned for the role of Jody in "The Yearling." Steve Sanders, who went nowhere, played the part, while Peter Falzone, also unsuccessful, played Fodder-Wing. The Baxter parents, Penny and Ora, were portrayed, respectively, by David Wayne and Dolores Wilson. Lloyd Richards, who would later gain a name by directing the plays of August Wilson, directed the production, and I have to wonder if he was right for the project, or just took it as a benchmark on his escalating career in the theater.
Lonny Price, where are you?
"The Yearling" was a benchmark, but not for glowing reasons. It was panned, and closed almost immediately. With so few to see it, and no cast recording, it has become something theater queens yearn for. When I think of the score, I imagine it sounding similar to "The Grass Harp," also a flop, but not as big a one as this, and Barbara Cook's last books show. Adapted from a novel by Truman Capote, Cook played one of the Talbo Sisters, Dolly, and the score was magical and whimsical. It was by Claibe Richardson (Music), with Book and Lyrics by Kenward Elmslie. I hadn't heard of them, and while it ran for only four days (November 2-6, 1971), maybe, due to Barbara Cook, it yielded an Original Cast Recording, which is just glorious. In the over forty years of theatergoing in NYC, I have only seen one revival of this show, in some Off-Broadway theatre, which probably now does not exist, back in the Eighties.
"The Grass Harp" is, at least, accessible. "The Yearling" is not. However--
Apparently, those few who actually saw the show went crazy over the score (just like with "RAGS") and somehow, four songs, by some enterprising individual were gotten to Barbra Streisand, before she became BARBRA, and she recorded them. One is a standard you may know--"I'm All Smiles," and darlings, I am dying to learn this and do as it as an audiiton piece. The other songs are "The Kind Of Man A Woman Needs," "Why Do I Choose You?," (also recorded by Barbara Cook!) and "My Pa."
It is just a taste, but one that promises much. It would be equally fascinating to see how these songs fit into the context of the musical. Why no one has ever done a studio recording of the score, or ENCORES has not considered it--well, you tell me! But, maybe, to lure us pandemic paranoidiacs back to live theatre, it would take something this monumental to lure us! And tickets would sell, like proverbial hot cakes! Maybe a cast recording would come out of this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like the song says, "I'm all chills, darling........"
Here is a photo from the original production. Note a real deer. It must have had some agent. And how about its hygeiene??????????????????????????? The photo is interesting, but tells little.
However--
Here is BARBRA, early on, singing I'm All Smiles." I am sure she tailored it to her own voice, because its last lines, "And that someone is...you!" I am sure got a big, belting finish on Broadway. At least, that's the way I would do it, darlings.
Hey, if I was the right age, I'd grab the role of Jody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 comments:
What’s “Rags” about, I’m not familiar with that?
Victoria,
"RAGS" is a musical, with a book by Joseph Stein,
Music by Charles Strouse,and Lyrics by Stephen
Schwartz. It opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre,
on August 21, 1986. It closed after 4 performances, and
18 previews. The cast included Teresa Stratas, Dick Latessa,
Marcia Lewis, Larry Kert, Lonny Price, and Judy Kuhn, whose
rendering of the title song stopped the show, and put her
on the map.
Considered,thanks to Stein, to be the unoffical follow-up to
"Fiddler On The Roof," "RAGS" follows a disparate group of East
European Jews from boat to NYC, and their experiences. Along
the way is referenced anti- Semitism, the Tammany Hall corruption,
and the Triagnel Shirt Waist Factory Fire.It is dark, but the score
is what so many,myself included, went crazy over. I feel so
privilged to have seen one of these original performances. I have
seen two other productions of "RAGS," and it was just as impacting.
In 1991, a Cast Album, studio made, was finally released, with Julia
Migenes replacing Teresa Stratas, which is what would have happended,
had the show been a hit, and ran. She is superb.
It is on CD, and probably on YouTube. ALl I can do is urge you
to listen, and you will see why us Theater Queens go crazy for
"RAGS."
Ok thanks
I have listened to a few of the songs and I totally get it!!
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