Me and Juliet: Difference between revisions
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals typically first performed tryouts in [[New Haven, CT]] but a larger stage was needed to accommodate the elaborate sets, so ''Me and Juliet'' played in [[Cleveland, OH]] at the Hanna Theatre before transferring to [[Boston]] and then [[New York]]. The musical opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on May 28, 1953 at the [[Majestic Theatre]] and ran for 358 performances. A projected national tour closed after an eight week engagement in [[Chicago]]. The production was directed by [[George Abbott]] with choreography by Robert Alton and sets by [[Jo Mielziner]]. (Mielzner's sets and lighting involved eighty-five tons of scenery and the most extensive light cues to date.) |
Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals typically first performed tryouts in [[New Haven, CT]] but a larger stage was needed to accommodate the elaborate sets, so ''Me and Juliet'' played in [[Cleveland, OH]] at the Hanna Theatre before transferring to [[Boston]] and then [[New York]]. The musical opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on May 28, 1953 at the [[Majestic Theatre]] and ran for 358 performances. A projected national tour closed after an eight week engagement in [[Chicago]]. The production was directed by [[George Abbott]] with choreography by Robert Alton and sets by [[Jo Mielziner]]. (Mielzner's sets and lighting involved eighty-five tons of scenery and the most extensive light cues to date; this may be partly because an additional light bridge appeared onstage for the scene in which two stagehands are ostensibly up in the flies [[above]] the stage, watching a performance of the song "Keep It Gay".) |
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''Me and Juliet'' recouped its investment after about six months. The entire cost of the production, $350,000, was provided by [[RCA Records]] in exchange for half the profits and the rights to the cast recording.<ref>Fink, Bert. "Pipe Dream," notes accompanying ''Pipe Dream: Original Broadway Cast Recording''. RCA Victor, 1955/1993, p. 10.</ref> |
''Me and Juliet'' recouped its investment after about six months. The entire cost of the production, $350,000, was provided by [[RCA Records]] in exchange for half the profits and the rights to the cast recording.<ref>Fink, Bert. "Pipe Dream," notes accompanying ''Pipe Dream: Original Broadway Cast Recording''. RCA Victor, 1955/1993, p. 10.</ref> |
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Revision as of 22:08, 1 July 2007
| Me and Juliet | |
|---|---|
Album cover of 1953 Original Broadway Cast Recording | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Book | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Productions | Majestic Theatre 1953 |
Me and Juliet is a 1953 musical comedy written by Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is generally considered one of their least successful collaborations, and ran for only 358 performances. Me and Juliet uses the show-within-a-show framework, also known as a backstage musical. To date, no major commercial revival of the show has ever been attempted.
Background
As many writers have noted, Rodgers and Hammerstein found their greatest success in eschewing social and theatrical convention. Me and Juliet lacked these dramatic innovations and also suffered from mediocre music and lyrics, of which only one song, No Other Love, has become a standard. Ironically, this hit's melody was completely unoriginal, having originated as a theme for an episode of Rodgers's soundtrack to the television series Victory at Sea.[1] Some critics have judged Me and Juliet's score harshly, calling it "downright banal," while at least one original cast member points out that Rodgers and Hammerstein were purposely attempting to parody musical comedy songs with corny lyrics, bad rhymes, and uncomfortably high chorus parts.[2]
Plot
The show-within-the-show is also titled "Me and Juliet" and stars famous literary heroes and heroines: Juliet, Don Juan, and Carmen, alongside an everyman named "Me." The main characters includes the chorus singers Jeanie (played in the original Broadway cast by Isabel Bigley) and Larry, the assistant stage manager (Bill Hayes). A love triangle develops when Jeanie's ex-boyfriend, Bob, a lighting technician, becomes jealous of the couple who have been secretly married. Drama ensues and is happily resolved.
There are some vague attempts at meta-fiction, with the real world imposing on the (supposedly real) external "Me and Juliet", which in turn imposes on the (genuinely fictional) show-within-the-show also titled "Me and Juliet". For example, Buzz Miller, a real-life chorus dancer with a prolific Broadway career, played a chorus dancer named Buzz Miller in this musical. Some of the musical numbers are not performed by the cast of the show-within-the-show, but rather are performed by peripheral people (the stagehands in the overhead light bridge, or the ushers and concessionaires in the lobby) while a performance of the show-within-the-show is in progress. American character actor George Irving (1874-1961) played the musical conductor of the show-within-the-show; for one orchestral number, the audience's attention is meant to be directed towards him rather than to the actors onstage.
Production
Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals typically first performed tryouts in New Haven, CT but a larger stage was needed to accommodate the elaborate sets, so Me and Juliet played in Cleveland, OH at the Hanna Theatre before transferring to Boston and then New York. The musical opened on Broadway on May 28, 1953 at the Majestic Theatre and ran for 358 performances. A projected national tour closed after an eight week engagement in Chicago. The production was directed by George Abbott with choreography by Robert Alton and sets by Jo Mielziner. (Mielzner's sets and lighting involved eighty-five tons of scenery and the most extensive light cues to date; this may be partly because an additional light bridge appeared onstage for the scene in which two stagehands are ostensibly up in the flies above the stage, watching a performance of the song "Keep It Gay".)
Me and Juliet recouped its investment after about six months. The entire cost of the production, $350,000, was provided by RCA Records in exchange for half the profits and the rights to the cast recording.[3]
Musical Numbers
Act One
- A Very Special Day (Jeanie and trio)
- That's the Way It Happens (Jeanie and trio)
- Reprise: That's the Way It Happens (Larry)
- Dance Impromptu (Chorus, George, and trio)
- Overture to Me and Juliet (Dario and orchestra)
- Opening of Me and Juliet (Lily, Jim, Susie, and Charlie)
- Marriage Type Love (Charlie, Lily, and singers)
- Keep It Gay (Bob, Jim, and chorus)
- Reprise: Keep it Gay (Betty and Buzz)
- The Big Black Giant (Larry)
- No Other Love (Jeanie and Larry)
- Dance (Ralph, Francine, and Elizabeth)
- Reprise: The Big Black Giant (Ruby)
- It's Me (Betty and Jeanie)
- First Act Finale of Me and Juliet (Lily, Betty, Charlie, Jim, Jeanie, and chorus)
Act Two
- Intermission Talk (Herbie and chorus)
- It Feels Good (Bob)
- We Deserve Each Other [Sequence in Second Act of Me and Juliet] (Betty, Jim, and dancers)
- I'm Your Girl (Jeanie and Larry)
- Second Act Finale of Me and Juliet (Charlie, Lily, Betty, Jim, and chorus)
- Finale (company)
Cast of Characters
The original Broadway cast featured several noted actors including Isabel Bigley (Jeanie), Bill Hayes (Larry), Ray Walston (Mac), George S. Irving (Dario), Joan McCracken (Betty), and Shirley MacLaine (dancing ensemble).
Principal characters:
- Jeanie, chorus singer
- Bob, electrician
- Larry, assistant stage manager
- Mac, Stage Manager
- Dario, Conductor
Characters in "Me and Juliet"
- Charlie (Me), Featured Lead
- Lily (JULIET), singing principal
- Jim (DON JUAN), principal dancer
- Susie (CARMEN), principal dancer
- Betty, successor the Susie as Principal Dancer
Endnotes
- ^ Rodgers, Richard. Musical Stages: An Autobiography. New York: Random House, 1975. p. 281.
- ^ Mariska, Bradley C. "Who Expects a Miracle to Happen Every Day?" University of Maryland, 2004, p. 37.
- ^ Fink, Bert. "Pipe Dream," notes accompanying Pipe Dream: Original Broadway Cast Recording. RCA Victor, 1955/1993, p. 10.