Lerner & Loewe

I'm in a musical theatre class and I have to do a presentation on Lerner & Loewe.
(My partner's last name is 'Varley' by the way)

Anyway.

If anyone has any esoteric knowledge (*ahem* MargoChanning, Mary_Ethel, magruder, Jose, etc.) on the pair and their work, please pass it along so I can get an A.

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What exactly do you need to know about them, Flowery?

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Thanks guys! Great stuff!


-Matt_G-
We have to do a 30-minute presentation in which we discuss their contribution to musical theatre. We have to each sing a song (or part of a song) from one of their shows, and play 2 additional songs. And we have to write a ten page paper on them.
Basically, any information I can get would be helpful. I've been doing a little reading up, so I know the basics (shows they wrote and whatnot), but the obscure facts can spice things up.

So far, the only things presented have been Minstrelsy and Its Predecessors, Burlesque, Revue, Comic Opera, Opera Bouffe, Operettas, and Vaudeville. I believe today we start getting into some of the composer-based presentations, so hopefully then I'll have a better idea of what we should include.

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Don't forget Gigi and Paint Your Wagon

I'm having trouble finding an L&L song to sing in my range.
(damn Julie Andrews and her 4 octaves.)
I think I might do a tenor song (like "On the Street Where You Live" ) rather than trying to transpose something and find a pianist.

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Updated On: 11/1/04 at 11:25 AM

Gigi is first and foremost a film. The stage production creaks.

Paint Your Wagon has a good score, but the book sags.

Do "Show Me" from My Fair Lady. Its a helluva fun song to act and sing especially if you use your partner as an 'unsuspecting' prop. In the 60s Lainie Kazan, in her bombshell phase, did Show Me as a slow sexy song filled with innuendo.

Two stories that will not help you one iota with your presentation. Both came to me decades ago from a man that I went to college with whose late father worked for Alan and Fritz in a mangerial capacity.
--Paint Your Wagon's first performance out of town (Philly, I think), the scrim at the top of the show, instead of flying out so the male chorus could come down in one and sing the title song, came down and folded neatly on the floor until the pipe was about 4-6 feet from the floor. The men didn't know what to do so some waited, some crawled under and some went over the pipe. Those who did the last were then cascaded onto the floor when the pipe went up. The orchestra did not stop and while this disaster was going on everybody kept singing.

I have told that show lost 'momentum' at that point and was sort of doomed from then on.

--He was about 6 or 7 and remembers sitting with his father in the old Lamb's Club at lunch while his father tried to talk Alan into doing Gigi on stage first. MGM wanted them and Gigi went to the movies.

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If you've got some boom to your voice, you might also want to check out ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER. Great score!

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On A Clear Day was another great score totally emasculated when it became a movie like Forum & Molly Brown

This should come back as an Encores offering & than have a full fledged revival

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Updated On: 10/28/04 at 07:31 PM

*bump*


(sorry about this. but you guys are just so darn helpful. and a way better resource than books.)

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J.

This is for a partner presentation for my "Acting for Musical Theatre" class.

Our presentation is both oral and written.

My partner and I have to write a 10-page paper on "Lerner & Loewe". That's the only information we were given. I assume we are to focus on their contributions to musical theatre. We also have to give a 35-minute "multi-media" presentation on them, and provide the class with at least 2 pages worth of handouts. We must each sing a song written by Lerner & Loewe, and play recordings of 2 additional songs from their works.

My partner and I have completed the basic research regarding the musicals they created as a team (and Lerner's side works) and we know a bit of (uninteresting) biographical material.

We are presenting on Thursday, so we have plenty of time to finish up, but frankly our presentation is pretty dry. (and I still don't know what I'm going to sing. I think I'll probably end up doing "On the Street Where You Live", as it's actually in my range and the lyrics aren't tricky.)

Many thanks,
~ff~

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or another incredibly moving song "THERE BUT FOR YOU GO I" from Brigadoon. Another 'simple' and not too rangy heart breaker

Updated On: 11/1/04 at 10:08 PM

...and my all time favorite IF EVER I WOULD LEAVE YOU...

(although it requires a little more range)

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