Finian's Rainbow - Wow, that was terrible. — Page 3

I may not be as 'well-schooled' in musical theatre history as some on here (plus I buy magnets for most shows I see too!), but I have to side with those posters who were utterly charmed by Finian's Rainbow. I loved it!

I appreciate it isn't everyone's cup of tea - I discussed it with a West End actor recently and he admitted he found it a bit twee. But each to their own: in contrast I found it full of old-fashioned charm, loved the score and thought the cast were wonderful.

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The interesting thing about Finian's Rainbow is that it is, at heart, one of the most political shows ever mounted on Broadway. The sweetness and what we now call cornball material was added as icing on a very statement-oriented cake.

The writers began with a n interest in Fort Knox. It amazed them that our entire financial base is regulated by an inert metal that we mine and then put right back into the ground (ie a vault.) You can't eat it, wear it or driva a car with it but it holds sway over modern society.

Then they started free-associating and stumbled across the Leprachan, the fabled cobbler elves of Ireland who also bury pots of gold (and only repair left shoes). Linking the two together, they came up with the idea of an Irish con man who steals a pot of gold and wants to bury it next to Fort Knox so its value will also grow.

From there, they decided to counter-program with the poor sharecroppers who till the fields around Fort Know and suddenly, they had a show. Practically every line spoke by the non-Irish characters was a reflection of post World War Two economics, society and politics, including the Daughters of the American Republic (an all-white and rather racist group), communism, bigotry, the foiled New Deal programs and the Dixiecrats. "Necessity" should be taught in political history classes.

The authors intentionally started with naive Irish immigrants so that there would be someone to "educate" during the show and thereby impart their commentary to the audiences.

And the audiences who came to the show in the late 40s actually GOT what they were talking about (they read newspapers, after all). At the time, the show made to top of the lists of both light and whimsical shows AND political musicals of the decade.

If you found the show boring, my friend, you probably didn't understand half of it. That's a shame for the show that you didn't like it, but it's a much greater shame for you that you didn't really understand it.

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allofmylife---great post.

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"(where I unfortunately chose to repeatedly see Rent)"

Ah! That explains it. Say no more. Your work, here, is done. xoxo

"I try to enjoy any piece of theater I can experience, but, as I said, I find the craft of creating songs that further the plot or add depth to the characters to be the most appealing aspect of a musical."

What's your point??? KING AND I, FINIANS, KISS ME KATE, ANYTHING GOES, PAL JOEY, SHOW BOAT, SOUND OF MUSIC, etc., etc. all do this! Regardless of your opinion.

I do hope you know that opinions can be wrong - *especially* if they're based on inaccurate perceptions and made by misinformed Rentheads. Ugh.

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Updated On: 1/9/10 at 09:12 PM

"This show had the WORST magnets on Broadway!"

This will be my new sig. Love it.

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It might be an interesting experience to spend a few hours researching the lyrics of Cole Porter in "Kiss Me Kate". I did this - being a total and absolute theatre geek - when I was your age the old fashioned way - in the library.

At first, it was simply because something mentioned in the lyrics of a show puzzled me and finding out the intent/context of the lyricist both enlightened and amused me. Then it became a bit of an obsession.

Lyricists usually slipped "of the day" references into their work in the 30s and 40s. It was part of the zeitgeist of the time that musicals, like movies, were made to be currently relevant. They weren't writing "for the ages" but rather "for the masses."

I'll bet that much of what bores you in "Kiss Me Kate" would actually fascinate you if you had a more enlightened understanding of why Porter wrote it into his show.

Even if you simply Google the lyrics, you might be amazed to see how rich his material is and what you found sleep-inducing is actually thought provoking.

I refuse to hand you anything on a silver platter so I am not going to provide examples unless you really, really need them (which you clearly don't.)

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Updated On: 1/10/10 at 01:18 PM

Everyone gets the jokes in Avenue Q but fifty years from now, when the entire world is gay and hetro is an alternative lifestyle, the song "If You Were Gay" might require some context.

On a more serious note, another show to do a careful line inspection of, and I'm serious about this, is Lil Abner, which has some really funny lyrics and a subplot about the military-industrial complex of the 50s that won the show a great deal of praise in its time. "The County's In The Very Best of Hands" is absolutely relevant again in this time of bank failures and Bernie Madoff.

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