Me and Juliet
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| Me and Juliet | |
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| Album cover of 1953 Original Broadway Cast Recording | |
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| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Book | Oscar Hammerstein II |
| Productions | Majestic Theatre 1953 |
Me and Juliet is a musical comedy written by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and book). Along with Allegro and Pipe Dream, it comprises the second of their three least commercially successful collaborations. To date, no major commercial revival of the show has ever been attempted and the original cast album is out of print in the United States (The cast album was briefly available in the United States in 1993 and the British-based Flare label reissued the cast recording in 2007.)
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[edit] Background
As many writers have noted, Rodgers and Hammerstein found their greatest success in eschewing social and theatrical convention. Me and Juliet, however, lacked these dramatic innovations. Only one song from the show, "No Other Love", has become a standard. The melody of this hit did not originate with this musical, but had been a theme for an episode of Rodgers' soundtrack to the television series Victory at Sea.[1] Some critics have judged the score of Me and Juliet harshly, calling it "downright banal," while at least one original cast member has pointed out that Rodgers and Hammerstein were purposely attempting to parody musical comedy songs with corny lyrics, bad rhymes, and uncomfortably high chorus parts.[2]
[edit] Plot
Me and Juliet relies on the "show-within-a-show" concept. The main characters include the chorus singer Jeanie and Larry, the assistant stage manager. A love triangle develops when Jeanie's ex-boyfriend, Bob, a lighting technician, becomes jealous of the couple, who have been secretly married. Complications ensue, but end up 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 (e.g., 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 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.
[edit] Production
Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals typically first had tryouts in New Haven, CT. However, a larger than average 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 only 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. The use of so much lighting hardware 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".[3]
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.[4]
[edit] Musical Numbers
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[edit] Characters and cast
- Principal characters
- Jeanie, chorus singer — Isabel Bigley
- Bob, electrician — Mark Dawson
- Larry, assistant stage manager — Bill Hayes
- Mac, Stage Manager — Ray Walston
- Dario, Conductor — George S. Irving
- Characters in "Me and Juliet" (play-within-a-play)
- Charlie (Me), Featured Lead — Arthur Maxwell
- Lily (JULIET), singing principal — Helena Scott
- Jim (DON JUAN), principal dancer — Robert Fortier
- Susie (CARMEN), principal dancer — Svetlana McLee
- Betty, successor to Susie as Principal Dancer — Joan McCracken
Shirley MacLaine (dancing ensemble)
[edit] References
- ^ 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.
- ^ RNH production and history
- ^ Fink, Bert. "Pipe Dream," notes accompanying Pipe Dream: Original Broadway Cast Recording. RCA Victor, 1955/1993, p. 10.
[edit] External links
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