Happy Liza Doolittle Day!

Next week, on the twentieth of May, I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!

-My Fair Lady

Ok, it isn’t, Christmas or the 4^th of July, but every year on the 20^th of May, I look forward to Eliza Doolittle Day!

The 20^th of May reference comes from My Fair Lady’s Act I fantasy number “Just You Wait (Henry Higgins).”  While not an official holiday, Eliza Doolittle Day is the nearest event I’ll ever have to celebrating the brilliance of My Fair Lady because it conceptualizes the definition of a masterpiece.

My Fair Lady is about a professor named Henry Higgins, and his attempt to turn cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle into a lady by teaching her how to speak properly.  Underpinning the entire show is a romantic, dare I say sexual, tension between the two as they struggle to understand one another in their attempt to master the English language.

It wasn’t until last December when I finally saw My Fair Lady on-stage for the first time in an ill-conceived production at Washington, DC’s Arena Stage.  This revival had many errors including: poor casting, an over-stated and misguided focus on the issue of class relations, and the removal of the show’s glorious overture.  Why though, was I still applauding at the show’s curtain call?

Herein lays what defines a masterpiece and why My Fair Lady is one.

At its core, My Fair Lady addresses one of humanity’s great enigmas: the relationship between the sexes.   Despite attempts to re-frame the story, My Fair Lady’s book and musical structure are so solidly constructed that it’s impossible to lose focus on the show’s underlying theme.

A masterpiece is something whose integrity, meaning and impact never change throughout time.  Their statement on society is timeless.  One of the great attributes of this masterpiece, is that regardless of whatever future artistic interpretations may bring, nothing can diminish how the elegant-simplicity of Alan Jay Lerner’s lyrics, the beauty and innocence of Frederick Lowe’s score or the pitch perfect wording of Lerner’s book tell the story of Eliza and Higgins.

A lot of musicals have opened and closed since My Fair Lady first debuted in 1956, but none have continued to capture the public’s attention quite like My Fair Lady.

It’s a rare musical that can continue to please generations of thespians, theater critics and audiences, not to mention moviegoers as well.  So on this Eliza Doolittle Day, give the cast album a listen or the movie a viewing.  And remember, you’re in the presence of a masterpiece!

Just You Wait Henry Higgins – Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison in the original Broadway Cast of My Fair Lady

 

A Valentine’s Day Mixtape

I grew up as a product of the 1990’s, which meant that when you really liked someone, you gave them a mix tape.    Although the older I get, the more I realize that relationships and love aren’t as black-and-white as they first appear.  This Valentine’s Day, whether you’re single or in a relationship, I’d like to give you a mix tape featuring some of the best romantically-themed songs from Broadway that address the complexity of love.

I’d Be Surprisingly Good For You – Evita

It’s probably the most unconventional pick-up line in a musical, but let’s face it, there are relationships built on exactly this notion – I’d be surprisingly good for you.  For Gen. Juan Peron, Eva’s proposition in Act I meant an entryway through which he could rally unions and the lower classes of Argentine society for his political career.  Nevertheless, Eva’s proposition gives definition to the notion that some relationships aren’t exactly built on love.

I Won’t Send Roses – Mack & Mabel

Flop musicals, like bad relationships, are painful to go through, but sometimes they yield unexpected joys.  Mack & Mabel may have only played 66 performances in 1974, but the show yielded one of the greatest romantic songs of all-time, the Act I heart-breaker, “I Won’t Send Roses.”  What’s striking is that so many songs are written to end relationships. This song makes it clear as to why the relationship can never happen to begin with.

Losing My Mind – Follies

Everyone has had heartbreak, but what makes “Losing My Mind” so dramatically beautiful is the honesty with which Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics.  Set late in Act II of Follies, “Losing My Mind” is sung by a woman who suddenly discovers that after 30 years, the man she first loved, doesn’t love her back and never did.  Throughout the song, she goes onto to explain what losing that love means to her.

Maybe This Time – Cabaret

We’ve all been on dates that have gone horribly wrong.  I remember one date where the girl proceeded to tell me how her psychiatrist medicates her so that she can fly on planes.  Still, after every bad date, we leave thinking, “Maybe this time, I’ll be lucky.”  Hence what brings up the Kander and Ebb song expressly written for Liza Minnelli and the movie version of Cabaret.

Sorry-Grateful – Company

This is Stephen Sondheim’s second appearance on this list, and yet a deserved appearance.  After the novelty of a relationship wears off, we’re all left wondering whether we’re sorry to be coupled-up, or grateful to have someone.  For men in particular, Sorry-Grateful puts both music and lyrics to exactly that feeling.

And yes, the actor singing the song in this video is Stephen Colbert

Shall We Dance – The King and I

Relationships are full of ambiguity, and “Shall We Dance” is a perfect interpretation of that feeling.  On paper, the song is literally about Anna teaching the King to dance.  By the sub-context reflects a song where the emotional, physical and sexual chemistry of the lead characters click at the right moment.

 

Go See Lincoln

Washington is abuzz this week with pre-inaugural festivities.  By next Monday, the Capitol will be aglow with the majesty of the inaugural ceremony, the pomp and circumstance of the inaugural balls and celebrations of America’s 44^th president, Barack Obama.  In preparing for the start of his second term, I hope the President will go see the movie Lincoln, hopefully learning that acting like a politician is not shameful behavior.  For if President Obama is to survive the second term battles that lie ahead, he will need to act like politician of the highest caliber.

Lincoln is principally set in January 1865 and centers on the passage of the 13^th amendment.  Having just been re-elected, President Lincoln is trying to pressure Congress to pass the amendment during their lame duck session (remember prior to the 20^th amendment, Congress didn’t start their session till March).   What may surprise moviegoers were the tools Lincoln used to get the amendment passed, many of which are still employed.

Lobbyists, federal appointments, political maneuvering and dodgy answers, were all used by Lincoln to get Congress to pass the amendment.  The film makes no secret of this, and neither does Lincoln.  At one point in the film Lincoln turns to his cabinet, raises his hand and declares, “I am the president of the United States of America, clothed in immense power! You will procure me those votes!”

In the next sixth months President Obama will have battles with the Republicans on: cabinet appointments, the budget, the debt ceiling, federal spending, gun reform and possibly immigration.  Furthermore, President Obama will also have to compete with the fact that presidents tend to get weaker as their second term progresses, remember they are lame duck leaders as well.  If President Obama is to cement his legacy on the debt and federal spending, he’ll need to wield a Lincoln-ian style deal that includes the Republican.

President Obama has long made it known of his admiration for our 16^th president.  In fact, at next Monday’s inauguration ceremony the President will be sworn in on the Lincoln bible, and his 2013 State of the Union Address is currently scheduled for Lincoln’s birthday, February 12^th.  The lesson thought that President Obama must take from his predecessor is that politics matters.  He can’t keep a pious attitude towards the professional, when he is the profession’s most notable leader.  Politics doesn’t always have to be nasty, it does however need to achieve results.

President Obama, congratulations on your second term.  The American people, of both political parties, are counting on you!

Movie Review: Les Miserables

The movie version of the hit musical Les Miserables can best be described as a traffic jam.  Why?  Because when the movie hits its stride and proceeds at full speed it reminds of you of how Les Mis can be brilliant and uplifting.  However, when the movie is slow, it’s painfully slow and loses focus on its message: man’s enduring humanity.

Full disclosure: Les Mis has never been one of my favorite musicals. Despite having some great songs, catchy lyrics and an uplifting message, I always felt the show was too long.  Regardless, having seen the show on Broadway, the 25^th anniversary tour and read the original Victor Hugo novel, I feel justified to be in a position to critique the movie.

The overall problem with the movie is it’s uneven pace and loss of focus on the story of Jean Val Jean towards the middle and end of the movie.  Director Tom Hooper did a wonderful job of not cutting any characters from the stage show, however many of the transition scenes/music/lyrics have been cut and that poses a great problem to the movie.  On stage those scenes helped to move the action along.  Part of the problem in cutting those lyrics is that those scenes now move at a glacial pace.

The biggest casualty of the film’s uneven tempo is the ultimate loss of Val Jean’s message: To love another person is to see the face of God.  In its purest form, the stage show and original Victor Hugo novel is about man’s humanity and struggle to do what is good and just.  Somehow, somewhere, Les Mis lost that message in its jump from stage to screen.

The production team behind Les Mis must be credited for not only translating this epic musical to the big screen, but retaining many of the set and costumes designs from the iconic original London and New York productions.  Further credit most also be given to Hugh Jackman (Val Jean), Anne Hathaway (Fantine), Sacha Baron Cohen  (Thernadier) and Helena Bonham Carter (Madame Thernadier) for being outstanding in their roles.

However, none of these big name stars can help the movie when it arrives at the slow parts (of which there are many).  Fans of the stage show and the book will not be disappointed.  Overall, the movie retains much of what made the musical an internal phenomenon.  Turning stage musicals into movies is hard and I don’t envy anyone who tries.  I just wish however that they would be more even in their pace, because while I loathe traffic on the highway, I especially loathe it in the theater.

Les Mis is currently touring the United States, playing in London’s West End and still in theaters.  For tickets to these productions please visit: http://www.lesmis.com/

The Secret Agent and the Score

***Note: The Youtube clips are designed to enhance your experience, please watch them while reading this post***

How do you re-introduce one of the world’s most beloved characters, when the actor most identified with the role has jumped ship?

It’s the problem producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli faced when they started production in 1968 on the sixth James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (OHMSS).  Sean Connery, the man who created Agent 007 on film, had left the franchise and Saltzman and Broccoli were committed to showing fans that while actors may change, the character’s core doesn’t.  And so on this October 5, 2012 – International James Bond Day– a day dedicated to celebrating the film franchise’s 50^th anniversary, MarqueePolitics wants to recognize the composer who helped save James Bond.

Music has always been an essential element to the James Bond films.  Regardless of whether or not you’ve seen the movies, you’ve at least heard the theme song and/or title songs.  One of the franchises creative stalwarts was Oscar-winning composer John Barry, who scored 12 Bond films.  For OHMSS Barry needed to not only create a sound for the new Bond (George Lazenby) but also use the film’s score to show that this was still the martini drinking, Aston Martin driving, Walther PPK carrying James Bond.

To introduce Lazenby as Bond, Barry began by re-scoring the legendary gun barrel opening.  This means the overall theme doesn’t change; Barry just modified the way it sounded by adding a synthesizer.   For the film’s title sequence, Barry decided to return to previous Bond movies Dr. No and From Russia with Love, by featuring an action theme rather than a title song.  The theme also entitled “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” not only incorporates the synthesizer from the opening, but takes a cue from the movie’s Swiss Alps setting by featuring numerous alpine horns.  Please watch the Youtube clip below to watch Barry’s work.

The result was not only the best score in the James Bond franchise’s 50 year history, but also a signal to fans that Agent 007 was indeed back, and reporting for duty.   By using the Bond theme and tweaking it a little, the sound reinforced a continuity of character while allowing an actor the freedom to define the role.  It was the technique Barry would employ to introduce the next two actors to play 007, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton.

For those not old enough to have seen OHMSS in theaters, it’s hard to remember the task producers faced by introducing a new Bond after Connery.  Bond was, and remains, an extremely valuable franchise, and the actor who portrays 007 is crucial.  While music is usually used to tell stories, in this case it saved one of the cinema’s greatest heroes.  Composer John Barry may not have been a secret agent, but he was the man who saved James Bond.

To listen to the music of James Bond please check: Best of James Bond 50th Anniversary 2 CD Set, available online at Amazon.com.

Skyfall, the 23rd James Bond movie will be released in the United States on November 9th.  To learn more, please visit: http://www.skyfall-movie.com/site/