After
the success of Oklahoma and Carousel, Richard Rodgers and Oscar
Hammerstein II decided to branch out and try something completely
different. While their previous efforts
had been straight-forward, traditional musicals, Allegro stood on it’s own as an experimental piece relying on deep
characters and narration to tell their story.
The minimalist set and abstract approach to storytelling appealed to
some, but was a too big of a leap to others.
Critics were split and ultimately the show closed after a little more
than 300 performances. Aside from a
brief tour after the original Broadway run, Allegro
was largely forgotten. There was no run
in London, no film version, and no Broadway revival. By R&H standards this show was a failure,
something that bothered Oscar Hammerstein.
He felt that audiences just weren’t prepared for the kind of show it was
and even began work on a televised version that was scrapped upon his death.
Allegro tells the tale of Joseph Taylor,
Jr. as he makes his way through life, love and business. Originally intended to be a birth-to-death
tale, Hammerstein quickly realized that wouldn’t work time-wise and shortened
it to be a birth-to-mid-life-crisis tale.
The show opens with Joe’s birth, though we don’t actually see him until
he’s an adult. Instead we see the
reactions and impact his birth has on the small town he lives in. His parents and grandma adore him, and there
are great expectations of what he’ll become.
As Joe ages the format of the show grows with him. While the first act covers 20+ years of Joe’s
life, the second act picks up nearly 10 years later and follows a more
traditional timeline. We see Joe adapt
to college life and adulthood, we see him fall in love, we see him grappling
with his parents’ and wife’s expectations of him, we see him forge a career
and make his way in the world. As more
and more people grow to rely on him, he begins to be pulled in different
direction and loses sight of what he wants for himself. (A concept that is explored
in the Allegro ballet.)
I
discovered Allegro completely on
accident. I bought a collection of six
Rodgers & Hammerstein librettos so that I could read Carousel. When I finished that, I turned the page and there was Allegro.
I read the first few bits of dialogue and was instantly hooked. As I began to research this little-known show
I became more and more fascinated by it.
It’s a shame that this has never been revived. I think it would be a huge hit today. There are many theories as to why Allegro didn’t click with the audiences
of 1947, but I think it all boils down to the simple fact that it was ahead of
it’s time. It’s abstract style and loose
format were unheard of at the time and didn’t come in to common practice until
decades later. Some have criticized it
for being a heavy handed morality tale against the wealthy, but I don’t think
that’s right. (In fact, one of the most
devious characters is from Joe’s hometown.) I see Allegro
as the story of a man who is torn between loyalties to his roots and to his
potential future, his parents and the girl he loves, his ambitions and the
expectation of others. Somewhere along
the way he has to learn to set all of that aside and follow his own path in
order to reach his full potential. Only
then will be able to find true happiness and benefit the lives of those around
him.
Nic Gunning
Director
It is
a law of our civilization that as soon as a man proves he can contribute to the
well-being of the world, there be created an immediate conspiracy to destroy
his usefulness, a conspiracy in which he is usually a willing collaborator.
Sometimes he awakens to his danger and does something about it. That is the
story of Allegro.
-Oscar Hammerstein II
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