Allegro. It’s
not a very common word. It doesn’t sound
interesting. It’s obviously something to
do with music, but the
boring parts of music.
That’s what the word meant to me until I finished reading
Carousel in a collection of Rodgers
& Hammerstein musicals only to turn the page and discover something really
intriguing.
Allegro was Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “flop” of a follow-up to
their megahits,
Oklahoma and
Carousel. The big question is, why did it flop? The simple answer is that it didn’t. Not really.
As I said,
Oklahoma and
Carousel were monster hits, and
Allegro paled in comparison. The reviews were mixed, and it didn’t have the
staying power of the others, but I don’t think anyone lost any money on
Allegro. People just didn’t know what to expect. Some got it, others didn’t. It was a revolutionary idea, a completely
different style compared to its lush predecessors and was helmed by first-time
director,
Agnes de
Mille. (This was also
revolutionary at the time since, not only was she a woman, but it was one of
the first times any one person served as both director and choreographer.) Stung by the perceived failure, Rodgers and
Hammerstein were ready to move on to the next big thing, 1947’s
South Pacific, which fared much
better.
Allegro was left in the dust.
No one does it, there wasn’t a full recording made for over 50 years
after its debut, and it is largely forgotten.
Now, when I hear the word "allegro," it makes me think of one of the most
interesting and challenging shows I have ever directed.
As I’ve
talked about before, script selection is a
long and involved process. There are many things I look for in a potential
show. Logistically, I have to ask things
like: Can I cast it? Can we make this
set? Will it appeal to the sensibilities
of our intended audience? Things like
that. But as a director, I need to
connect with a script. I need to read it
and find my hook. This is easier to do
with straight plays. I’ve directed a few
musicals in the past, and I enjoyed them, but truth be told it is difficult for
me to get excited about the prospect of directing a musical.
Allegro,
however, was an exception to this rule.
Allegro is
a deep and very complex show. There are
such intricate relationships and motivations to be sorted out, and because it
is a musical, you have less time to do it - the music steals half of your stage time.
This means that the director has to work closely with the actors and
help them find ways to communicate a lot with very little dialogue. The main character Joe’s relationship with his family is
integral to the show. In fact, I might
even call that the core emotion of the show.
This relationship has to be conveyed to the audience so that they
understand its depth and even champion Joe’s eventual (and non-traditional)
return home. That seems like an easy
enough thing to do until you realize that Joe has just one brief scene of
dialogue with his father and absolutely no dialogue with his mother. We know that Joe draws strength from Grandma, and yet they never share a scene together.
It’s a testament to the writing that I didn’t realize all that until I’d
read the show several times.
We also have a theme of romance throughout the play. Marjory and Joe Sr. have a very close,
playful relationship. This is very
different from how we are used to seeing the parents of a primary
character. We expect and loving but
distant Ma & Pa kind of thing.
Instead, we have this warm “fellow and a girl” kind of relationship, as
Joe Jr. describes it. The two are
essentially the romantic leads of Allegro, which is so atypical yet somehow
works perfectly. Next we have Joe and
Jennie. Joe idealizes Jennie, and this
helps him to overlook their fundamental differences. Jennie has a lot of ambition, and while I
believe she does love Joe, she thinks she can change him into the kind of man
that fits into the life she has always dreamed of. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work for Joe, and
the result is an unbalanced and ultimately unhappy marriage. I found this to be so interesting. Here we have a guy marrying his childhood
sweetheart. Now that should really tug
at our heart strings, but Oscar Hammerstein cleverly reveals little hints of
what’s to come, and we feel a sense on impending doom. We see Jennie try to have the best of both
worlds, and we see Joe try to convince himself that he’s happy leaving his
father’s practice to head to Chicago like Jennie wants. It doesn’t work for either of them. These are particularly satisfying themes and
limitations to work in, because it puts a lot of responsibility not only in my
hands as director but in the actors themselves.
They have to rely on each other to set things up just right so that
their subtle responses evoke the kind of power needed to sell our story. Joe and Jennie seem happy, but they let us
know that something isn’t as it should be.
Enter Emily.
I find the character of Emily to be fascinating. When you read the script, or see it live, the
addition of Emily brings a jarring new kind of energy into the mix. As things progress, we see Joe and Jennie
drift farther apart… though that’s not even true. We don’t actually see it, we just understand
that it is happening. That’s another
point for Oscar Hammerstein. He gives you
enough so that you can easily extrapolate what is happening with the characters, and, though it’s not tidily laid out in front of you, you don’t feel cheated for
having missed it. Emily and Joe have a
casual rapport that Joe and Jennie don’t have even in their prime. Instead, it makes us subconsciously remember
the easygoing chemistry of Joe Sr. and Marjory. I think it is brilliant that nothing ever
happens between Joe and Emily, but somehow you just know that when Joe and
Jennie finally go their separate ways Joe and Emily will eventually find each
other and have the kind of happily ever after that Joe Sr. and Marjory made us long
for. As a director, this kind of subtly
poses a real challenge. I had the task
of nudging my actors in directions that would paint a more complete picture of
the story than the words alone would allow.
Instead of two pages of dialogue to cement a strong emotion, we had a few
words, meaningful glances, and body language.
The life of Joe Taylor is further fleshed out with
friends and associates.
Allegro highlights the supporting cast
better than just about any show I know. We
have characters that are only seen once or twice having vital scenes and, in the
case of Beulah, even the most recognizable song from the show (“So Far”)! In some ways, the large cast and bevy of
supporting roles makes it an ideal show for community theaters. On the flip-side, though, the challenges
involved in this show might make potential producers think twice. Luckily, I live in area that is ripe with
talented, theatrical people. I was
confident that we’d find the talent that the show required. And boy, did
we. The cast and crew consisted of a
variety of people with different ages, talents, theatrical backgrounds and
experience. I can think of few instances
when a group came together so seamlessly and formed such an excellent working
relationship so quickly. Everyone seemed
to take to their roles and find great pride in essentially interpreting them
from scratch. When it comes to big
musicals, that is somewhat of a rarity.
You can’t do
Sound of Music without
thinking of Julie Andrews or Mary Martin.
You can’t do
Bye Bye Birdie
without conjuring up an image of the great Dick Van Dyke. But with
Allegro,
it felt like it was hot off the presses and we were the first to tackle it. I
think I can speak for the group when I say that was both daunting and invigorating. We had our work cut out for us. I had a lot of decisions to make. I think one of the temptations in doing a
show like this is to over-produce. It’s
meant to be simple. The dialogue and
characters carry it, not an elaborate set and effects. Trying to fill it out with more spectacle
would only take away from its charms. We
preserved that stripped-down feel, as written.
I hope that it’s rediscovered. I hope that some brilliant Broadway producers
decide to update the book and have a grand revival to commemorate its 60th
anniversary. I really think that if it
landed today it would be a hit. If the
reactions from the audiences members who saw our Short Tract production are any
indication, people are ready for a show like this now. I had a great time directing Allegro.
It was challenging, exciting and fun.
In fact, the only downside to directing this was that it meant I couldn’t
be in it. If someone else decided to do
it, give me a call, and I’ll be the first to audition.
The bottom line is, I liked Wise Women. The script is solid, it has a good pace and a lot of laughs. It manages to be Christmasey and sentimental without feeling like a Lifetime movie. What I didn't like was doing a show in the black heart of winter. It was so cold. Freakishly cold. Unfortunately that led to a short supply of audience and even a cast member.
