Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters (51 page)

    
Originally, the plan had been to put
Dance a Little Closer
into rehearsal in August 1982, to arrive on Broadway by December, but it was not ready in time. Casting took place over the summer and was announced in September: joining Liz Robertson were George Rose, a veteran of Lerner’s
Coco
and the 1976
Fair Lady
revival, and Len Cariou,
⁴¹
who had appeared in Strouse’s
Applause
.
⁴²
Further delays were then incurred because Brisson struggled to find backing for the show, as he admitted in January 1983: “We would normally be in rehearsal now, but the money didn’t fall in as easily as it did in the past.…I have done 21 shows on Broadway. This is the first time I haven’t been overcapitalized.”
⁴³

    
With the show on the backburner until the funds could be raised, Lerner was delighted when he was approached with the possibility of reviving the
Merry Widow
project:

    
To John Pringle

    
December 15, 1982

    
Dear John,

    
What a delightful surprise discovering it was you at the other end of the phone! And delightful surprises are in short supply these days.

        
I am enclosing the script, which, as you will see, was created with the music of
The Merry Widow
in mind. However, it is quite obvious that the story does not depend at all on what music is used. There is a large library of beautiful operetta literature that is available, most of which is in the public domain. In the script you will read I actually indicated more music than I expected to use in order to keep the Lehar estate happy.

        
The budget, I had discovered, was in the neighborhood of $7,000,000—but that included a large sum paid to the Lehar estate plus a very costly sequence chez Franz Josef which is not necessary— plus—all those
Merry Widow
stage scenes inserted for the estate. As you will see, it’s fundamentally a very intimate story.

        
In any case, I hope you at the very least enjoy it and at the very most might be interested in doing it.

        
I’ll be in London for a few days over Christmas and I’ll certainly call you. No matter what happens with the script, it will be a joy to see you after all these years.

Aye,

Alan

    
As for
Dance a Little Closer
, it finally went into rehearsal on March 7 ahead of a Broadway opening at the Minskoff Theater on May 11.
⁴⁴
The weekend before the opening, the
New York Times
published an article about the show, including an interview with Lerner about his adaptation of the source material,
Idiot’s Delight
: “What I’ve tried to do is preserve the fundamental structure of the play and to replace some characters who would not be relevant today with characters
I think are,” Lerner commented.
⁴⁵
“This is a book musical in a day when there are very few book musicals; the theater today is a theater of magnificent productions and tap-dancing. But I just fell in love with this play, and thought it was time to do it, for a whole series of reasons.” Ironically, the critics would point to the overwhelming nature of the show’s sets—which included a skating rink—as one of its flaws, and it was uniformly panned. The musical closed after just one performance. But even during the previews, Lerner was philosophical about its chances: “I feel differently about success than I did before,” he said. “Naturally, I would like it, but primarily I would like to avoid humiliation. It’s very strange; people think that the longer you are in the public eye, the more immune you become to what people will say about you. It’s not true; you become more vulnerable. You don’t mind being criticized so much, as long as you feel you are being criticized on the level of your effort, instead of dismissed. I think in the theater you fundamentally get more or less than you deserve, and you don’t get ‘A’ for effort. I’ve had a lot of failures, but most of the time when I haven’t fared well with the critics, I think they were right—although I might have resented it at the time.”

    
It seemed that Lerner had indeed come to accept critical appraisal more philosophically. In writing to thank Irene Selznick for sending him a copy of her book,
A Private View
, which had just been published, the lyricist expressed regret about the show’s disaster but overall contentment with his new life:

    
To Irene Selznick

    
[Undated; 1983]

    
Dearest Irene,

    
Your book is a marvel. It is so “felt” and so perceptive and honest and intensely readable and moving. In some ways I felt I was meeting you all over again—and loving you all over again.

        
I was shattered to hear of your illness—but I know—I really know you will conquer it. Too much love is going with you.

        
For myself—you know. (Alas!) But I have never been happier. I would rather have Liz than all the hits in the world.

        
We’re going back home to London but I’m sure we’ll be back before the summer is over—this time with time for friends and not the goddamn theatre.

        
Bless you. Thank you for the book. My love goes with you always.

Alan

    
In August, Lerner was involved in a car accident that left him unable to work on his shows for a period, but he made himself busy by completing most of the research for a new book project: a history of musical theater. By the end of November he was able to write to his publisher, Collins Ltd., that it was “gathering momentum” and that “all the research is finished—minus one book.”
⁴⁶
He also met with the BBC that month to continue ongoing discussions about creating a 10-hour television series to tie in with the book, though he made it clear that the series would be made only after publication of the book; in the end, after numerous discussions and correspondence in 1984, the series was abandoned so that Lerner could focus on his theater work. Around the same time, he also agreed to work with Burton Lane on a revised version of
Carmelina
, to be retitled
Someone in April
. The following letter to David Aukin,
⁴⁷
a budding theater producer who later ran the Royal National Theatre, shows that Lerner and Lane were about to recommence work on the musical by writing some new songs:

    
To David Aukin

    
November 28, 1983

    
Dear David,

    
Thank you for your letter.

    
I must confess that I never quite knew what was wrong with
Dance a Little Closer
, but I knew something was and I think you have put your finger squarely on it. I am not only convinced you are right but there is another interest in it and I am withdrawing it. What a clever man you are!

        
I think Armand Gerrard sent you a script of
Someone in April
, which used to be called
Carmelina
. Burton Lane, the composer, is coming over in a couple of weeks and we are going to do two or three more songs for it. I have always loved that property and had it been handled as a small piece of “commedia dell’arte,” which is what I tried to do—sort of Goldoni—it would have worked. Ironically, the one paper that tore it to pieces was the New York Times. Two months later the critic was replaced by Frank Rich who wrote Joe Stein a letter telling him that he
could not understand the Times review, and had he been there…! And of course he was there, two months later.

        
Do think about it and give me your astute opinion.

        
Hope all is going well. Some day, somehow, I am sure we will work together.

Best wishes.

Aye,

Alan

The intention was for the revival to begin in Norwich and later come into London, where it was hoped the show’s fate would be kinder than it had been on Broadway. This would then be followed by a New York transfer. In the first months of 1984, Lerner worked concurrently on the book, documentary series, and the new material for
Carmelina
. His progress on the latter is preserved in the following series of letters to Lane. Because the lyricist was in London and the composer in the United States, much of this work was done via correspondence. As a result, this is probably the greatest insight we have into the relationship between Lerner and one of his composers, demonstrating how they exchanged ideas and, in particular, Lerner’s approach to the show in question. Mention is made of the director, Hugh Wooldridge;
⁴⁸
the producer, Armand Gerrard;
⁴⁹
and various suggestions of actresses to play the title role:

    
To Burton Lane

    
January 24, 1984

    
Dear Burt,

    
I think I mentioned to you the way things work over here. There are several beautiful theatres outside London, such as the Theatre Royal at Nottingham, Bristol and many others—the best of which is Norwich, which is managed by a man named Dick Condon.
⁵⁰
He is, by reputation, the most intelligent and “show-wise” of all the regional managers. When one is about to do a new play, one goes to Condon first.

        
With that in mind, I prepared as clean a script as I could and it was sent off to him. We heard yesterday that not only does he love it, but will co-finance it and we can open in Norwich. It may not seem much in New York, but over here it’s quite a coup.

        
We are not certain when the theatre will be available, but June is the ideal time for rehearsal. With a good show and the proper bookings, it could come into London at the end of September or the first week in October with most of the investment recouped. If the first scene of this play cannot be fixed by June, then we better forget about it completely. So, I think June is a reasonable date.

        
What I intend to do is to write several versions of that opening scene and then we can all decide which one we want. In one of the versions I would like to include the prologue, “Come With Me to San Forino.” So could you send me either a lead sheet or a cassette, or preferably both? I also need the prayer.

        
I started to work on “You Never Told Me” and there is a big problem for me about it. Could the first two bars be repeated so I could have question and answer? As it is, there really is no room for the title except the opening line, when it would be coming too soon. The alternative would be if I write a lyric based on this melody and then you fiddled round with it. Either way is alright with me but I can’t do it the way it is.

        
I spent last evening with Armand [Gerrard] and Hugh [Wooldridge] and we went over schedules, etc. Their number one choice for Carmelina—and with good reason—is a girl over here named Julia McKenzie.
⁵¹
First of all because she’s incredibly talented: there is no better singer on the British stage. She also has a television series, so she’s a big star all over the country. She doesn’t look Italian, but with a black wig and darkened skin, she’s such a good actress, she can probably pull it off. She may even be able to sing “I’m a Woman” and not make it sound like an anthem for Women’s Lib, the way Georgia [Brown] did. She’s extremely feminine.

        
General auditioning would begin around the end of April. Through his connections with the opera and ballet world, Armand is searching for a Vittorio.

        
There is a brilliant orchestrator over here named Ian MacPherson. What Armand and Hugh intend to do is give him the music and let him orchestrate and record an overture which would be sent to you for your
approval. But before that, of course, we need copies of all the music, so the sooner you could get them to me, the better.

        
I promised the boys that I would have the opening scenes ready by 1st March. That gives us plenty of time for decisions. They were both devastated at the thought of cutting “Why Him?,” so I have an idea for a long verse for it which I will write and send to you. As I told you, over here they adore that song. As a matter of fact, there’s a huge charity gala at Drury Lane on 26th February and Liz [Robertson] has been asked to sing it—that, and nothing else!

        
Anyhow, I think that brings you up-to-date. I would really appreciate it if you could get the music to me as soon as possible.

        
I am glad you and Lynn [Lane] enjoyed your holiday. I can’t imagine anyone not being transported by Venice. …

Aye,

Alan

    
To Burton Lane

    
February 10, 1984

    
Dear Burton,

    
Received your letter this morning and yesterday all the music from Chappell’s. I also had a long talk with Joe [Stein] on the phone yesterday morning.

        
Joe feels very strongly, and I think he is right, that the sooner we get to “Someone in April” the better. That is, after all, when the play really begins. Therefore, the question is how to establish everything that has to be established in the opening scene with as much dispatch as possible.

        
Secondly, there is no question that “Love Before Breakfast” has to go.

        
I have not disregarded any of your suggestions but it seemed to me they were prolonging the opening scene instead of shortening it. Joe and I talked over one rather revolutionary idea, which is to begin with the prologue and have no songs in the opening scene but merely write it as a play so that the first song inside the play would be “Someone in April.” I said that I thought there was a way of doing both “Why Him” and “Time For a Love Song” in the balcony scene. I am not sure about that until I try it, which I will do this week. I am still working on various versions of the opening scene which would include “Why Him” and “Time For a Love Song” with a new song in the balcony scene.