Feature  

 

Send this link to your friends!

Your Email Address:  *
Your Friend's Email Address:  *
  optional
  optional
  optional
  optional
Your Zip Code:

Subject:
Message: Check out TheaterMania.com!

 

Hello,
Jerry!

Jerry Herman discusses his new digital CD collection, working
with Mary Martin, Pearl Bailey, Angela Lansbury, and Ethel Merman, creating
La Cage Aux Folles, and possible new productions of Mame and
Dear World.

By: Brian Scott
Lipton · Aug 19, 2008  · New
York

Jerry Herman (© Joseph Marzullo/Retna)

To many people, the two words that
really equal "Broadway musical" are Jerry Herman. The multi-award winning
composer's many shows, including Hello, Dolly, Mame, and La
Cage Aux Folles, have just been re-released in a special digital collection
by Masterworks Broadway, which includes special bonus tracks and a podcast in
which Herman and some his famous collaborators talk about their experiences.
Herman recently spoke by phone to TheaterMania about this extraordinary
collection, his amazing career, and his plans for the future.
THEATERMANIA: How did this collection come about?
JERRY HERMAN:
Masterworks Broadway approached me about re-releasing and remastering all my
albums, and I didn't know what to say at first. How do you express your thanks
for this gift, because what it's really doing is keeping my work alive for new
generations. And is there anything better for a songwriter to know that new ears
will be hearing all this music for years to come.
TM: One of the highlights of this collection is that it contains the
first-ever release, in any format, of the London production of Hello,
Dolly! with Mary Martin. What took so long?
JM: In the old days, I
think RCA felt having Carol Channing and Pearl Bailey on recordings was enough.
They didn't want more competition. Today, we like having all these different
versions of shows. And I have to tell you that Mary was delightful in the role.
She had a very sly, charming sense of humor and got her laughs her own way. I
think that's what's so wonderful about the role of Dolly -- that every actress
could leave her imprint. Ethel Merman was my dream, and she was to faint over;
she just added Ethel to the role. I think some people thought I was crazy to
cast Pearl Bailey, and then they saw her and changed their minds. Pearl was a
darling; she would stay in her little dressing room right up until curtain and
she would tell me hilarious stories about her life and career -- and then there
would be this impatient knock on the door from the stage manager. Of course,
Miss Channing is still Dolly, and she always will be. She gave so much of her
life to that show.
TM: Speaking of Dolly, it's gotten so much buzz from the music being
used in the animated film Wall-E. How did that happen?
JH. I signed
a little contract that just said Disney wanted to use pieces of Dolly for
this film. I didn't question it at all; I figured it would be background music.
So I willingly and gladly gave it to them, and then forgot about it. When they
invited me to the opening, I thought isn't that nice of them to remember me. And
then, when I heard the opening of "Put on Your Sunday Clothes," I was blown
away. What really delighted me was being in this big movie theater with lots of
kids and not only were they fascinated by this superb film, but they were
listening to work I wrote 45 years ago.

Jerry Herman and Angela Lansbury (© Joseph Marzullo/WENN)

TM: Does that mean we're going to see
another Broadway production of Dolly soon? Or how about
Mame?
JH: Yes, there's a lot of talk about another production of
those shows. But I always have to approve casting on all first-class
productions; otherwise you end up with well-meaning people who can't sing the
score or have enough comedic flair. I'm always very kind to anyone who expresses
interest, but they're not always right for the part. And it may be old-fashioned
of me, but the original was so well done that you want to keep those exquisite
dances. I don't like seeing new choreography of my shows. Someday, I'll find the
right person for Dolly or for Mame. That part is really hard to
cast, because it needs that lady that was inherent in Angela Lansbury. Everybody
argued with me about casting Angela. So I told people to bring her to my
apartment and I taught her two songs, and then she went out and wowed six people
at the Winter Garden. She was also a terrific dancer, and what really convinced
those people she was Mame was watching her dance "That's How Young I Feel."
TM: This also marks the 25th anniversary of La Cage Aux Folles, and as
part of the collection you talk about how "I Am What I Am" came about. Can you
elaborate?
JH: I had written most of the score, and Harvey Fierstein [who
wrote the book] and Arthur Laurents [who directed the show] and I met in my
townhouse on East 61st Street to work on the show. Harvey read his last scene in
Act I, and we were suddenly moved because in the middle of this passionate
speech as Zaza, he said "I Am What I Am." So I asked Harvey if I could take
those five words for a song, and then I told them to go home immediately because
I was so excited to get to work. I worked the rest of the day and evening on
that song, and then they came back the next morning and I played the exact
arrangement you hear on the CD. And they just fell off their seats. I consider
it the true highlight of my career, because the song encompasses everything that
show is about in three minutes. To this day, I am always moved whenever I hear
it; it's my heart and soul. And do you know that La Cage plays in more
places than any of my shows; it's now in Slovakia, Norway, Argentina, some of
the strangest places all over the world. Of course, when I wrote it, I felt it
would have limited appeal because of its subject matter -- but that didn't
bother me, because it was touching and theatrical.
TM: Which of your shows would you most like to see revived?
JH: I want
to see a new production of Dear World. It's so in tune with what's
happening today, about being "green" and environmentally correct. I have also
reinstated two songs. There's "A Sensible Woman," which was written as the
opening number but never used. I cut it incorrectly; I didn't know what I was
doing. And there's a song called "Just A Little Bit More," which is by the bad
guys. I have to admit I had a hard time getting that show to cohere originally.
But I think I got it right.
TM: Will we ever hear a new Jerry Herman musical?
JH: No. I have
retired as songwriter for Broadway. I hear what's being written, and I am not
part of that world. I don't want to make the mistake of trying to buck trends.
Most important, I don't want to try even if I could. I feel like knowing when to
leave is very difficult, but very important also. But I love doing concerts,
like the ASCAP one coming up on August 23 at the Old Globe. And next March, the
Kennedy Center is doing a three-night version of the tribute concert they did
for me in London this year, and I can't wait. They're my interest today.
For more information or to listen to clips, www.masterworksbroadway.com/jerryherman.