Tuesday, October 25, 2011

ANYTHING BUT TAXES - FINE WHINE

Hey, Neil Patrick Harris - what’s the story?  I thought you assured us that “it’s not just for gays anymore”!  Broadway, that is.

The new revival of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER starring Harry Connick Jr, which is coming to the St James Theatre in November, has the cogliones to rewrite Broadway legend Alan Jay Lerner’s original book, turning the story gay.  The new book replaces flake Daisy Gamble with fruit David Gamble, still “affianced” to “perfect” boyfriend Warren.  At least they have kept the “past life” persona, who Connick Jr’s character falls in love with, a female - which adds a new dimension to the song “What Did I Have That I Don’t Have?”!

I could consider trying to understand the updating of the Melinda character from Victorian England to the 1940’s jazz scene – although it would appear that this could cause the loss of the witty song “Don’t Tamper With My Sister” (“A sin is not a sin until a sin is seen.  So let us misdemean where lights are low.”).  But I see no reason at all for gaying it up.  I say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  And AJL’s script was certainly not broken.

I saw the original Broadway production of OACDYCSF, with Barbara Harris, John Cullum, and William Daniels, when I was 12, and it was my Senior Play in high school (I was in the chorus and had two small parts).

The same thing was done with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s FLOWER DRUM SONG, which I also saw on Broadway as a child, a few years ago.  The revival rewrote Oscar Hammerstein’s book.  However, I did not see that production, so I cannot properly comment on the changes.

I do intend to see the OACD revival – to see how badly the original has been FU-ed.

TTFN   

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