Cockeyed Optimist: Where Hammerstein Found His Hope – Buoyant

Oscar Greeley Clendenning Hammerstein II (1895 –1960) was a lyricist, librettist, and producer winning eight Tony Awards and two Academy Awards for best song. Collaboration with Richard Rodgers arguably ushered in The Golden Age of Musicals, making the story, not songs or stars, central.

Sitting stage left in a high backed arm chair, Dick Scanlan muses on/narrates this presentation as if Alastair Cooke for Masterpiece Theater – well, not so rarified. The artist’s lifelong love of and involvement with theater is reflected in illuminating, opinionated, droll exposition written by him with Malcolm Gets. Lightness of spirit pervades. Ostensibly catching up on old copies of the New Yorker and Village Voice, Scanlan objects to some early pigeon-holing of the lyricist.

“Hammerstein understood human nature and in spite of that he believed in humanity,” Scanlan notes.
It takes all kinds of people to make up a world,/All kinds of people and things./They crawl on the earth, They swim in the sea,/And they fly through the sky on wings. (Richard Rodgers/Oscar Hammerstein II-
Pipe Dream) “A Hundred Million Miracles” (Flower Drum Song) and “Impossible” (Cinderella) follow.

“All of Hammerstein’s hit shows were adaptations of books,” the host says. Two stories out of James Michener’s Tales of the South Pacific were mined to create the musical South Pacific. As with other examples, Scanlan shares differences in original material and final musical. Here, for example, Billis came from another story and planter, Emile de Becque had eight children by three wives. These revelations add spice to the evening. Hammerstein’s brother-in-law was half Japanese. His awareness of racism was acute. Katie Mariko Murray offers a lovely, lilting “Bali Ha’i.”

We hear about the theater atmosphere – “girls, gams, and guys” – into which Oklahoma! (based on Lynn Riggs’ Green Grow the Lilacs) exploded, changing musical theater forever. Discussion of Laurey’s not so sure choice between cowboy Curly McLain and frightening farmhand Jud Fry is insightful. Scanlan thinks “Lonely Room” is the best song in the show. Eddie Cooper’s resonant version quiets the hall. “Born to wealth, Oscar was still able to get inside Jud’s head,” the host muses.

Omar Lopez-Cepero and Eddie Cooper

A nifty medley spotlighting some of Hammerstein’s couples is exemplified by duets from Oklahoma!,
Show Boat (music-Jerome Kern), Carousel, Cinderella and Flower Drum Song. As performed by Omar Lopez-Cepero and Cooper, replete with big pink fans, “The Stepsister’s Lament” (Cinderella) is a hoot. Murray’s “I Am Going to Like It Here” emerges hesitant, delicate. Only “Don’t Marry Me” (Flower Drum Song) broken up by too many singers, lands less effectively.

The 1946 film Anna and The King of Siam (Irene Dunne and Rex Harrison) was inspired by Anna Leonowens’ book The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870), but many changes were made. Among them, the author herself was biracial and her husband was a clerk, not a high ranking officer. Kerstin Anderson’s seemingly personal “Hello, Young Lovers” begins a series of relationship songs.

Joey Chancey (piano), George Farmer-bass, Mikaela Bennett, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Eddie Cooper, Kerstin Anderson

Directly after the success of Show Boat, (and before a series of flops), when the lyricist could get anything made, he turned his energies to Carmen Jones after George Bizet’s opera Carmen. Finding African American thespians was extremely difficult. Mikaela Bennett, with opera as well as musical theater training, performs a deeply silken “Dat’s Love.” The marvelous arrangement also features Anderson and Murray.

Carousel, based on Ferenc Molnar’s play Lilliom, follows the original, often with edges smoothed. There is, after all, physical and emotional abuse. “I’m Julie Jordan and I’m codependent,” begins Bennett deadpan. Again, a beautifully interpreted rendition. Scanlan tells us that “You’ll Never Walk Alone” is the frequent anthem of European soccer teams! Lopez-Cepero’s “Soliloquy” misses vocal depth and raw spirit. He’s too reserved.

Omar Lopez-Cepero, Katie Mariko Murray, Mikaela Bennett, Eddie Cooper,
Kerstin Anderson

Keeping with the theme, we watch an excerpt from an interview with the honoree in which he says he was asked whether he’s religious. Not in any formal way, apparently, but “I’ve discovered in the end, that good unusually triumphs over evil.” Despite awareness of social/political issues and activism, Hammerstein was sincerely an optimist.

Based on Edna Ferber’s novel of the same name, Show Boat producers insisted the writers “come up with more laughs…” Ferber wrote three strong females. Hammerstein and Kern balanced this with more male and Black characters.

Omar Lopez-Cepero and Mikaela Bennett

Hammerstein met his second wife Dorothy onboard a ship. Both married, it was nonetheless love at first sight. They respectively divorced, wed, and lived as they say, happily ever after. A group of love songs from Show Boat (music Jerome Kern), Oklahoma!, Carousel and Cinderella describe the Kismet moment and Hammerstein’s penchant for romance. Bennett and Lopez-Cepero waltz.

“So I’m not much of a traveler, but I did make a pilgrimage to Salzberg to take The Sound of Music Tour,” Scanlan tells us. A photo of him, arms wide like Julie Andrews in the hills, covers the screen. Most people think the musical is a direct adaptation from Maria Von Trapp’s memoir. Here again, we learn discrepancies from the real story. Among them, that Maria really did want to become a nun, the Baron was a nice guy, and the mountains they crossed would have put them in Italy.

Katie Mariko Murray, Eddie Cooper, Kerstin Anderson, Dick Scanlan, Mikaela Bennett,
Omar Lopez-Cepero

“Hammerstein wondered how a liberal democracy turned Fascist,” Scanlan says darkly. AHHHH, murmurs the audience thinking of current politics. Anderson’s terrific “There’s No Way to Stop It” echoes past and present. “Vote!” the company encourages. The Sound of Music received mixed reviews and the movie was panned – yet became the top grossing film of all time – before Jaws. “The last song Hammerstein wrote with Rodgers, “Edelweiss”, is so convincing, many people believe it’s the Austrian National Anthem.” With Andersen on guitar, the company sings. Gathering around the piano, a rousing chorus of “Oklahoma” closes the show. Audience members join.

All singers are good, but the women are excellent. Three glorious sopranos with different vocal coloration. Direction is smooth, gestures limited, adroit.

Scanlan is simply wonderful; easy, wry. The script is illuminating and fun if a little long. Perhaps other composers’ or lyricists’ work might be framed in this appealing manner.

In the course of the show, each performer tells us a bit about how he/she came to musical theater accompanied by family photos. I found this out of step with the program, often sounding like advertising. Should the piece be repeated as deserved, one might jettison the novelty.

Act I on stage apparel is jarring and unaesthetic, oddly not uncommon in L&L.

Creative Projection Design by Kylee Loera and Brian Staton is a wall of books and records (to which photos are added as appropriate) which changes in color and texture aligning with each song.

“Man in Chair” from The Drowsy Chaperone is used with special permission
Unless otherwise noted, all Music is by Richard Rodgers

Photos by Richard Termine
Opening: Mikaela Bennett, Omar Lopez-Cepero, Katie Mariko Murray, Eddie Cooper, Kerstin Anderson

Lyrics & Lyricists presents
Cockeyed Optimist: Where Hammerstein Found His Hope
Dick Scanlan and Malcolm Gets- Co-writers
Dick Scanlan- Director
Joey Chancey- Arrangements/Piano/Music direction
Richard Stafford- Choreographer

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