| Do I Hear a Waltz? | |
|---|---|
 Original Broadway Cast Album | |
| Music | Richard Rodgers |
| Lyrics | Stephen Sondheim |
| Book | Arthur Laurents |
| Basis | The Time of the Cuckoo by Arthur Laurents |
| Productions | 1965Broadway 1999New Brunswick, New Jersey 2001Pasadena, California 2016Encores! |
Do I Hear a Waltz? is amusical with a book byArthur Laurents, music byRichard Rodgers, and lyrics byStephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 playThe Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 filmSummertime starringKatharine Hepburn.
Laurents originally conceived the production as a smallchamber musical with music byRichard Rodgers, lyrics byOscar Hammerstein, andMary Martin in the lead role of spinster Leona Samish.[1] By the time the project began to jell, however, Hammerstein had died, andStephen Sondheim was asked by Laurents andMary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers' daughter, to write the lyrics. Even so, Rodgers felt that the original play did not lend itself to musicalization; Sondheim agreed.[2] According to Peter Filichia, "Sondheim didn't want to do the musical in the first place, but given that Laurents sought him – and had recommended him for 'West Side Story' when he was a novice — he accepted. Also a factor was that his now-deceased mentor Oscar Hammerstein had recommended that he succeed him as Rodgers' lyricist."[3]
Rodgers, who was producing theBroadway production, rejected Martin as too old for Leona.
Franco Zeffirelli was the first choice for director, and he met with Laurents, Sondheim, and Rodgers, who fell asleep during their discussion. Laurents suspected Rodgers had been drinking, and when he discovered a bottle ofvodka secreted in the toilet tank during a later visit to the Rodgers apartment, he realized he had been correct. The composer's chronic drinking proved to be a major problem throughout the rehearsal period and pre-Broadway run at theColonial Theatre inBoston and theShubert Theatre inNew Haven.[4]
Laurents suggested thatJohn Dexter direct the show, but later regretted the choice. Dexter insisted on giving the lead role of Leona toElizabeth Allen, who Laurents felt could manage the acting and singing but had a cold personality too contrary to that of the character. Rodgers' mistreatment of Sondheim left the lyricist feeling apathetic if not outright sour about the project, but he maintained his professionalism. The first run-through was disastrous, and Dexter immediately lost interest, leaving most of the work to his assistant-choreographerWakefield Poole.Herbert Ross was called in to work on the dance routines and brought with him his wifeNora Kaye, who served as a mediator among the warring factions. She was faced with an arduous task, given Rodgers' open dismissal of Sondheim's lyrics as "shit," as well as his eventual ban of Laurents from rehearsals completely.[5]
New York City secretary Leona Samish arrives inVenice ("Someone Woke Up"), where she is staying at the Pensione Fioria, where she is greeted by owner Fioria ("This Week Americans"). There she meets Americans Eddie and Jennifer Yaeger, who are living inRome and have come to Venice for a vacation, and the McIlhennys, an older couple on a package tour ("What Do We Do? We Fly!").
While shopping, Leona sees a ruby glass goblet in a store window and goes inside to inspect it. The owner, Renato di Rossi, tells her it is an authentic 18th-century piece, not a reproduction. He offers not only to find her a matching glass to make up a pair, but to show her the sights of the city, as well. Leona refuses his offer and leaves, but returns the next day to buy the goblet. Later that day, a package with a second goblet is delivered to the hotel. Soon after, Renato arrives to invite Leona to join him for coffee inPiazza San Marco that evening. When the McIlhennys show her their purchase of a set of glasses exactly like hers, Leona believes Renato misrepresented their value, but Signora Fioria assures her they areantiques.
Later in the day, Renato's son Vito comes to tell Leona that Renato will be late for their meeting because one of his children is ill and needs to see a doctor. Realizing Renato is married, she cancels their rendezvous. He comes to the pensione and explains he and his wife have not loved each other for years but divorce is not an option, not only because the country does not permit it, but because they have their children to consider as well. To Leona, his casual attitude about extramarital affairs is wrong, but she still finds herself attracted to him, and agrees to keep their date.
Meanwhile, the Yaegers are facing problems of their own. Eddie, finding himself enamoured with Signora Fioria, announces he wants to put distance between himself and the woman by returning to the United States.
Renato arrives with agarnet necklace for Leona, who is thrilled with his gift and agrees to extend her stay in Venice. She hosts a party in the garden of the pensione, and as the party is in progress, Renato's son Vito comes to tell his father that the jeweler wants his money; overhearing this, Leona happily gives him the money. However, when she discovers Renato has received a commission on the sale of the necklace, she accuses him of being interested only in her money, and he leaves.
Fioria and Jennifer attempt to comfort Leona, who drunkenly reveals Eddie and Fioria spent the previous evening together, only to immediately regret her words ("Everyone Loves Leona"). The following day both the Yaegers and the McIlhennys check out of the pensione as Fioria is happy that everyone is leaving and making way for the next group of guests ("Last Week Americans"). On hearing Renato had been there before she awoke, Leona goes to his store to make amends, but he tells her a relationship with her would be impossible because of her complicated outlook on life. His affection for her is gone, and they part as friends ("Thank You So Much").
| Character | Broadway (1965)[6] | George Street Playhouse (1999)[7] | Pasadena Playhouse (2001)[8] | Encores! (2016)[9] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leona Samish | Elizabeth Allen | Penny Fuller | Alyson Reed | Melissa Errico |
| Renato de Rossi | Sergio Franchi | Charles Cioffi | Anthony Crivello | Richard Troxell |
| Signora Fiora | Carol Bruce | Lynn Cohen | Carol Lawrence | Karen Ziemba |
| Mrs. McIlhenny | Madeleine Sherwood | Luce Ennis | Elmarie Wendel | Nancy Opel |
| Mr. McIlhenny | Jack Manning | Robert Levine | Jack Riley | Richard Poe |
| Eddie Yaeger | Stuart Damon | Todd Gearhart | Benjamin Sprunger | Claybourne Elder |
| Jennifer Yaeger | Julienne Marie | Anna Belknap | Annie Wersching | Sarah Hunt |
| Giovanna | Fleury D'Antonakis | Carla Bianco | Tina Gasbarra | Sarah Stiles |
| Vito | James Dybas | Nick Potenzieri | Nino Del Prete | Michael Rosen |
| Mauro | Christopher Votos | Nicholas Cutro | Eddy Martin | Zachary Infante |
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The musical opened on Broadway on March 18, 1965, at the46th Street Theatre and closed on September 25, 1965, after 220 performances. Choreography was byHerbert Ross, with scenery and costumes by Beni Montresor and lighting byJules Fisher.[11][12]
Laurents rued the casting - he felt Allen was too young and colorless and Franchi couldn't act - and ignored all the ongoing problems in favor of making his dream a reality, but most of all he regretted the break in his friendship with Sondheim after the show.[13]
The musical received three nominations for theTony Awards: Elizabeth Allen was nominated for theTony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical; nominated forBest Original Score; and nominated forBest Scenic Design, but lost in all three categories.
In May 1966,Do I Hear a Waltz? made its regional theatrical debut at thePabst Theater inMilwaukee (Wisconsin):Dorothy Collins as Leona led a cast which also includedRon Holgate (Collins' husband) as Renato,Joel Fabiani as Eddie Yaeger.[14] The production encored at thePaper Mill Playhouse in May–June 1966.[15][16] Also in the summer of 1966Do I Hear a Waltz made its West Coast premiere, withAnne Jeffreys as Leona leading theValley Music Theater production in whichRichard Torigi played Renato and Fleury D'Antonakis again played Giovanna.[17]
Dorothy Collins would reprise her role of Leona in the summer of 1967 whenDo I Hear a Waltz? was presented by the St. Louis Municipal Opera, with a cast also including Fleury D'Antonakis (reprising her Broadway role as Giovanna),Clifford David (Eddie Yaeger),Enzo Stuarti (Renato),Monique van Vooren (Fioria) andKarin Wolfe (Jennifer Yaeger).[18] With Holgate encoring as Renato opposite Collins as Leona, the production was scheduled for two subsequentBoston-area engagements ofDo I Hear a Waltz? that summer: however Collins' maternity leave mandatedJulia Meade instead headlining those two engagements opposite Holgate.[19] Also in the summer of 1967 Monique van Vooren encored as Fioria in theKenley Players ofDayton (Ohio) production ofDo I Hear a Waltz? which starredAnita Bryant as Leona and featuredDon Amendolia as Vito (Carol Bruce had originally been announced as encoring her Broadway role of Fioria for Kenley Players).[20]
A 1969 production starringPatricia Morison as Leona,Mitchell Gregg as Renato,Ken Gilman as Eddie Yeager andDennis Grimaldi as Vito.
In the summer of 1972 Ronald Holgate again encored as Renato in a tour ofDo I Hear a Waltz? withPatrice Munsel headlining as Leona: also in the cast wereRichard Kline (Eddie Yaeger) andDenise Lor (Fioria).[21]
In March 1975Rosalind Harris starred as Leona in a revival ofDo I Hear a Waltz? by theEquity Library Theatre of theNew York [City] Public Library whose cast also includedMelanie Chartoff (Jennifer Yaeger) andBarbara Lea (Fioria).[22]
In 1997, Sondheim was sent a recording of a concert version ofDo I Hear a Waltz? that had been presented in London. It was then he realized the original play did lend itself to musical adaptation, but the score Rodgers composed wasn't very good. He enthusiastically contacted Laurents and the two discussed changes that could be made to improve the show.[23]
A revised production was staged at theGeorge Street Playhouse,New Brunswick, New Jersey from October 13, 1999, through November 14, 1999. For this production the dropped song "Everybody Loves Leona" was restored, lyrics were altered or added, and Laurents "revamped quite a bit of the book."[24][25]
A 2001 revival of the musical was staged at thePasadena Playhouse, Pasadena, California, where it ran from July 15 through August 19. The production was well received by the critics, and a cast recording was subsequently released on the Fynsworth Alley label.[26]
In 2003, theLandor Theatre in London staged the musical[27] and in March 2014, Charles Court Opera further revived the show atPark Theatre inFinsbury Park.[28][29]
The musical was presented byEncores! atNew York City Center in May 2016. It was directed by Evan Cabnet.[30][31][32][33]
The42nd Street Moon company ofSan Francisco has mounted two revivals ofDo I Hear a Waltz?, the first in 1998 withDarren Criss as Mauro, the second in 2014 withEmily Skinner as Leona.[34]
The original production received mixed reviews.Howard Taubman ofThe New York Times observed,
William Ruhlmann wrote:
The production did not recoup its investment, but several songs, including the title song, received radio play. RCA released a single[37] of two of the songs recorded bySergio Franchi ("Someone Like You" and "Take the Moment"); and he sang them on several televised shows. Franchi generally received excellent reviews of his singing performance on this show, his Broadway debut.[35]
With the passage of time, Sondheim, the longest surviving member of the original creative team, reflected on what went wrong withDo I Hear a Waltz? To begin with, his reasons for collaborating with Rodgers were prompted out of obligations to others rather than a belief in the material. In his final meeting with Hammerstein, the dying lyricist recommended that Sondheim collaborate with Rodgers. Additionally, Mary Rodgers (the composer's daughter) was a good friend of Sondheim and forcefully urged him to consider a collaboration.[38]
In getting to know Rodgers, Sondheim found a "funny, dour, difficult fellow" who was plagued with self-doubt, thinking that his musical abilities were failing him.[38] This manifested itself in the composer's adamant unwillingness to consider rewriting anything. Sondheim considered "What Do We Do? We Fly" and "Bargaining" to be repetitive songs – victims of the lack of desire to rewrite, a type of song he named "mechanicals".[38] Sondheim felt that Rodgers need not have been so self-doubting "as songs like 'Take the Moment' and the show's title tune attest." Eventually Rodgers' self-doubt grew into paranoia, with Rodgers thinking that Sondheim and Arthur Laurents were plotting against him.
Optimistic at a chance to do something unusual, Sondheim thought that Leona – the lonely and uptight American – should not sing until the end of the show. Rodgers refused to consider such an innovation, bringing Sondheim to recognize that in the Rodgers and Hammerstein collaboration, it was Hammerstein that was the path breaker, because Rodgers was an "archconservative", whose innovations were restricted to superficial gimmicks (for example, no string instruments inNo Strings).[38] Sondheim felt that Rodgers was not able to write a story in song so he ended up writing many of the lyrics first. Unlike his other partnerships in which composers responded with a collaborative give-and-take between lyrics and music, Sondheim felt that working with Rodgers was like "a set of assignments, either from me to Rodgers or Rodgers to me."[38]
One particular incident involved an infamous lyric change referring to a married couple in the song "We're Gonna Be All-Right". Sondheim's lyrics for the song tended to lean toward a more cynical view of marriage and his suggestion that the husband and wife might find consolation by having separate affairs, even a homosexual one, was quite revolutionary for 1965. He recalls, "I wrote lyrics which had some bite to them, and Dick Rodgers thought the song was wonderful. Next day he called a lunch and kept slamming the lyrics against my forearm and saying, 'This will not do, this will not do', and I kept asking, 'Why?' The truth was, he'd shown the lyrics to his wife and she did not like it. He probably showed it to her out of enthusiasm. But you know, it's got stuff about sexuality in it."[39]
Ultimately Sondheim understood the failure ofDo I Hear a Waltz? in the context of Mary Rodgers's formulation of what she called a "why? musical". Such a musical is usually based on good source material but raises the question as to what the addition of music does to enhance the original. With rare exceptions (Sondheim citedMy Fair Lady as such an exception, because its creators loved and respected the story) "why? musicals" gain nothing from having music added, usually resulting in a dilution of the original material. Sondheim accepted responsibility for being naive: Thinking that his participation inDo I Hear a Waltz? was a quick way to make money off of good source material – an effort that failed.[38]
Theoriginal cast recording was released byColumbia Records in 1965, and was chosen byBillboard as an Original Cast Spotlight Album.[40] A remastered version was released on compact disc and cassette tape bySony Broadway in 1992. A KeelanMusic review gives a very favorable review to the Original Cast recordings, irrespective of the Broadway criticisms.[41]
The 13 March 1975 performance of the 1975 Equity Library production was recorded on audiocassette and is held in the Equity Library Theatre collection.[22]
A recording of the Pasadena Playhouse production was released byFynsworth Alley in 2001. Musical excerpts (not included on the original cast recording) include the overture, Lezione in Inglese, We're Going to the Lido, Everybody Loves Leona.[42]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Tony Award | Best Original Score | Richard Rodgers andStephen Sondheim | Nominated |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Elizabeth Allen | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenic Design | Beni Montresor | Nominated |
