Musical theater as we know it really only began about 150 years ago, and most of the shows that we know and love are less than 60 years old. Even so, there are hundreds, nay thousands of musicals that came, made a modest or possibly better impression, and went, never to be heard from again except by the likes of me and theater historians. Doubtless among these forgotten many are underrated gems, ripe for rediscovery.
Music in the Air isn't one of them. A modest hit in 1932, Music in the Air made a very brief Broadway return in 1951, only to slip into obscurity until the folks at Encores dusted it off for a concert staging this season. The show is not without its minor charms, but despite the respectful treatment that the Encores staff have given it, Music in the Air is a creaky little trifle, bordering on tedious, crafted in a style at least partly obviated by its stellar creators.
Music in the Air was the second show that composer Jerome Kern and librettist and lyricist Oscar Hammerstein created after their seminal Show Boat. One of the great ironies of Hammerstein's career is that he essentially invented the integrated musical play, then seemed to forget how to create one for sixteen years, until he met up with Richard Rodgers.
Music in the Air represents a significant regression in Hammerstein's career. Very few of the songs in the show are sung in character. Most are sung as songs, rather than by people expressing emotions or plot points. The term for this sort of usage is diegesis, which for musical-theater purposes refers to when a song is song as a musical occurrence within the plot, and the characters are aware that they are in fact singing a song. Examples of diagetic songs include "Bill" in Show Boat, or "Do Re Mi" in The Sound of Music. (A tip of the hat to my friend and fellow blogger Kevin at Theatre Aficionado at Large for pointing this out.)
Apparently, Hammerstein wrote Music in the Air as an homage/send-up of operetta, a genre in which he essentially had his musical-theater apprenticeship. The result is very stand-and-sing, with precious few songs that reveal character or progress the story. There's some wonderful Kern music in evidence here, but the catchiest tune, the charming but slight "I've Told Every Little Star," is repeated ad nauseum, as though Kern and Hammerstein knew the only really had one potential hit in the score.
The Encores production was dreadfully dull at first, until Kristen Chenoweth and Douglas Sills made their entrance about half an hour into the show. I'm sure the sudden spark of life stemmed partly from these two wonderful and engaging performers, but the writing at this point in the show suddenly becomes more interesting as well. Less stand-and-sing operetta and more engaging musical sequences. Sills and Chenoweth play a feuding show biz couple, a la Lily and Fred from Kiss Me Kate. In the sequence in which they describe their latest show, Hammerstein pokes gentle fun at the operetta genre, and his writing becomes more layered and three-dimensional.
Hammerstein does employ a number of interesting devices throughout the show, foreshadowing some of the innovations that would characterize his later career. He makes significant use of Sprechstimme during one sequence in the second act, although the intent was inscrutable. The most interesting sequence involved a contrafactum (i.e. two songs with the same melody). The Douglas Sills character has written a waltz called "Night Flies By" for the Kristen Chenoweth character. As he woos the ingenue, played here by Sierra Boggess (The Little Mermaid), he pretends that he has made the song up on the fly, just for her, with a new lyric and the title "One More Dance" The Chenoweth character exposes his lie as they sing the two versions at the same time. An amusing choice on Hammerstein's part. (BTW, rumor has it that Boggess might be playing Christine in the upcoming sequel to Phantom of the Opera. Then maybe someday she'll have the chance to reveal her numerous talents in a real musical.)
The supporting cast for Music in the Air comprised a full complement of seasoned pros, including Dick Latessa and Marni Nixon, both of whom lent an air of class and professionalism to their all-too-brief appearances. A welcome discovery was Ryan Silverman opposite Boggess in the juvenile role, a charming performer with a bright stage presence, a strong voice, and a sure hand with even the creakiest of lines.
Despite my reservations with the show itself, I'm hoping that the Encores cast gets to record the score to Music in the Air, which has never had a real cast album, just a radio broadcast released on CD and an ad hoc compilation of recordings by one Jane Pickens. It would be great to have a first-class recording of this score, if for no other reason than it's Kern and Hammerstein, for frig's sake.
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