Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters (50 page)

        
Nevertheless, by sheer craftsmanship instead of creation, I will attempt to bring the surrounding story more into a relationship with the one on stage by making the lady a widow and by rewriting some of the incidents in her life so that they mirror the action on stage. In so doing let me state that in my opinion it will not improve the work and my total effort will be to see that it impairs it as little as possible.

        
What matters in
The Merry Widow
is the score. As Robby Lantz
²⁶
pointed out, no one ever comes out of the theatre whistling the plot. Although I am fully aware that rewriting was always necessary, once a director is involved, rewriting to preserve something that time has proven to be unworkable is not a task I look forward to with any inspirational glee. Nevertheless, it shall be done and God help us all.

Sincerely,

Alan Jay Lerner

If the references to his “credentials” and “craftsmanship” seem a little pompous, surely Lerner was justified in being so annoyed. As a young writer at MGM,
he had been treated with respect and his creativity had been nourished. Now, the atmosphere of the film industry had turned from art to business and he was expected to respond to demands, in spite of being a long-established, Academy Award–winning screenwriter.

    
With all this simmering in the background, Lerner was also hard at work on
Dance a Little Closer
, the musical he was writing with Charles Strouse. Though the idea dated back to sometime in 1979, the show was announced in May 1981. Lerner admitted, “There is not much to say at this stage of the game—except that we’re doing it, and love it and are optimistic.”
²⁷
It was to be based on Robert Sherwood’s 1936 play
Idiot’s Delight
and was intended as a vehicle for Liz Robertson, whom Lerner had married in August.
²⁸
On the same day, the Harrison revival of
Fair Lady
opened on Broadway. In spite of some reservations about the production and performances, the critics concluded that “they simply do not write shows like this anymore.”
²⁹

    
Though Lerner was heavily involved in the production of
Closer
, the official producer was to be Frederick Brisson, who had helmed
Coco
for Lerner. Nobody else had yet signed on to the show. Therefore, when Lerner read a news item about a possible creative team and casting gossip in
Variety
, he wrote to encourage Brisson to keep as quiet as possible about the production for the time being:

    
To Frederick Brisson

    
November 30, 1981

    
Dear Freddie,

    
I noticed a story in Variety about
Idiot’s Delight
which included the names of both Herb Ross
³⁰
and Twyla Tharp.
³¹
Even James Coburn’s
³²
name snuck in.

        
I feel very strongly that as much as is possible we should keep the publicity under wraps, and only publicize the facts when
they become facts. As you know, Twyla Tharp, who, incidentally, impressed Charles and me very much indeed, also wants to direct as well as choreograph. Whether she should or not is unimportant at this moment, but we did tell her that we would not be showing the play to anyone else until we meet again on February 8th, and she is given the complete first Act to read. If her enthusiasm is such that she becomes involved emotionally with the project, it will be easier at that time to discuss what her function will actually be. But I certainly don’t want to seem like a liar when I tell her no one else has seen the play until that date.

        
Neither Charles nor I said anything about James Coburn, but I believe he has been telling people about it, which is his business, I suppose. If the press at any time ask any of us about it, I think we should merely tell the truth, which is that there has been a discussion with him but that nothing is definite.

        
As of this moment, all that I know to be true is that Charles Strouse and I are writing it, you are producing it and Liz Robertson will be the leading lady—whether it be done in America first or in England. The truth of the matter is I would probably not have written the play in the first place if it hadn’t been for my desire to write a vehicle for Liz, whose talents, as you will see from her television show, are vast and varied. In fact, and I say this quite objectively, I don’t know anyone on either side of the ocean who can do everything from operetta to raunchy pop the way she can.

        
Charles and I finished another song while I was in New York, which makes seven so far. My plan at the moment is to be back in New York mid-January for a month, and then Charles will return to London with me for a month mid-February.

        
It was good talking to you and I look forward to seeing you a week from Thursday, which turns out to be December 10th.

Fondly,

Alan

    
Meanwhile, the problems with
The Merry Widow
continued. The more time went on, the more Lerner was being pressured into returning the operetta to its original state. Yet his intention had always been to create a new scenario with the songs interspersed as comments on the action rather than presented as part of the story. Spending January working on
Dance a Little Closer
, Lerner then returned to London in February, reread his script, and wrote to the film’s producers to give them his feelings on the project:

    
To Terry Pritchard and F. Marks

    
February 9, 1982

    
Dear Chaps,

    
This seems to be a propitious moment to go on record about what’s happening to
The Merry Widow
, both from a script and casting point of view. I would like to remind everyone that in the beginning we had a rather tight script that most certainly needed work, but nevertheless had a kind of integrity—if I may sound pompous for a moment—and a conception. To put it succinctly, my conception was that the story that revolved around
The Merry Widow
should be bitter-sweet and be designed so that at the climax of the film, hopefully, the audience would be moved to tears. The gaiety would be provided by the lyrics and, of course, the music on the stage. But my contribution would be the lyrics, i.e. to keep them gay and bright and amusing. The gayer and brighter the music and lyrics are, the more touching and moving would be the end of the play. I never once thought of this as a “delightful” evening at the cinema. My ambition was for it to be exciting, beautiful and moving. Moving, moving, moving!

        
I re-read the script the other day and I found it wandering far from what I hoped it to be. For example, I think “Vilia” appearing near the end of the film is infinitely sentimental and deprives the end of its sentiment. Something gay should be happening on stage.

        
I don’t think it is possible for anyone to see what I mean until the lyrics are written. Therefore, it becomes necessary for everybody to take it on good faith. I have just been through an experience with “Idiot’s Delight” in which—no matter what the ultimate result of the work might be—the question arose whether or not it was a truly romantic story. I kept saying nobody could tell that until the songs that revealed the people were written. Why write in dialogue what I intend to do in verse? Since the addition of four new songs, suddenly, from somewhere, everybody now thinks it’s a terribly romantic play. Why? Because two songs in the first Act make you cry and are deeply revealing of the two leading people. I think it is clear why I mention this in connection with the change that will occur in
The Merry Widow
when the lyrics are written.

        
Robby [Lantz] has reported to me that Baryshnikov is now being considered for the Baron. How the Baron is going to dance has contorted me into a Rubic cube of confusion. On the other hand, I agree
that the part written for him is inadequate. Whether or not it can be strengthened I don’t know until I try, but it certainly seems to me that the spinning of an interweaving set of love stories could stand the addition of one more explored a little more deeply and dramatically.

        
Finally—and this I know if I know nothing else—the lady who plays the Widow has to be a singer. Elizabeth Taylor would be a farce. The fact that Audrey Hepburn was dubbed in
My Fair Lady
literally finished her career and did the picture no good at all. As far as I can tell these days, it is the picture and the writing that make the star and not the other way around. Barbra Streisand has had her share of flops and so have Clint Eastwood
³³
and Burt Reynolds.
³⁴
To start making concessions to the bankers at this stage is to embark on the road to disaster.

        
Perhaps because I have been away from everyone for a few weeks, I have the feeling that the project is becoming splintered in some strange way and the original intention is getting lost—at least the original intention as I understood it and wrote it.

        
I will be returning to London within the next ten days and my intention is to go to work immediately on the lyrics so pre-recording can begin in April as advertised—providing, I assume, we have a leading lady, whoever she is, and as much as I admire her, I sure don’t think Elizabeth Taylor is it. Nor, if I may be forgiven the repetition, do I think lightening up the picture into some kind of Hungarian comedy is the way this picture should end. I would like to see floods of tears and the audience swimming up the aisle when the picture ends. There is no catharsis like it and to be strictly commercial, there is no surer way to have a hit. Believe me, if Ali McGraw had recovered from leukemia or if Eliza had married Freddie in
My Fair Lady
, the eight song hits in that show would hardly have been worth it, and
Love Story
would have been Marcus Welby.

        
Having said my piece, I will now withdraw into my cocoon, but before I do so I send you both all my affection.

Aye,

Alan Jay Lerner

After further work on the script, the project was temporarily abandoned because the estates and producers would not agree with Lerner’s approach.

    
It hardly mattered, though, because he had plenty of work left to do with Charles Strouse on
Dance a Little Closer
. In mid-February, they agreed that Lerner would direct the show, thereby making his official Broadway directing debut. “Someone has to look down the road to see what the play should be,” he commented, “and I think I have that vision.”
³⁵
He also gave new versions of his “Lyrics and Lyricists” talk about his work from time to time, for example at Winfield House on February 25, for the US ambassador to Great Britain.
³⁶
Liz Robertson sang a number of his songs, and they performed “I Remember It Well” together. In March, while working on the new show, Lerner wrote to Richard Burton to ask him to appear as a guest in one of Robertson’s cabaret performances at the Duke of York’s Theatre in April:

    
To Richard Burton

    
March 8, 1982

    
Dear Richard,

    
I couldn’t help but see your picture in the paper last weekend and it did my heart good to see you looking so much better. My God, what a rough year you had!

        
Will you be coming back through London again in the near future? If you are, I have a question—or call it a favour—to put to you. I know how you hate the telephone, so I am writing to you instead.

        
When Liz was down in Chichester last summer, she did a one-woman show on a Sunday night which was so successful she had to give two more performances. As a result, she has been asked to bring it to London and do it at the Duke of York’s, starting Sunday night April 18th, as a sort of cabaret, i.e. late Saturday night from 11 to 12.30 a.m. and Sunday evening at 8 p.m. At each performance various chums, like Placido Domingo, Vera Lynn
³⁷
and Harry Secombe,
³⁸
are going to appear with her (one at a time). If, by chance, you
are
going to be in London, would you consider coming on and perhaps doing “Camelot”? Or “How to Handle”—or whatever? It would all be very informal and hopefully good fun. If it will not be possible, or if the whole idea makes
you look longingly at the canal, you don’t even have to bother answering this letter. And God knows there will be no love lost. If, on the other hand, it might entice you, you, or somebody on your behalf, can reach me here in London.

        
No matter what, if you do come through London we would love to see you—even for a quick moment.

        
I have been back and forth from America several times because of the new show, which seems to be coming along very well. I successfully avoided seeing
Camelot
. The Irishman,
³⁹
against all persuasion, insisted upon bringing it back to New York. With the memory of your performance still fresh in everybody’s mind, after a few staggering weeks he took to the hinterlands again. It’s still playing somewhere, but I haven’t bothered to look. The last thing I heard was that they arrived in Buffalo on the night of the biggest blizzard in ten years.

        
Wagner
⁴⁰
sounds absolutely wonderful and I hope you’re enjoying it. At least you get to go to Venice.

        
Do take care of yourself and whether I hear from you or not, my affection follows you.

Aye,

Alan

More than 20 years on from the original
Camelot
, Lerner’s affection for Burton, and his reverence for his talent, remained very high.