Recent Listening: Juno
I’ve been listening to a lot of musicals lately as I convert vinyl to mp3. If most of my “reviews” seem positive, it’s because I write about shows I think are worth writing about.
Juno closed after 16 performances in 1959. I like it.
Marc Blitzstein, the composer, is remembered principally for one song: the English translation of Brecht / Weill’s "Die Moritat von Mackie Messer." It was a big hit for Bobby Darin, and the Blitzstein/Lenya Broadway revival of Die Dreigroschenoper made that show famous to Americans. This is only relevant here because it’s a reminder of Weill’s influence on him. His better known works make him seem like an American Kurt Weill.
In recent years, Blitzstein has become better known for The Cradle Will Rock and No for an Answer. Cradle Will Rock is remembered not so much for itself as the circumstances of its first performance. A few years ago John and I saw a production of it at the University of Michigan. Performed as it was in 1937. Yes, they made us walk to the theater - luckily it wasn’t 20 blocks.
Like Brecht and Weill, Blitzstein was a leftist - he believed in social causes, and wrote musicals about them. Cradle and Answer were pro-union stories about the struggles of the working class.
So it’s no surprise that that Juno (remember Juno?) is set in Dublin of the ‘20s and involves the IRA. The source material was by Sean O'Casey.
The songs are very good, and drip with Pure Irishness. Without having read the libretto, it’s evident the show is based on strong characters, which the songs illustrate vividly. The original cast starred Shirley Booth as Juno Boyle and Melvyn Douglas as Captain Boyle. They both act their songs, more than they sing them. Douglas couldn’t carry a tune to save his life; he speaks his songs, kind of like Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, but without as much musical flair. But his and Booth’s characters are so strong that you don’t especially notice.
Blitzstein’s words and music matured greatly in 32 years. He shows a great gift for turn of phrase that makes character conversations into lyrics (“Daarlin' Man” and “Old Sayin's”). Blitzstein’s music is dramatic, less coarse, more subtle, more polished than Cradle. It uses a full orchestra, while Cradle is performed with a lone piano.