| On My Fair Lady vs. Raisin | |
| Posted by: earlybird 06:25 pm EDT 05/09/24 | |
| In reply to: John McWhorter makes the case for RAISIN - ilw 03:54 pm EDT 05/09/24 | |
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| I thought a lot about this when I saw the recent Axelrod Performing Arts Center production in NJ. And I had that same feeling: it's good, and it's a shame that it isn't performed more. But at the same time, it's hard to blame any producer or theatre company for not opting to pay for musicians, a few extra actors, a few extra sets, extra royalties, etc. when you could just do the brilliant, wildly effective original play. Interesting that McWhorter brings up My Fair Lady vs. Pygmalion, because when I saw MFL on Broadway a few years ago, I actually *did* have that issue with it. I'd heard the score for MFL and seen the movie a long time prior, but the recent revival was my first full exposure to the show. And while the score is quite good, I couldn't shake the feeling that the songs weren't adding a whole lot that wasn't already in Shaw's play. And in fact, I found that many of the most beautiful songs felt the least dramatically earned to me. A controversial take, maybe, but I don't dislike the musical. It works quite well overall, and I can see why it's beloved. But I did feel that same awkward tension I felt with Raisin. But aside from the fact that my opinion on MFL is obviously in the minority, I'd also hazard a guess that MFL was able to stand apart from its source better than Raisin did partly because (a) its score had more broad appeal, (b) its lead performances were perhaps more iconic, and (c) there was a larger gap in time between My Fair Lady & Pygmalion than there was between Raisin & A Raisin in the Sun. I also wonder (and this is more of a question -- I actually don't know), if A Raisin in the Sun was more well-known to American audiences than Pygmalion was? |
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