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Alan Jay Lerner wrote the lyrics for some of the most beloved musicals in Broadway and Hollywood history. Most notably, with composer Frederick Loewe he created enduring hits such as My Fair Lady, Gigi, Camelot, and Brigadoon. In The Complete Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner, editors and annotators Dominic McHugh and Amy Asch bring all of Lerner's lyrics together for the first time, including numerous draft or alternate versions and songs cut from the shows. Compiled from dozens of archival collections, this invaluable resource and authoritative reference includes both Lerner's classic works and numerous discoveries, including his unproduced MGM movie Huckleberry Finn, selections from his college musicals, and lyrics from three different versions of Paint Your Wagon. This collection also includes extensive material from Lerner's two most ambitious musicals: Love Life, to music by Kurt Weill, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which Lerner wrote with Leonard Bernstein.
List of contents
- Contents
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Chronology
- Acknowledgements
- 1. Lerner Before Broadway
- 2. What's Up (1943)
- 3. The Day Before Spring (1945)
- 4. Brigadoon (1947)
- 5. Love Life (1948)
- 6. Royal Wedding (1951)
- 7. Paint Your Wagon (1951)
- 8. Huckleberry Finn (1951-53, unproduced)
- 9. My Fair Lady (1956)
- 10. Gigi (1958)
- 11. Camelot (1960)
- 12. On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1965)
- 13. Coco (1969)
- 14. Lolita, My Love (1971)
- 15. The Little Prince (1974)
- 16. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue (1976)
- 17. Carmelina (1978)
- 18. Dance a Little Closer (1983)
- 19. My Man Godfrey (1984-85, unproduced) and Miscellaneous
- Bibliography
- Index and Copyright notices
About the author
Dominic McHugh is Senior Lecturer in musicology and Director of performance at the University of Sheffield. His publications include the books Loverly: The Life and Times of My Fair Lady (2012) and Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters (2014). He has appeared on BBC TV and radio numerous times, and has acted as a consulted to the Sydney Opera House's production of My Fair Lady, directed by Julie Andrews.
Amy Asch is a musical theatre researcher and archivist. She compiled and annotated The Complete Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein II (2008) and has done projects for the estate of Irving Berlin, estate of Jonathan Larson (Rent), Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization, and the Library of Congress. She is a longtime employee of Playbill and lives in New York.
Summary
In his nearly half-century long career, Alan Jay Lerner wrote the lyrics for some of the most beloved musicals in Broadway and Hollywood history. Most notably, with composer Frederick Loewe he worked on the record-breaking My Fair Lady, which won numerous Tony Awards and was adapted into an Academy Award-winning film. In The Complete Lyrics of Alan Jay Lerner, editors and annotators Dominic McHugh and Amy Asch weave together dozens of archival collections to form an invaluable resource. Alongside classic works from My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Gigi, numerous discoveries are published here for the first time, including Lerner's unproduced MGM movie Huckleberry Finn, selections from his college shows, and lyrics from three different versions of Paint Your Wagon. This collection also includes many surviving songs from Lerner's two most ambitious musicals: Love Life, to music by Kurt Weill, and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, which Lerner wrote with Leonard Bernstein.
Through expert commentary, McHugh and Asch bring to life the stories behind much of Lerner's oeuvre, while also providing alternative or draft versions of his work. For the theater lover and scholar alike, this book sheds new light on one of the Golden Age's defining figures.
Additional text
Summing Up: Recommended. Researchers, faculty, and professionals; general readers.
