Sondheim’s smother-mothers and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s flawed fathers
How the Broadway legends composed contrasting "stage parents"
Shalom, Broadway lovers!
In today’s FREE Premium edition of MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast: an essay with a fresh interpretation of Sondheim, Rodgers, and Hammerstein; links to a new “Broadway Scores” series; a Broadway Blast about Cabaret; a Piano Talk about City of Angels; a Broadway Blast about Legally Blonde; a survey about a possible second newsletter; and a Last Blast about The Producers.
If I loved you, indeed.
Some of Broadway’s best theatermakers have birthed some of the worst onstage parents.
Take your pick from an array of dubious caregivers: the pushy and driven Madame Rose from Gypsy, violent Billy Bigelow from Carousel, the cruel Witch of Into the Woods, stern Captain von Trapp from The Sound of Music, Domina's overbearing presence in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and the imperious monarch in The King and I.
But look at the list again. While Sondheim often penned miserable Moms, the difficult Dads in question tend to come from Rodgers & Hammerstein. It’s unmistakable.
Two less celebrated Sondheim mothers are also relevant here. The Shogun’s mother from Pacific Overtures literally poisons him when he refuses to respond to the challenge of Western ships off the coast of Japan. And in Road Show, Mama Mizner, despite being taken care of by her older son Addison, dotes on her absent and profligate younger son, Wilson.
Among Rodgers & Hammerstein’s men, Emile De Becque in South Pacific appears to be so uninterested in the well-being of his two children that when he is asked to go on a spy mission, he refuses – not because of his parental duties but because he’s in love with Nellie. And Cinderella’s misery in their version, of course, arises from her father’s complete absence (he’s died) and the wicked stepmother he leaves behind.
What gives? Here are three ways to understand the differences:
• Biographies of the composers/lyricists. The easiest – though most reductive – way to explain the difference is through historical facts like Sondheim’s mother Foxy telling him she regretted having him, or the early death of Oscar Hammerstein’s impresario father.
• Time in which the musicals were written. In the 1940s and 1950s, when Rodgers & Hammerstein were creating their musicals, traditional family structures and roles were highly valorized, but also beginning to be questioned. By the 1960s onward, when Sondheim did most of his work, gender roles were shifting. That may have liberated him to look at family dynamics in a more flexible way.
• Narrative strategies and thematic preoccupations of the writers. Sondheim’s works lean toward psychologically complex landscapes, exploring nuanced and sometimes dark facets of human relationships and individual psyches. Given the key role Moms play in psychological development, Sondheim may have just found more fertile ground with female parents for finding emotional depth. In contrast, Rodgers & Hammerstein's major musicals embody more traditional storytelling modes. Their portrayal of father figures might stem from the archetypal roles fathers have played historically in narratives: as providers, authority figures, or distant patriarchs.
Finally, here’s a speculative but plausible way of explaining the divergence: we know that Oscar Hammerstein acted as a mentor and father figure for Sondheim. Maybe that was a way of showing he wasn’t like the fathers he fathered on stage, and maybe that’s why Sondheim’s repertoire contains far fewer monster Dads than monster Moms.
Which seem more believable to you: Sondheim’s Moms or the Rodgers & Hammerstein Dads? Which are more compelling? Explain why below.
NEW FEATURE: The Broadway Maven YouTube Channel now has a new series of five-minute videos with fresh interpretations of easy-to-miss details from the best Broadway shows. So far the following have been published:
• “Oh, what a beautiful musical! Why OKLAHOMA! scores
• Matchless: Why FIDDLER ON THE ROOF scores
• Something Good: Why WEST SIDE STORY scores
• “See That Girl, Watch That Scene”: Why MAMMA MIA! scores
BROADWAY BLAST: The reprise of the opening number “Willkommen” that comes at the finale of Cabaret ends in a jarring send-off. Whereas the Emcee’s introductory phrases were recited in German, French and English (hence willkommen, bienvenue, welcome) the farewell is only in German (auf wiedershen) and French (à bientôt), the implied “goodbye” is never pronounced. Perhaps that’s because the creators of the show (director Hal Prince, composer John Kander, lyricist Fred Ebb, and book writer Joe Masteroff) were not only English speakers, but American Jews as well. They knew that the German and French phrases mean “see you later,” but that for people like them there would be no “see you later” in Nazi Germany. So the show ends in silence.
PIANO TALK: Here, Mateo analyzes the way the lyrics in the clever “Tennis Song” from City of Angels works with the music.
BROADWAY BLAST: The sorority in Legally Blonde is far more than a symbol of perky blandness/blondness. It is the essential resource Elle Woods uses three times to help win the Windham case. First, she uses the value of sisterhood with Delta Nu members to bond with client Brooke Windham, a key moment for the legal team, which the defendant did not trust. Then, she tries a “bend and snap” move she learned from her sisters who cheerlead to discover a witness’s sexuality in a way that undermines his testimony. Finally, her sorority-valued knowledge of hair maintenance helps her expose Chutney Windham under cross-examination. Elle does not allow her Greek-life background to hinder her but instead draws from it as a strength. And what does the name of the sorority symbolize? Well, Delta means “change” and nu represents both the refreshing impact she has on the legal profession and the way it rejuvenates her own personal identity.
PAID STUDENT SEMINAR: Congratulations to Ella Shaul, who joins Ben Kaplan and Sheva Schwartz as inaugural Maven Scholars. Ella lives in London and is studying musical theater. Several spots are still open for this program for students 16-26, which involves an eight-week course in music theory and history Sundays in April and May. Successful participants receive $500, four invitations to Broadway shows, and a certificate of achievement. More information and the application are available at http://broadwaymaven.com/student-seminar. If you have questions, hit reply to this newsletter.
Sunday’s Evita class ($9) is part of our Andrew Lloyd Webber series. ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay.
Great news! Two of Broadway’s most accomplished young composer-lyricists are visiting the Broadway Maven in the next month. Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen) will be our guest March 25, and Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) will join us April 1. Both classes are at Noon ET. ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up. FREE.
EXCITING NEW CLASS: For the first time, The Broadway Maven will present an advanced course on Broadway Music Theory and Broadway history. Taught by both Broadway Maven David Benkof and music educator Mateo Chavez Lewis, this class will delve deep into Broadway’s mechanics and its past. $69 Early Bird rate through March 22 (save $20).
ALL ACCESS PASS: The Broadway Maven will host at least 50 more classes between now and the end of the year, and you can attend them all without registering or paying individually by purchasing a 2024 ALL-ACCESS Pass. Passholders get automatic registration for all free and paid classes (just show up!), fee waived for all tuition-based classes; Premium subscription to MARQUEE: The Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast (a $36 value); Full access to the Archive (a $100 value); and five exclusive Passholder experiences (bonus classes, guests, watch parties, etc.). $225 covers everything for 2024.
Note: links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
• Sunday, March 10 Noon ET: Evita $9
• Tuesday, March 12 Noon ET: Sondheim Academy Act Two (James Lapine shows) registration closed
• Sunday, March 17 Noon ET: CATS $9
• Tuesday, March 19 Noon ET: Sondheim Academy Act Two (lesser-known Sondheim) registration closed
• Sunday, March 24 Noon ET: Lesser-known Lloyd Webber $9
• Monday, March 25 Noon ET: Dear Evan Hansen with Tony winner Justin Paul. FREE
• Tuesday, March 26 Noon ET: Sondheim Academy Act Two (21st-century Sondheim) registration closed
• Monday, April 1 Noon ET: A Strange Loop with Pulitzer Prizewinner Michael R. Jackson. FREE
• Sunday, April 7 4 pm ET: History and Harmony: A Broadway MasterClass begins (eight weeks) $69 Early Bird rate by March 22 (save $20)
NOTE: As always, ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not have to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: In The Producers, Mel Brooks hides meaning in several character names. Accountant Leo Bloom begins to blossom once he starts to produce shows, and Max Bialystock’s last name is that of a heavily Jewish city in Eastern Europe, representing his Ashkenazi-inflected comic style. But most notable is “the worst director in town,” Roger DeBris. DeBris is a cross-dressing egomaniac with no sense of proportion and a desire to “keep it gay,” whatever the show is about. His name is a double pun – it’s pronounced “debris,” like the damage he leaves in his wake. More importantly, it’s a dick joke: “bris” is Yiddish for circumcision. It’s classic Mel Brooks, crafting a joke that is more obvious on the page than to the ear. But it’s clear Brooks amuses himself with the reference to a famous Jewish ritual, and that’s enough for the famous funnyman.
Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and MARQUEE: the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.
The surrogate Moms to Bobby in Company are well-intentioned but maddening. Stritch’s Joanne frees him from whatever child-yoke he’s in by challenging him woman to man, not mother to son. In Gypsy, Gypsy finally stands up to her mom. As in most tales, the child must find and follow its own destiny. I don’t find the same kind of struggle with a parent in Hammerstein’s works. Maria’s Mother Superior, for example, is empowering, not dominating. And Emil and Billy, if he could, are determined to take care of their offspring.