Word: allegros
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...Rodgers and Lorenz Hart wrote a light romantic song called "Mountain Greenery." It became their first hit. It was--and still is--a striking tune, and there is something about its rhythm and temp that is characteristic of the dance tunes of the Twenties. So when Rodgers wrote, for "Allegro," a number that spoofed the collegiate concept of dancing in the Twenties, he decided to use the music of "Mountain Greenery" as his theme. Consequently, one of last winter's more popular theatrical wisecracks said that "Mountain Greenery" was the best song in "Allegro...
...which I bring up not because the crack is funny, which it isn't but, because it gets at what seems to be the basic, ghastly faults in "Allegro"--faults that take a lot of the kick out of the show's occasional very brilliant scenes. These faults are, roughly, the righteousness of the plot and the resulting humorlessness of the Big Scenes. They are bad enough in themselves. What is worse, they give Richard Rodgers situations which require all the major songs to be so heavy and and serious that people leave the theater wishing there had been more...
...which I bring upto support a theory of mine that Oscar Hammerstein II ("Allegro's" Creator and Lyricist) has always been bad when he tries to say something deep, and always good when he lets his sense of humor creep in. And in line with this theory, all the scenes that most people appear to like best in "Allegro" are the lighter ones...
...girl who could rope a steer, but not a man, had the feel of a familiar classic. One reason: Theatre Guild scouts had seen that first performance of Rodeo and persuaded Agnes to do the dance numbers for Oklahoma! Then followed One Touch of Venus, Bloomer Girl, Carousel, Brigadoon, Allegro and this year's brilliant ballet, Fall River Legend...
Even a "hit" musical can lose money. Last season's Allegro rolled up an impressive 315 performances but left the Theatre Guild short on an investment of some $300,000. Heaven on Earth is also in the $300,000 class, and still more costly projects lie ahead. Last week, perversely enough, Small Wonder, produced for $24,000 less than its low-budgeted $150,000, was the only new production that seemed to be catching...