The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe ReviewGene Lees extensive biography on both the lives and careers of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe is an OK book overall, with some glaring omissions and strident personal asides keeping it from becoming the definitive look at their lives. The author correctly states that Alan Jay Lerner's life was documented to a far greater degree than Frederick Loewe's; and thus, most of the biography's chapters concern Lerner and his endless parade of wives, as well as the drug and gambling addictions which wasted his later life. But it is the musicals which they composed which most interested me, and while the major ones receive adequate coverage, especially "My Fair Lady", "Gigi", and "Camelot", their pre-"Brigadoon" shows: "Life of the Party", "What's Up" and "The Day Before Spring" barely get a passing mention, with the author apparently agreeing with Lerner's assessment that they were slight, unimportant vehicles. More disappointing to me was the author's omission of the stage version of "Paint Your Wagon" which he dismisses out of hand, slighting Loewe's robust Americana score and saving all his venom for the wretched film version, which bears only a pale resemblance to the stage show. After the team's breakup, much of the remainder of the book is a downward spiral, looking at the various failed attempts by Lerner at recapturing the magic of his successes with Loewe, and passing glances at Loewe's retirement after "Camelot". Sordid newspaper accounts of Lerner's last few marriages, his addictions and gambling excesses, fill the pages, and it all becomes a bit sour. Additionally, the author quotes extensively from Lerner's own biography, although he takes great care to note the extensive amount of self-created myths which Lerner was infamous for. Having great love and respect for all of Lerner & Loewe's musicals made me hope that this biography would illuminate their talents, but Lees seems more concerned with exposing their personal flaws and weaknesses than celebrating what made their shows sparkle.The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe Overview

Want to learn more information about The Musical Worlds of Lerner and Loewe?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now