FINIAN'S RAINBOW
Music: Burton Lane
Lyrics: E. Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg
Book: E. Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg and Fred Saidy
First Production: January 10th 1947
Original Broadway Cast: Albert Sharp as Finian McLonergan, Ella Logan as Sharon McLonergan, Donald Richards as Woody Mahoney, David Wayne as Og, Anita Alvarez as Susan the Silent.
Plot: Finian’s Rainbow is set in America’s Deep South, in the mythical state of Missitucky. The poor share-cropping inhabitants of Rainbow Valley are in a bad way, because due to lack of payments their land is going to auctioned off to the highest bidder, Senator Billboard Rawkins. A young man from Rainbow Valley, Woody Mahoney, has been away trying to raise some money, but he returns with unfortunately not enough. However, they are saved by the arrival of simple Irishman Finian McLonergan, a recent emigrant, and his beautiful daughter Sharon. Finian has brought a crock of leprechaun gold with him from the old country, and he wishes on this for the extra money.
Sharon is homesick for their old village, but her imaginative father is filled with enthusiasm. He plans to bury the crock of gold, thinking that it will grow in value, like at Fort Knox. She is comforted, however, by the relationship growing between her and Woody Mahoney. She explains to him her father’s philosophy of looking to the rainbow, following dreams, and trusting that everything will be all right.
The next person to arrive in Rainbow Valley is Og, the leprechaun from whom Finian stole the crock of gold. Without it, he is becoming a mortal, evidenced by the way he immediately falls head over heels in love with Sharon. Conveniently forgetting Woody, she reciprocates his attentions. Finian has buried the gold in some unknown location. After him comes Senator Billboard Rawkins, a land-grabbing racist, who so angers Sharon, that she wishes aloud that he could become black. It happens, showing that at the moment she made the wish, Sharon was standing on top of the crock. That’s two wishes gone.
Og comforts Senator Rawkins, who has learnt the hard way the evils of bigotry. He joins a gospel-singing group of black evangelists, and becomes a much better person. Og is reminded of his need to find the crock of gold, as he has now fallen in love with Susan the Silent, a local mute. After wooing her, he tells her that he wishes she could talk. Her first words are, “I love you!”, showing that he is on top of the crock himself!
In the end, the senator is happy, Sharon has returned to Woody, and they are happy, Og has realized that he much prefers kissing Susan to being a leprechaun, and they are happy, and Finian has decided to move on to pastures new, looking to the rainbow, and following his dreams. He’s happy too. Everyone has learned that people are more important than profits.
Style of Score: This score dates from the 1940s, so is produced by a traditional orchestra, with a very strong black/southern/swinging feel. There is a gospel song, ‘The Begat’, which is all about the favourite activity of the people of the Bible, and a couple of ensemble songs strongly flavoured with negro spiritual. Sharon has a couple of pretty and picturesque arias. The love songs call for particular attention - I was a bit surprised at, for a 40s show, how frankly passionate they are. There is a real sense that the confused relationships between Og, Sharon, Susan and Woody are inspired by, shall we say, the physical rather than the spiritual. They’re only silly young people, after all. As a whole, the score of Finian’s Rainbow is absolutely charming. It’s funny and light-hearted, extremely tuneful, yet with its hard message uncompromised.
The CD: I own the OBC recording, which as been released on CD as part of a series of old Broadway scores. It’s my favourite label, because the disks usually sell for only around three pounds. The quality of the recording is excellent. The sleeve notes feature a short introduction to the musical, and a plot summary, and that’s it.
The Film: The film of Finian’s Rainbow was released in 1968 by Warner Brothers, and it starred Fred Astaire as Finian, Petula Clark as Sharon and Tommy Steele as Og. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Up until 1968, Hollywood studios were unwilling to make a big musical with a theme of racism. It was not a success, sadly, perhaps because of its whimsy. I saw it once, years and years ago, so I can’t really make a judgement on it, but I do remember liking Tommy Steele singing ‘When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love, I Love the Girl I’m Near’.
Personal Reactions: This musical is currently my favourite. I really must review something I don’t like, mustn’t I? Anyway. Finian’s Rainbow. I like the combination of real-world problems, such as the hard lives of Rainbow Valley’s share-croppers, both black and white, racism and greed, with real-world joys, such as mutual attraction sometimes to two or three people at once, and the complete and utter whimsy of bringing leprechauns and fairies into the mix. I mean, how mad! It could be called inane, I suppose, and the plot is very simple, but I respond really well to it. It does have a serious message. I am also a big fan of the love duets - Woody and Sharon sing ‘Old Devil Moon’, which I think is one of the best musical expressions of the love that is both light-hearted and sexual, and Sharon, completely unselfconsciously, shares ‘Something Sort of Grandish’ with Og. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I cannot think of another musical where the girl is allowed to be seriously attracted to two men, and, crucially, share a song with both of them, before deciding on one, without being seen as a ‘bad girl’. As a young woman myself, still ‘at large’ when it comes to love, I think this is a travesty, so I’m glad Finian’s Rainbow is there to redress the balance.
Oh, and ‘og’ is Irish for ‘young’.
Links to other Musicals: Tommy Steele, who starred in the film, also found success in Half a Sixpence in the 1960s. Yip Harburg was a prolific song writer - I can easily say that his most famous work was the classic film of The Wizard of Oz. He also contributed to Ziegfield Follies, Gold Diggers of 1937, Babes on Broadway, and Cabin in the Sky. In terms of shows, he co-wrote Bloomer Girl and Flahooley. Burton Lane collaborated with many men, and his other credits include On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
I think that some of the songs, such as ‘Necessity’ and ‘This Time of the Year’, are comparable to songs such as ‘Old Man River’ and ‘Queenie’s Ballyhoo’ in Show Boat, mainly because of the black influence on the music.
My Sources: The Encyclopedia of Stage and Film Musicals, edited by Colin Larkin, the Internet Movie Database, and the sleeve notes of the OBC recording.
Lyrics: E. Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg
Book: E. Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg and Fred Saidy
First Production: January 10th 1947
Original Broadway Cast: Albert Sharp as Finian McLonergan, Ella Logan as Sharon McLonergan, Donald Richards as Woody Mahoney, David Wayne as Og, Anita Alvarez as Susan the Silent.
Plot: Finian’s Rainbow is set in America’s Deep South, in the mythical state of Missitucky. The poor share-cropping inhabitants of Rainbow Valley are in a bad way, because due to lack of payments their land is going to auctioned off to the highest bidder, Senator Billboard Rawkins. A young man from Rainbow Valley, Woody Mahoney, has been away trying to raise some money, but he returns with unfortunately not enough. However, they are saved by the arrival of simple Irishman Finian McLonergan, a recent emigrant, and his beautiful daughter Sharon. Finian has brought a crock of leprechaun gold with him from the old country, and he wishes on this for the extra money.
Sharon is homesick for their old village, but her imaginative father is filled with enthusiasm. He plans to bury the crock of gold, thinking that it will grow in value, like at Fort Knox. She is comforted, however, by the relationship growing between her and Woody Mahoney. She explains to him her father’s philosophy of looking to the rainbow, following dreams, and trusting that everything will be all right.
The next person to arrive in Rainbow Valley is Og, the leprechaun from whom Finian stole the crock of gold. Without it, he is becoming a mortal, evidenced by the way he immediately falls head over heels in love with Sharon. Conveniently forgetting Woody, she reciprocates his attentions. Finian has buried the gold in some unknown location. After him comes Senator Billboard Rawkins, a land-grabbing racist, who so angers Sharon, that she wishes aloud that he could become black. It happens, showing that at the moment she made the wish, Sharon was standing on top of the crock. That’s two wishes gone.
Og comforts Senator Rawkins, who has learnt the hard way the evils of bigotry. He joins a gospel-singing group of black evangelists, and becomes a much better person. Og is reminded of his need to find the crock of gold, as he has now fallen in love with Susan the Silent, a local mute. After wooing her, he tells her that he wishes she could talk. Her first words are, “I love you!”, showing that he is on top of the crock himself!
In the end, the senator is happy, Sharon has returned to Woody, and they are happy, Og has realized that he much prefers kissing Susan to being a leprechaun, and they are happy, and Finian has decided to move on to pastures new, looking to the rainbow, and following his dreams. He’s happy too. Everyone has learned that people are more important than profits.
Style of Score: This score dates from the 1940s, so is produced by a traditional orchestra, with a very strong black/southern/swinging feel. There is a gospel song, ‘The Begat’, which is all about the favourite activity of the people of the Bible, and a couple of ensemble songs strongly flavoured with negro spiritual. Sharon has a couple of pretty and picturesque arias. The love songs call for particular attention - I was a bit surprised at, for a 40s show, how frankly passionate they are. There is a real sense that the confused relationships between Og, Sharon, Susan and Woody are inspired by, shall we say, the physical rather than the spiritual. They’re only silly young people, after all. As a whole, the score of Finian’s Rainbow is absolutely charming. It’s funny and light-hearted, extremely tuneful, yet with its hard message uncompromised.
The CD: I own the OBC recording, which as been released on CD as part of a series of old Broadway scores. It’s my favourite label, because the disks usually sell for only around three pounds. The quality of the recording is excellent. The sleeve notes feature a short introduction to the musical, and a plot summary, and that’s it.
The Film: The film of Finian’s Rainbow was released in 1968 by Warner Brothers, and it starred Fred Astaire as Finian, Petula Clark as Sharon and Tommy Steele as Og. It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Up until 1968, Hollywood studios were unwilling to make a big musical with a theme of racism. It was not a success, sadly, perhaps because of its whimsy. I saw it once, years and years ago, so I can’t really make a judgement on it, but I do remember liking Tommy Steele singing ‘When I’m Not Near the Girl I Love, I Love the Girl I’m Near’.
Personal Reactions: This musical is currently my favourite. I really must review something I don’t like, mustn’t I? Anyway. Finian’s Rainbow. I like the combination of real-world problems, such as the hard lives of Rainbow Valley’s share-croppers, both black and white, racism and greed, with real-world joys, such as mutual attraction sometimes to two or three people at once, and the complete and utter whimsy of bringing leprechauns and fairies into the mix. I mean, how mad! It could be called inane, I suppose, and the plot is very simple, but I respond really well to it. It does have a serious message. I am also a big fan of the love duets - Woody and Sharon sing ‘Old Devil Moon’, which I think is one of the best musical expressions of the love that is both light-hearted and sexual, and Sharon, completely unselfconsciously, shares ‘Something Sort of Grandish’ with Og. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but I cannot think of another musical where the girl is allowed to be seriously attracted to two men, and, crucially, share a song with both of them, before deciding on one, without being seen as a ‘bad girl’. As a young woman myself, still ‘at large’ when it comes to love, I think this is a travesty, so I’m glad Finian’s Rainbow is there to redress the balance.
Oh, and ‘og’ is Irish for ‘young’.
Links to other Musicals: Tommy Steele, who starred in the film, also found success in Half a Sixpence in the 1960s. Yip Harburg was a prolific song writer - I can easily say that his most famous work was the classic film of The Wizard of Oz. He also contributed to Ziegfield Follies, Gold Diggers of 1937, Babes on Broadway, and Cabin in the Sky. In terms of shows, he co-wrote Bloomer Girl and Flahooley. Burton Lane collaborated with many men, and his other credits include On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.
I think that some of the songs, such as ‘Necessity’ and ‘This Time of the Year’, are comparable to songs such as ‘Old Man River’ and ‘Queenie’s Ballyhoo’ in Show Boat, mainly because of the black influence on the music.
My Sources: The Encyclopedia of Stage and Film Musicals, edited by Colin Larkin, the Internet Movie Database, and the sleeve notes of the OBC recording.