Alan Jay Lerner: A Lyricist's Letters Read Online Free PDF Page A

adaptation with Gene Kelly, 82 and a 1966 telecast with Sally Ann Howes 83 and Robert Goulet 84 that won five Emmy Awards.But two things were to overshadow the immediate aftermath of
Brigadoon
’s opening for Lerner: the dissolution of his working relationship with Loewe, and the accusation that he had plagiarized the story of
Brigadoon
from a German source. The latter was flatly denied in a letter to the
New York Times
on March 30. Lerner wrote:
         The existence of the German story
Germelshausen
comes as no surprise to me at this time. It was not long after I had completed the first draft of
Brigadoon
that a friend informed me of it. At that time I obtained a copy and read it; and I was, of course, amazed at the resemblance. Then, upon delving into the matter a little further, I discovered that there existed another German legend much older than
Germelshausen
upon which the latter was either based or to which it bore an equally striking resemblance. On doing still more research, I was again astounded to learn that legends of disappearing towns can be found in the folklore of many, many countries. For instance, there is the old Irish tale that was recorded by James Stephens which is very similar.
             Literary history being filled with unconscious coincidence, I could do nothing more than deduce that this was another and let it go at that. I was, of course, aware that many theatregoers might notice similarities between
Brigadoon
and any one of the ancient legends and question me about it. So Miss Harber’s letter is not something I did not anticipate. However, I’m sure the thought has occurred to anyone who questioned the originality of
Brigadoon
that, after all, if the story were based on or suggested by another, why didn’t I mention it? Artistically it would certainly not have been personally detrimental, nor would it have prevented the play’s achieving success. Shakespeare borrowed plots indiscriminately and it didn’t seem to disturb his reputation. And financially, all the legends on this theme are in the public domain, so there was no royalty problem involved. 85
    In spite of defending himself so extensively, the accusation festered with Lerner all his life; he even raises the point in
The Street Where I Live
, even though
Brigadoon
is scarcely mentioned otherwise. 86
         On the same day he wrote this letter, Lerner flatly denied “reports he has split with Frederick Loewe, his tune writer. They simply haven’t yet thought of a new vehicle on which they could work together.” 87 But there was no smoke without fire, and when Lerner’s name was mentioned in connection with a new showfor star actress Mary Martin 88 in late July, it was clear that the composer would not be Loewe but rather Kurt Weill, 89 who had written the music for Martin’s hit
One Touch of Venus
(1943). As with
Brigadoon
, the producer was to be Cheryl Crawford, but little other information was disclosed at that time. 90 In itself, this seems significant: the announcement effectively divulges nothing but Lerner’s split from Loewe, bearing in mind that the new project with Weill was clearly in its very early stages. Of course, the new relationship made artistic sense: an article by Howard Taubman in the
New York Times
in October, headlined “Musicians Return to the Theatre,” discussed how Broadway in the mid-1940s had seen the rise of composers of art music, such as Leonard Bernstein (
On the Town
), 91 Morton Gould (
Billion DollarBaby
), 92 Weill (
Lady in the Dark
), and Loewe, who was the main subject of the article. 93 (Intriguingly, the article also mentions that Lerner and Loewe had tried to obtain the musical rights to J. M. Barrie’s
The Little Minister
(1891) before settling on
Brigadoon
. This refutes the idea that
My Fair Lady
was Lerner and Loewe’s first attempt at a musical adaptation.) Taubman wrote, “The success of Frederick Loewe with
Brigadoon
is another proof that a Broadway musical can