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Although
Gilbert & Sullivan would never think of me as the very model of a
modern major general, I know not only the lyrics and melodies of the songs
in most of the great Broadway shows, but also the arrangements!
For 50 years I’ve been privileged to see the best.
I’ve seen ‘em on Broadway and I’ve seen ‘em at the Chandler
and the Ahmanson and the Shubert and the Pantages.
I’ve heard Michael Crawford sing Music of the Night three times
from the front row. I saw
Richard Burton put his hand on Elizabeth Taylor’s breast in Private
Lives at the Wilshire. I’ve
counted myself so fortunate to have seen what I’ve seen on the stage,
Rex Harrison in My Fair Lady, Yul Brynner in The King and I. I’ve seen
the greatest actors in the worlds in the greatest plays!
I could go on and on.
The
first play I saw on Broadway was South Pacific.
My parents and sister and I had to run from lunch with Cardinal
Spellman (where Joe Kennedy was the only other guest) to make the matinee.
I’ve seen South Pacific many times since.
I have even sat through the gawd-awful movie Fox had miscast and
misdirected. If there’s a
hell, the people responsible for this movie should be there.
So,
although I was looking forward to the Robert Goulet revival at the
Wilshire Theater, I wasn’t expecting much more than wonderful music.
When we arrived and were told that Goulet was sick and his
understudy, John Wilkerson, would be taking over, we were disappointed. I
had never heard of John Wilkerson. But
the music’s so great, we stayed. Little
did I know I was in for the theater experience of my lifetime!
I
wasn’t there when understudy Shirley MacLaine took over in Pajama Game
(when the female lead, Carol Haney, broke her leg) and became a star, and
John Wilkerson’s no gypsy, but I now know the feeling of seeing someone
of whom you’ve never heard take over the stage.
Everything
about the play today was electric. From
the first note of the overture I was bursting with excitement.
You could feel the tension in the audience as Wilkerson started his
first song, Twin Soliloquies, a duet with Nellie Forbush (Amanda Watkins,
who is cute as a bug’s ear and possesses a strong, beautiful voice).
His voice was rich, vibrant, and confident.
There
was chemistry between him and Nellie.
The play progressed. At
the first note of almost every song I felt a flush of joyful emotion.
What’s wrong with me? I wondered.
Why does this beautiful but familiar music bring tears to my eyes
after so many years?
But
it continued throughout the play. Finally,
and again totally unexpected, came one of those magic moments you never
forget. Near the end of the
Second Act Nellie dumps Emile. He
commiserates with Lt. Cable. Then
he stands stage right with a small spotlight on his face, the rest of the
stage dark, hands at his side, motionless, and sings This Nearly Was Mine
to a deadly quiet, but totally enraptured audience.
I’ve never experienced a more moving moment in a Broadway
musical. I just forgot about
the tears streaming down my face. The
audience gave him an ovation that seemed as if it would never stop.
I
wish everyone could see this play with John Wilkerson as Emile.
But this is a touring company and Robert Goulet will recover and
return and Wilkerson will return to his non-singing role as Capt.
Brackett. Fortunately for me,
I’ll have this performance forever in my memory.
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