| Son Of The Cucumber King | |
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steven_stuart 02:34 am UTC 03/13/11 |
| In reply to: | re: Hopefully Not Lost But Sad About Ray Errol Fox - steven_stuart 02:23 am UTC 03/13/11 |
| Ryan, thanks for posting the link to Ray's "Son Of The Cucumber King" blog. I think this was the webpage I read ages ago when I found out that he had cancer but I had forgotten where I saw it, so thanks for reminding me. The latest blog sounds like good news as far as Ray's health goes. He writes: "To all who have been so loving and supportive over the past six months, to all who have expressed their concern: your prayers and good wishes, heartfelt by me, have immeasurably helped medical science do what it did to heal me. Yesterday, my neck and throat were pronounced “absolutely clear” by my one-of-a-kind oncologist, Dr. Louis Harrison of Beth Israel Hospital." > Its cool that you and Ray speak from time to time. Since > he wants to hear about your progress, he must be very > happy that you have raised the money for "Don Claude: > Cannibal Rapture". Does he talk about his illness? You > said that he is working on revisions of "The Confidence > Man" but that you don't know if there will be another > major production in his lifetime. Its a shame because he > certainly is a brilliant lyricist and from what you say, > he sounds like a really good person. > > > > > > So today I dug out my old CD of The Confidence Man. The > > > > > show is a constant delight and certainly, I feel, a lost > > > > > jewel in the history of American theatre. > > > > > > > > Its a shame if any Jim shows are indeed lost. Its great > > > > that a fan of Jim is bringing it up so that it is not > > > > forgotten. I would also like to see more board discussion > > > > about other Jim projects like "More Than You Deserve", > > > > "Rhinegold" and "Wuthering Heights" (even if the last one > > > > is not quite as good as "The Confidence Man".) I see that > > > > it was first produced in 1976 but that Steve Margoshes > > > > worked on a more elaborate version which was produced ten > > > > years later. Is the CD of the 1986 production? According > > > > to Amazon, people who buy "The Confidence Man" CD > > > > frequently buy the CD of "Whistle Down The Wind" at the > > > > same time. Obviously there are some people out there who > > > > are into Jim as a theatrical writer. Hopefully it is not a > > > > lost jewel but a jewel that should have more attention > > > > paid to it. Perhaps more and more people will discover it > > > > in time. I was sad to read on one webpage that Ray Errol > > > > Fox, who wrote the lyrics, is very sick with cancer. I > > > > love the lyrics that you quoted. 'On a wave of tender > > > > power we'll be carried through the night, > > > > Spending hour after hour 'til forever is in sight, > > > > Oh think of what we have — what we have and all I'm > > > > feeling > > > > Isn't as revealing as when night comes stealing in...' Ray > > > > is very talented. What other shows has he done? I wonder > > > > if he minded that one of the show's tunes ended up in > > > > "Tanz" ("Milady" became "For Sarah"). I have to hope that > > > > Ray gets better. Maybe Ryan knows how he is. > > > > > > There have been three productions: > > > > > > • Manhattan Theatre Club in 1976 or 1977. This was a > > > cabaret version and Mary Steenburgen, the famous actress > > > who was married to Malcolm McDowell, worked as a waitress > > > on this production. > > > • Queen's College in December 1986. This was the first > > > full production and the only way you'll ever hear the > > > complete score. This is where the VHS comes from. > > > • Beechmont Players in Cincinnati, Ohio in 2004. Smeghead > > > and his wife were behind this production and I thought > > > they did a brilliant job. > > > > > > And of course there's the CD from 2003 with all proceeds > > > going toward Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. > > > > Sorry! A PORTION of the proceeds! > > > > > > > > > > According to the liner notes of the album, it was > > > originally supposed to be produced at the New York > > > Shakespeare Festival by Joseph Papp who, of course, did > > > "Hair" and "A Chorus Line", and "More than you deserve" > > > with Jim. But it was cancelled. > > > > > > There were other attempts at mounting the production with > > > Len Cariou (the original Sweeney Todd) and Howard Da Silva > > > (the original Jud Fry). > > > > > > Also, "Nocturnally yours" was the first song they ever > > > wrote together, and it was then interpolated into the > > > score. "Something of this masquerade may follow", which > > > was written for the 1986 production, was the last song. > > > They haven’t written together since. > > > > > > As far as I know, he's still working on revisions to "The > > > Confidence Man" but I don't know if there will ever be a > > > major production in his lifetime. I sure hope so. Ray is, > > > in my opinion, a very talented lyricist and writer and a > > > very generous person. I'd be thrilled if it did. > > > > > > I really wanted to see it done in Australia. I thought it > > > would be something that one of the local theatre groups > > > would have been interested in doing, because of how famous > > > Jim’s music is, and it presented them with a rare > > > opportunity, producing something that had rarely if ever > > > been produced, composed by the writer of the third > > > greatest selling rock album of all time. But, as usual, it > > > was the same old, "Oklahoma!" next season, "My Fair Lady" > > > the season after that and if they were lucky the fourth > > > revival of "Les Misérables". > > > > > > Ray and I speak from time to time, I am HONOURED that he > > > wants to hear about my progress, and you can read his blog > > > at the link. He has recently posted an update. > > > > > > If you want to know more about his work, check out his bio > > > on Wikipedia. That is based on a document that he wrote. > > > > > > PS. I wonder what the posters for "Rhinegold", "More than > > > you deserve" and "Kid champion" were like. Has anybody > > > ever seen them? > > > > > > PPS. Ray doesn't like the recycling but he never mentions > > > anything about it in the liner notes. But this shouldn't > > > be surprising. Tim Rice was very unhappy when Andrew Lloyd > > > Webber recycled the score for "Cricket" into "Aspects of > > > Love" and "Sunset Boulevard". > > > | |
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