Yip Harburg: Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream

Edgar Yipsel “Yip” Harburg (Isidore Hochberg) 1896–1981, was co-owner of Consolidated Electrical Appliance Company when it went bankrupt in the crash of 1929. Then 33 years old with a wife and two children, he was saddled with debt it took decades to repay. Most men would look for security. Instead, with the encouragement of high school friend George Gershwin, Harburg decided to try his hand song lyrics. “I gave up my dream of business and went into the business of dreams” (Yip Harburg)

Gershwin introduced him to composer Jay Gorney. The two immediately went to work on a series of successful Earl Carroll revues. Out of these came their first hit, “Brother, Can You spare a Dime?” The rest, as they say, is history.

Aptly named, this celebration of the author of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” opens with an exuberant “That Great Come-And-Get-It Day” (1947 Finian’s Rainbow with Burton Lane) I can think of no other lyricist, save Sheldon Harnick, who both wears his heart on his sleeve and is unabashedly principled/political in his work. “The genius of Yip Harburg is his lyrics not only make you laugh and cry, but they make you think.” Deftly written narration by Jon Marans, including plot descriptions and salient quotes from the lyricist, is shared by all five vocalists.

A jauntily directed “You’re a Builder-Upper” is performed by stand-outs Mikaela Bennett and Nick Spangler.  Affectionate combat is clear, Spangler’s confusion palpable. (with Ira Gershwin/Harold Arlen—Life Begins at 8:40) In contrast, Clifton Duncan’s “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” (Jay Gorney—Americana) soberly epitomizes the Great Depression. “I started to write the song very fast and ended up crying,” Harburg wrote. Dan Scully’s Projection Design is evocative and specific throughout, often eschewing the obvious.

We hear, in part, songs from Hooray for What!, Panama Hattie, Cabin in the Sky, The Wizard of Oz, The Great Magoo (“It’s Only a Paper Moon”), Life Begins at 8:40, Finian’s Rainbow, and Bloomer Girl. Harburg wrote material for revues, musicals, films, stand alone songs, and a goodly part of the dialogue for MGM’s The Wizard of Oz. He worked with some 45 composers. When I’m not near the girl I Love/I love the girl I’m near…(Finian’s Rainbow)

Success on Broadway elicited an invitation to Hollywood where Harburg was told, in no uncertain terms, to simplify i.e. dumb down his lyrics. “Can’t Help Singing” for Deana Durbin’s film debut, is a perfect example. “Low budget comedies were all the rage” prefaces “The Son of a Gun Who Picks on Uncle Sam” (Burton Lane — Panama Hattie). Robustly delivered by Spangler, it might almost be Irving Berlin. Bennett’s lovely, trilling soprano ably carries “Happiness is a Thing Called Joe.” (Harold Arlen—Cabin in The Sky, a film many theaters in the south refused to run)

With Laura Darrell as Dorothy, selections from The Wizard of Oz (Harold Arlen) close Act I. Spangler offers a version of the Scarecrow’s “If I Only Had a Brain,” which, though sung well, would be more effective loose-limbed. Duncan’s ‘If I Were King of The Forest” (the cowardly lion) fails at humorous blustering, while Megan Sikora’s “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” sails lightly over our heads. The ionic song was disparaged by Louis B. Mayer and almost dropped from the film.

“It’s Only a Paper Moon” (Billy Rose/Harold Arlen) prettily arrives like an old music box tune by way of Darrell. Vibraphone and strings add pathos. Spangler’s, rueful “Paris Is a Lonely Town” (Harold Arlen—Gay Purr-ee): The chestnut, the willow, the colors of Utrillo/Turn to grey, grey hues…has a dark jazz tone.

Contemporary times manifest as Spangler and Duncan play lovers in a cutely staged “Let’s Take a Walk Around the Block” (Ira Gershwin/ Harold Arlen) Voices work well together. “Yip has said this is the greatest love song ever written,” introduces “Lydia the Tattooed Lady (Harold Arlen—At the Circus.) Sikora makes this her own, draping herself over the piano, undulating, flirting, fluttering, even coming off stage to the theater floor.

From socially conscious, Bloomer Girl, we hear Bennett sing “Right As the Rain.” It’s simply enchanting, not the least because of her stillness. (Harold Arlen) The show’s popularity gave Harburg courage to write more political songs. This may unfortunately have paved the way to his being called before the HUAC and blackballed for 12 years.

MGM Department Head Arthur Freed declared the lyricist was probably never going to work in a studio again. “Nothing is ever achieved until somebody fights back,” Harburg said. During this period he lost Hans Christian Andersen and A Star is Born (the Judy Garland version.) In 1946, Finian’s Rainbow (Burton Lane), the first musical with a fully integrated chorus, offered a chance to mix humor and politics. The “Jewish Leprechaun,” as he was often called, again excelled.

“How Are Things in Glocca Morra?” is, it’s noted, a list of unanswered questions, “Yip’s favorite kind of song.” Darrell’s lilting version floats. Also balladic, “Where Have I Seen Your Face Before?” (Burton Lane- stand alone) finds Spangler palpably tender, hands in his pockets: Was it in Glocca Morra or in Berkeley Square…

Yip Harburg used the word “rainbow” in songs 25 times. A heart-tugging clip from the lyricist’s appearance at Lyrics & Lyricists in 1970 isn’t long enough. His generation, the lyricist said, never succeeded in handing down the rainbow, “But we could do it in our songs.” A haunting “Look to The Rainbow” is fitting closure.

Direction and Music Direction are both excellent.

Photos: Richard Termine
Opening- Mikaela Bennett

92 Y Lyrics & Lyricists presents
Yip Harburg: Follow the Fellow Who Follows a Dream
Matt Kunkel-Director
Paul Masse-Music Director/Orchestrator/Piano/Conductor
Jon Marans-Writer
92 Y at 1395 Lexington Avenue