Search - Bob Merrill :: Hannah...1939 (1992 Original New York Cast)

Sombre musical play/tragedy set in war torn Prague

A. Andersen | Bellows Falls, VT USA | 10/26/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Bob Merrill returned from a twenty year silence to write this seventh and final musical. It was produced at the Vineyard Theatre after being developed in a workshop. The musical is quite sombre, moving and ultimately uplifting as it evokes through flashbacks the life of a Jewish dress designer, who befriends the Nazis to keep her workers alive and free, but whose dawning awareness of Nazi atrocities, eventually cause her to reverse her good natured view of humanity and commit an act of symbolic violence which seals her fate. Julie Wilson acts wonderfully in the lead but is woefully awful as a singer. Most of her attempts to warble are so grating as to make the listening experience truly daunting. Better if she had "spoken" her songs. Ann Talman as Young Hannah in flashbacks sings well in low registers but has a piercing high register that makes one stop one's ears. The rest of the cast is serviceable. There is much here that is drawn from previous sources. The relationship between Hannah and the young German officer overseeing her dress factory (whom she thinks of as her lost son) resembles that between Anna and the King. The plot line resembles the Charles Laughton film, THIS LAND IS MINE.This is not easygoing theatre, but is certainly heartfelt and earnestly performed. The songs are for the most part relevant and acceptable though only two (Ah, Our Germans and Learn About Life) stand out. This was Merrill's last work. He committed suicide after a long illness not long after. It is not his best work by any means but is certainly a more fitting piece to leave us with than his two prior pieces of fluff (HENRY SWEET HENRY and SUGAR). For his best work listen to NEW GIRL IN TOWN, TAKE ME ALONG, FUNNY GIRL and his masterpiece, CARNIVAL."

HAUNTING HOLOCAUST MUSICAL . . . WISH I HAD SEEN IT.

J. T Waldmann | Carmel, IN, home to the fabulous new Regional Perf | 01/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There's very little I can add to A. Anderson's excellent review, except to say that I think it's a much better work his "three stars" might indicate. Cabaret legend Julie Wilson is outstanding in the title role; I can't imagine anyone else in the part. She's been singing in smokey bars and nightclubs since she was 14, and at 64, her voice is rough and sometimes strained. But I wouldn't expect Hannah, a woman who has led an extremely hard and difficult life, to sound any different. Ms. Wilson makes us feel every disappointment, every betrayal. It's a "lived-in" voice. All the other voices are more than competant, especially Ann Talman as Young Hannah and Peter Frechette as Kurt and as 17-year-old Hannah's lover.



It must be extremely difficult writing a musical about the Holocaust; "Cabaret" was a success (1,116 performances) but "The Grand Tour" (61 performances) was a dismal failure. And writing "Jewish" music without sounding derivitive must be almost improssible. As I write this, I am listening to a recording of the 2003 American Conference of Cantors. Although the 40 songs range from ancient melodies to contemporary compositions, many share a melodic quality that identifies them as "Jewish." And what could be more Jewish than klezmer? Therefore, upon first hearing "The Pearl We Called Prague" or "Sew a Button," one might hear echoes of "Fiddler on the Roof." I challenge anyone hearing Ms. Talman sing "Kissed on the Eyes" not think of Luisa in "The Fantasticks." In this case, it's the emotion, not the melody that brings on the memory. It's a lovely song, as are "Gentle Afternoon" and "Someday." And for sheer drama, listen as Hannah tries to justify her relationship with Gerte Baumann and her husband, the Commandant ("Who Is Hannah?").



"Hannah . . . 1939" is a mature, accomplished work by one of Broadway's most under-appreciated composers. Requiring only sixteen singers and a klezmer band, it should be within the reach of practically any theatre group, especially those who prefer to perform smaller, more intimate musicals. I'd far rather see this show or "The Golden Apple" or "Floyd Collins" or "Triumph of Love" than the umpteenth revival of "Funny Girl."



Incidentally, Bob Merrill wrote the lyrics for that Fanny Brice musical, as well as writing such pop standards as "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window," "Mambo Italiano," and "If I Knew You Were Coming I'd Have Baked a Cake." For excellent background material on the composer, I strongly recommend Jaime J. Weinman's "Something Old, Nothing New: Bob Merrill On Broadway" ---- zvbxrpl.blogspot.com/2004/ 08/bob-merrill-on-broadway.html



Mazel tov to John Yap for producing this recording and to Jay Records for releasing it and keeping it in their catalogue, in spite of its limited sales. Listening to "Hannah . . . 1939" requires commitment, but it's worth it.



Highly recommended.

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