For years Jerry Herman has been the Broadway composer whipping boy -- those dumping on him forgetting the countless pleasures his Broadway musicals have brought and continue to bring to millions (probably including them). But Herman, remote and shy, never possessed a winning personality and is the interview from hell. Getting him to answer questions with something other than a Yes or No was like pulling teeth. Or should I say WAS.
A new Jerry Herman has arisen. Not only with a new musical, last Sunday's world premiere on CBS of "Mrs. Santa Claus" starring Angela Lansbury (in one of her most endearing roles yet, in what surely will become a seasonal perennial) but also an autobiography where he reveals for the first time some stunning aspects of himself.
"Showtune, A Memoir" by Herman with (and no doubt helped immensely by) theatrical journalist Marilyn Stasio (Donald I. Fine Books/Penguin; $24.95 hardcover; illustrated) shows a multi-dimensional Herman. I found most amusing that he's a leather-cross dressing member of a motorcycle club. Having known Herman on a purely business basis, I just can't picture this! After years of rumors (and I stress that word) of his stinginess, it's surprising to learn of his generous and anonymous gifts to charity -- especially AIDS-related organizations in Key West, where he maintained a home with a deceased lover. He candidly discusses his homosexuality and that other rumor that's haunted him, that he has AIDS. The latter, he reveals, is true. However, thanks to the new promise of protease inhibitors and a revitalized health regimen, he says, "My T-cell counts have quadrupled. I have all this new energy. It's made all the difference in my life, and made me realize there's true hope out there for everyone. It convinced me AIDS is a disease than can be controlled."
In his trials and tribulations of working with David Merrick, Merrick comes over as a bully. But, ultimately, Herman learns to stand up to him and earns his respect. Most surprising is his relationship with Gower Champion. But true friends emerge. Carol Channing, a strange creature whom I've wondered -- having seen her in all manner of circumstances -- if she's really real has stood by her man through thick and thin.
With his love of theater and the fact that he's written some of the most successful shows in theatrical history (Hello, Dolly, Mame, La Cage Aux Folles, to name three), it was shocking this composer wasn't working. He says he lost the desire due to health concerns and the illness and death of his lover. The perception his shows were old fashioned and, worse, out of fashion also hurt. "People put me down for writing upbeat songs, as if the feelings I put into them were not genuine. It has taken me the better part of my lifetime to make people understand that I write the way I feel, and that these sentiments are honest. Bouncy, buoyant, and optimistic. That's me. And I am what I am!"
And finally human and more revealing. The success of the Mack And Mabel London revival and the current sell-out tour of Hello, Dolly (once again starring that workhorse Channing), not to mention the joy of working with Lansbury again, has recharged Herman. Don't be surprised, he says, to see a revival of Mame heading to Broadway.
RCA Victor, with it's catalog of Jerry Herman scores, has just released a handsome CD cast album of "Mrs. Santa Claus," which, though Herman composed it for TV, has a traditional Broadway score. Who knows? It may pop up one day on Broadway!
[END]
