Review Copyright (c) 1995 by TheatreNet Enterprises
There are not many pop writers who are qualified -- or, for that matter, should even be encouraged -- to write for the musical theatre. Most lack the discipline, stamina and understanding of the craft. But there are a handful of exceptions, whose work tends to traffic in storytelling and character -- which makes it more literate and, ironically, less successful in the pop arena ... and tempting fodder for theatrical treatment. One has already had a limited success, and that was Rupert Holmes, with "The Mystery of Edwin Drood".
But Randy Newman should do even better. Though less slick and in tune with traditional musical theatre principles than Holmes, he is more visceral, and a lot more dangerous, because he's out to do much more than merely entertain. He has a nasty, irreverent sense of irony, and if he isn't always neat, he is always compelling.
As I write this review, I don't know how his new musical "Faust" is faring at the La Jolla Playhouse, but the concept album that heralds its arrival on the scene is, in its dark and twisted way, a hoot. It's difficult to judge how well the narrative holds together, despite Newman's sassy and detailed synopsis in the CD booklet ... but the record sure makes you curious to know more, to see if Newman can actually do the hat trick. And unlike the Tim Rice concept albums, which have tended to be all but incomprehensible, Newman's stab at the genre evidences a raging intelligence. You get the feeling that if he doesn't have it all together yet, he will, by the time the show is frozen.
The score is an amalgam of pop styles tied together with a supernatural sounding grandeur, that lifts them a bit out of their native genres and takes them to a different plane. Fitting, of course, for a story in which the Devil (Mr. Newman) and God (James Taylor) make a wager over the soul of a man, Faust (Don Henley). It involves a woman that Faust heartlessly abandons (Linda Ronstadt), as well as one who coldly performs the same service for the Devil (Bonnie Raitt), and an Angel named Rick (Elton John).
As he does in his pop albums, Newman paints complex characters with economic strokes and presents them without apology, rationalization or explanation. They speak for themselves, and leave the moralizing up to you. And the "take no prisoners" attitude of it is invigorating listening, even when you're not always sure what's going on.
Newman's imprimatur is so specific and quirky that it seems futile to try and describe the experience of the album for you, beyond the above. I will, instead, merely quote you my favorite moment. It comes early on, as God makes his entrance, grooving his own power as the angels sing his praises. And he says:
Folks up here, ask me why
Things go badly down below.
I tell them when they ask me why:
"I really do not know."
An Angel:
But you do know, don't you, Lord?
The Lord:
'Course I do! Sing it!
Whereupon the angels dutifully go back to singing his praises.
The best performances on the album are those of Newman's wry Devil and Henley's self-satisfied Lord. The first because it brings the authenticity of the author's voice and undiluted intent to the table ... and the second because Henley proves to be a good, and very hip actor, who understands not only the musical nuances, but the dramatic ones. And the orchestrations are generally magnificent.
However "Faust" is received in California, the album hints strongly at a score and a story that isn't going to fade away or become overrated, in the tradition of other concept albums. You get the feeling that "Faust" will only get better with age, just as it does with repeated listenings ... and that the album is only the beginning ...
Jameson Baker is a free-lance theatre journalist. He has written CD liner notes and articles for several magazines and newspapers, among them Vanity Fair.