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BWW Exclusive Day 5: Preview of Margery & Sheldon Harnick's OUTDOOR MUSEUM- This Alien Race
By: BWW Aug. 25, 2012
The Outdoor Museum (not your usual images of New York) is a book of photographs and verse created as a tribute to the iconic city of New York. Presenting it as its own exhibit, the book includes more than 100 stunning images, 11 sage and witty poems (read by Sheldon Harnick on an accompanying CD), and a reverential foreword by renowned director, Mike Nichols.
BroadwayWorld brings you a preview of one of the pieces from the book below, entitled 'This Alien Race.'
As museum enthusiasts, the Harnicks began to construct their own virtual museum while regularly walking the city streets. Looking past the landmarks and cultural icons, they came upon more fascinating and less regarded urban marvels—puddle reflections, subway tiles, sleeping swans, fireworks, public sculpture, store mannequins, and so much more that can be enjoyed without a ticket or a reservation. Margery snapped pictures and Sheldon scribbled verses on a pad. Together, this influential couple brought their abundant talents to The Outdoor Museum as homage to New York. The Outdoor Museum is a singular trophy by two New Yorkers who have contributed to and been deeply touched by the city’s magic.
Margery Gray Harnick and her husband Sheldon Harnick have been fixtures in the New York theater scene for decades—she as an actress-singer-dancer, he as a lyricist for such smash-hit musicals like Fiddler on the Roof. More recently, the couple have turned their eye on the less-documented corners of their beloved metropolis. The result is The Outdoor Museum: Not Your Usual Images of New York (Beaufort Books, $29.95; ISBN 978-0-8253-0675-4), which brings together Margery’s artist’s-eye-view of the city and Sheldon’s knack for narrative verse to produce a uniquely sublime souvenir. To purchase the book, click here.
THIS ALIEN RACE
1.
When did they land,
this alien race?
We saw no massive ships
from outer space
hovering overhead.
No UFO’s split the upper air
yet all at once
there they were
everywhere:
some in every borough,
with the greatest concentration
in Manhattan.
2.
Incredibly,
despite the widespread scale
of this invasion,
there was no pandemonium,
no panic in the streets.
Far from rousing epic consternation,
these otherworldly visitors
inspired only awe and admiration,
for they were beautiful,
male and female,
utterly desirable.
The women svelte,
long of limb,
slim and all but hipless,
skin unblemished, cheekbones high,
avatars of glamour.
The men manly,
tall and lean,
perfectly proportioned,
suave, poised,
nonchalant,
models of indifference.
3.
Since they arrived,
I daresay every one of us
at one time or another
has felt compelled to stop and stare
at these enigmatic creatures,
their cool, unearthly beauty
holding us in thrall;
their faces perfect ovals
with strong, well-chiseled features
or, sometimes, none at all.
Intrigued,
we scan each flawless face,
unlined and ever youthful
and wonder whether
Botox was ubiquitous
on that far distant world
from whence they flew.
Their heads,we also note,
though quite well-shaped, are often bald
and sometimes black
or mirror-like
or blue.
4.
And though it may be true
that we view with some misgivings
the absence of expression
on every stoic face, we envy nonetheless,
this alien race,
for when it comes to
knowing what to wear
and how to wear it,
these creatures
are paragons of style.
5.
Is it any wonder
that they choose to dwell
in stores that sell
the raiment that they wear so well:
establishments like Vera Wang
and Hilfiger and Saks;
emporiums like Macy’s,
Bloomingdale’s and T.J.Maxx.
Some make their homes
within the stores,
while some prefer the windows.
And some --
or do we fancy this? --
manage to pass
through the window glass
into the street
(on well-shod feet).
6.
Our city has a history
of welcoming the tired, the poor,
the huddled masses
yearning to be free.
We’ve also spread the welcome mat
for banker and aristocrat.
Which is to say
our town has welcomed
every type of émigré,
though none that seemed as strange as these
bizarre, outlandish refugees.
Startled as we were
by these odd, exotic beings,
we did what we have always done:
we took them in and left them free
to make New York their home.
And for our hospitality,
how rich was our reward!
7.
They taught us
all the pretty ways
to wear a scarf
with dash and flair.
And how to pick
a proper hat
and wear it
with a jaunty air.
And how to choose
the clothes we wear
with confidence
and savoir faire.
8.
Without their chic example,
we’d be dowdy and ill-dressed
but now in every mirror
we can see how we’ve been blessed
by these ultra-stylish visitors
who came from outer space:
this alien race.
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