Harps and Angels @ MT Forum Salutes Randy Newman

Harps and Angels

music and lyrics by Randy Newman

conceived by Jack Viertel
directed by Jerry Zaks
Mark Taper Forum
through December 22

Like an actor or writer who represents The Common man, songwriter Randy Newman certainly stands heads above other contemporaries as the one who can really conjure him up. Whether he be a country singer, a business tycoon or a beer guzzling mechanic, we see ourselves in the characters within his songs.

It is high time that Newman be paid homage for his work over the last 40 years, and Harps and Angels is not just a musical revue but a fitting tribute and an authentically colorful montage of Americana told through Newman's music. The singers sing, but the music is itself the main character. Well staged by Jerry Zaks and beautifully played out - totally in song - by six incredibly wonderful song stylists, Harps and Angels at the Mark Taper Forum is a masterfully tuneful show.

The cast includes three knockout female singers: Katey Sagal, Storm Large and Adriane Lenox, and three strong males: Michael McKean, Matthew Saldivar and Ryder Bach. Sagal has never sounded better and is the standout here with a raft of songs, but "Feels Like Home" is the special one. McKean parlays his expertise as character actor essaying an earthy country singer and a dying old man at the end. The entire ensemble are dynamite under Jerry Zaks skilled control.

Newman, a Mark Twain of sorts, conveyed tidbits of wisdom, even involving politics and religion, but always in a satirical way; he can be serious - really meaning what he believes in - but is never too heavy-handed. "The World Isn't Fair" is beautifully presented with a portrait of Carl Sandburg on the video screen above; other political views include a seemingly didactic lecture on the "Great Nations of Europe". Heavenly angels are shown on high "God's Song", right next to the orchestra on that level, so any spiritual message is equated directly to the music - and, tongue-in-cheek, of course. Other Newmanesque favorites include: "Short People", "Real Emotional Girl", "I Love L. A." and "You Can Leave Your Hat On". Accused of writing sad songs, Newman denies the accusation via a video on screen after which is sung "Laugh and Be Happy".

The show's book is in question, but being a revue of sorts, do we really need one? The clever staging - open, cinematic scenic design by Stephan Olson, pictures and video clips, and singers essaying various characters are perhaps enough to give us the flavor and joy of Newman's music, which is consistently the centerpiece. Growing old can be ok, if we let it, and being proud to be an American, despite our complaints, is at the very heart of each Newman song.