Despite its impressive list of creators, including legendary composer Richard Rodgers, Rex, a 1776 musical about the life of Henry VIII, was a disaster.
Richard Rodgers was seriously ill, the creative team couldn't agree on what the musical was actually about, and Scottish star Nicol Williamson, who played Henry, terrorized the cast and producers with temper tantrums. No one, least of all the show's creators, was surprised when Rex closed less than two months into its Broadway run.
Those involved declined to release Rex for for future productions. They slunk aside, licked their wounds, and agreed that if they never heard of Rex again, it would be far too soon.
Love Song From Rex on Pop Album
In 1989, Sarah Brightman, Phantom of the Opera star and then-wife of Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, released an album called, The Songs That Got Away. The album featured several songs that had gone largely unnoticed when their musicals tanked at the box office.
Lloyd Webber encouraged her to include a song from Rex on the album. The song, "Away from You," was a love ballad between Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII.
Rex and Musicals in Mufti
In 1999, Rex caught the eye of an off-Broadway group called Musicals in Mufti. This group was well-known for its low-key, no-costume stagings of forgotten musicals. Their producers contacted the two surviving members of the creative team, Sherman Yellen and Sheldon Harnick and asked for permission to stage a production of Rex.
Harnick's initial response was to say no. "Why on earth would we want to see all those mistakes again?" he asked. Still, something about the idea caught his imagination. He talked the idea over with Yellen, who was also intrigued.
Together, they went back to Musicals in Mufti with a counter-proposal: Give them some time to rework the show and repair its damaged structure. If they were satisfied with their results, they would allow Musicals in Mufti to present Rex.
They didn't have high hopes, but 25 years on, free to write scenes and songs as they saw fit without their leading actor refusing to perform them, Harnick and Yellen were able to look through the fluff and see the heart of the show about a king and his twisted relationships.
All of a sudden, Rex had a dramatic trajectory. Harnick and Yellen further strengthened the plot by removing nearly half an hour of dialogue devoted to international relations. The Mufti production was a success.
Rex, Joe Cascone, and the Civic Light-Opera Company
Joe Cascone, artistic director of the Civic Light-Opera Company in Toronto, also enjoys giving audiences a second look at under-exposed musicals. As a long time Richard Rodgers fan, Rex had always been on his radar. Moreover, he had a good relationship with the Roders and Hammerstein Office after a successful 2004 production of Allegro, and he was able to persuade the R&H Office to throw their support behind a Canadian production of Rex.
Sheldon Harnick and Sherman Yellen were similarly enthusiastic about seeing their production revived by a professional theater company. According to Cascone, they offered three pieces of advice:
1) Keep it simple.
2) Remember that it's basically a story about a dysfunctional family.
3) Don't hire Nicol Williamson!
Opening Night - Rex Premieres in Canada
In February 2010, the Canadian premiere of Rex opened to an enthusiastic audience. Among those in attendance were Sheldon Harnick, the lyricist, and Michael John Davis, who had played Prince Edward in the 1976 Broadway production.
Joe Cascone stole the show as Henry VIII, who stated that he played the part as "King Arthur gone wrong." He added that "Henry is a victim of his own circumstances as well as the almost unwilling author of his own destiny."
In Rex, the character of Henry is ever-evolving. He starts out as a spoiled child who complains about having to handle affairs of state and who chafes at being married to an older wife. His single-minded desire for a son to succeed him, however, as well as the encouragement of a calculating Anne Boleyn (Ashley Gibson), lead him to discover his power as king.
He brushes aside the advice of his trusted advisor, Cardinal Wolsey (Lloyd Dean) and wrenches England from the Catholic Church so that he can marry Anne. When Anne does not provide him the son he desires, he has her executed and marries Jane Seymour (Andrea Barker), who dies in childbirth but bears a son, albeit a weak one who is not expected to live to adulthood.
By Act II of the production, Henry has grown ever more gruff and tyrannical. A scene where he addresses his oldest daughter by her pet name, "Mary Mumpkins," then threatens to have her executed if she does not sign an oath of loyalty to his new church, is absolutely chilling.
In his most private moments, however, Henry realizes that his shy, awkward son Edward (Max Lee) can never be the ruler Henry wants him to be. His daughter with Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth (also played by Ashley Gibson), is best-suited to lead England.
When Henry is stricken with a fatal illness, he reviews his life ("The Pears of Anjou") and comes as close as he can to admitting the many mistakes he has made as king and as father. In death, he is finally able to acknowledge Elizabeth as England's next great monarch.
Although all eyes were on Cascone, David Haines also captured the audience as Will Somers, Henry's fool. Will has a dual role: to provide comic relief and to act as Henry's conscience. Haines played both aspects of his character to perfection. He described the character of Henry as a "flawed and ambitious mortal for whom [Will] felt sympathy and concern."
At the end of the night, the cast received a standing ovation and an emotional Sheldon Harnick stated, "I've been waiting for this night...If Dick Rodgers is up there, and I know he is, he's looking down and thinking, 'I knew this show would work someday!'"
The Future
Now that Rex has been professionally and successfully produced, its future remains unclear. One hopes that other theater companies will be allowed to tackle the show, so that audiences throughout the world can enjoy the delightful music and dialogue, and the story about a deliciously flawed king who tried--and failed--to command destiny.
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