GLITTER and be GAY
with Kristin Chenoweth
Glitter and be gay,
That's the part I play;
Here I am in Paris, France,
Forced to bend my soul
To a sordid role,
Victimized by bitter, bitter circumstance.
Alas for me! Had I remained
Beside my lady mother,
My virtue had remained unstained
Until my maiden hand was gained
By some Grand Duke or other.
Ah, 'twas not to be;
Harsh necessity
Brought me to this gilded cage.
Born to higher things,
Here I droop my wings,
Ah! Singing of a sorrow nothing can assuage.
And yet of course I rather like to revel,
Ha ha!
I have no strong objection to champagne,
Ha ha!
My wardrobe is expensive as the devil,
Ha ha!
Perhaps it is ignoble to complain...
Enough, enough
Of being basely tearful!
I'll show my noble stuff
By being bright and cheerful!
Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha!
Pearls and ruby rings...
Ah, how can worldly things
Take the place of honor lost?
Can they compensate
For my fallen state,
Purchased as they were at such an awful cost?
Bracelets...lavalieres
Can they dry my tears?
Can they blind my eyes to shame?
Can the brightest brooch
Shield me from reproach?
Can the purest diamond purify my name?
And yet of course these trinkets are endearing,
Ha ha!
I'm oh, so glad my sapphire is a star,
Ha ha!
I rather like a twenty-carat earring,
Ha ha!
If I'm not pure, at least my jewels are!
Enough! Enough!
I'll take their diamond necklace
And show my noble stuff
By being gay and reckless!
Ha ha ha ha ha! Ha!
Observe how bravely I conceal
The dreadful, dreadful shame I feel.
Ha ha ha ha!
~ Leonard Bernstein’s Candide (1956)
....must be 'type' casting...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Thersites. The production you linked is the very best this show has ever received in my well-informed, never humble opinion. Too bad Bernstein wasn't alive to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteGroves made a marvelous Candide. He has a terrific voice, and just the right looks and stage presence for the role.
My admiration for Chenoweth knows no bounds. She's cute as a button, and a superb singer of operatic coloratura as well as Broadway show tunes. She's also a comic genius with a perfect sense of timing in a class with the late Madelyn Kahn. Kristin Chenoweth combines all her talents here to deliver a vocally brilliant, hysterically funny rendition of Glitter and Be Gay awakening full awareness of the delicious ironies and comical hypocrisy in her audience.
Glitter and Be Gay is often performed as a "serious" coloratura aria by highly competent operatic sopranos who miss it's mischievous tongue-in-cheek humor, and risqué double entendres. Even then, the piece is so well-written it still works, but what we have HERE is the way it SHOULD be performed in the context of the show -- a brilliant, elaborate SPOOF.
...for aficionados, only. ;)
ReplyDelete