On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

This article is about the stage play. For the 1970 film adaptation, see On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film).

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Original Broadway Playbill cover
Music	Burton Lane
Lyrics	Alan Jay Lerner
Book	Alan Jay Lerner
Productions	1965 Broadway 2000 London

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is a musical with music by Burton Lane and a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner based loosely on Berkeley Square, written in 1929 by John L. Balderston.^[1] It concerns a woman who has ESP and has been reincarnated. The musical received three Tony Award nominations.

Productions

The Broadway production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre on October 17, 1965 and closed on June 11, 1966 after 280 performances and 3 previews. The production was directed by Robert Lewis, choreographed by Herbert Ross, and starred Barbara Harris as Daisy Gamble/Melinda, John Cullum as Dr. Mark Bruckner, Clifford David as Edward Moncrief, Titos Vandis as Themistocles Kriakos, and William Daniels as Warren Smith. Scenic design was by Oliver Smith and costume design was by Freddy Wittop. The show was not well received. Ben Brantley of the New York Times recalled: "Its book was strained and muddled, most critics agreed; its big production numbers were simply cumbersome. But it did have [a] lushly melodic score...."^[2] Tours followed starring Tammy Grimes, Linda Lavin, Van Johnson and Nancy Dussault.^[3]

In February 2000, the City Center Encores! series presented a staged concert starring Kristin Chenoweth as Daisy/Melinda and Peter Friedman as Dr. Bruckner.^[2] The show premiered in London in 2000 at the Bridewell Theatre.^[4]

A 1970 film adaptation directed by Vincente Minnelli starred Barbra Streisand and Yves Montand.

A revised Broadway production began previews on November 12, 2011 at the St. James Theatre and is scheduled to open on December 11, 2011, directed by Michael Mayer and with a new book by Peter Parnell. Harry Connick Jr. stars as Dr. Mark Bruckner.^[5][6] The cast includes Jessie Mueller as Miranda and David Turner as David Gamble.^[6] The revised version, which had a developmental workshop at The Vineyard Theatre in the fall of 2009^[5]and had readings in August 2010 at the Powerhouse Theater at Vassar College, departs from the plot of the original. The patient is now the gay florist David (Turner) who was a female jazz singer Melinda (Mueller) in a former life, and who falls in love with his psychiatrist, widower Dr. Mark Bruckner (Connick).^[7] The Vassar concert mixed "material from the stage and film versions and eliminates overstuffed 1960s-style production numbers."^[8]

Synopsis

Act I

Quirky Daisy Gamble sees herself as an unremarkable person and has low self-esteem, even though she can (1) make plants grow remarkably, (2) predict when a telephone will ring or someone will drop in, and (3) tell where to find an object that someone else is looking for. Her current problem, though, is her nasty smoking habit, which will interfere with the chances of her fiancé, Warren, for a job with great benefits. She seeks help from a psychiatrist, Dr. Mark Bruckner, to stop smoking. When he hypnotizes her, she describes living a previous life in late 18th century England as "Melinda Wells", who died in her late twenties from circumstances beyond her control. Free spirited Melinda was in love with portrait painter Edward Moncrief. Mark keeps to himself what Daisy has revealed to him, and he tells her that she should not be ashamed of her ESP.

At their next session, Daisy, under hypnosis, relates scenes from the salacious London Hellrakers' Club where Melinda met Edward. Melinda and Edward eventually marry, but the painter is unfaithful to her, making love to his subjects. Mark, the psychiatrist, finds himself falling for "Melinda" and becomes convinced that Daisy is really the reincarnation of Melinda. Melinda finally left Edward and set sail for America, but the ship never reached Boston. Before Mark can save Melinda from shipwreck, Daisy wakes up.

Act II

Mark reports on the case to his fellow psychiatrists, who ridicule his findings. Greek shipping magnate Themistocles Kriakos learns of Mark's belief in reincarnation and offers to finance a study of the events of Melinda's life in exchange for Mark's help in discovering who he will be in his next life, which will allow him to leave his fortune to his future self. Daisy accidentally discovers that she is the "Melinda" at the center of the growing controversy and that Mark prefers Melinda to herself. In her angry confrontation with the psychiatrist about the matter, she tells him that she is "through being a go-between for you and your dream girl. You're not going to go on using my head for a motel."

Daisy goes to the airport, ready to return home. Her ESP powers warn her that the plane on which she plans to travel will crash. She realizes at last how special she really is. She leaves her starchy fiancé (Come Back To Me) and she and Mark unite to explore their extraordinary future.

Versions

The musical is available in at least two noticeably different published versions (aside from the film version), although the basic plot-line remains the same. The first version was published in 1966.^[9] The musical numbers recorded in the original Broadway cast album^[10] of 1965 correspond to this version.

A second version is evident in the piano-vocal score published in 1967.^[11] Here several vocal numbers from the above version are missing ("Ring Out the Bells," "Tosy and Cosh", "Don't Tamper with my Sister"), as is the introduction to the song "Hurry, It's Lovely Up Here," which is recorded on the cast album. Also, the Greek millionaire's solo, "When I'm Being Born Again" is given completely different lyrics ("When I Come Around Again") and sung instead by Daisy's friends. The overture recorded on the cast album combines the "overture" and "entr'acte" printed in the vocal score.

The 1970 film version departed from the musical significantly, adding a character for Jack Nicholson (an ex-stepbrother named "Tad"), and changing details of other characters, moving the period of Melinda's life ahead by a decade or two (into the early 19th century), removing several songs, changing lyrics and adding two new songs.

Songs

Act I "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here!" — Daisy Gamble "Ring Out the Bells" — Samuel Welles, Mrs. Welles, Sir Hubert Insdale and Servants "Tosy and Cosh" — Daisy "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever" — Dr. Mark Bruckner "On the S.S. Bernard Cohn" — Daisy, Muriel Bunson, James Preston and Millard Cross "Don't Tamper with My Sister" — Edward Moncrief, Sir Hubert and Ensemble "She Wasn't You" — Edward "Melinda" — Dr. Bruckner

Act II "When I'm Being Born Again" — Themistocles Kriakos "What Did I Have That I Don't Have" — Daisy "Wait Till We're Sixty-Five" — Warren Smith and Daisy "Come Back to Me" — Dr. Bruckner

Note: In the piano-vocal score, a song appears that was not included in the original Broadway production: "The Solicitor's Song", during Daisy's first regression-scene. There was also a ballet in the first act of the original production, entitled "At the Hellrakers."

The title song has been recorded by a number of artists, including Robert Goulet, Johnny Mathis, baseball pitcher Denny McLain, and by Sergio Franchi on his 1976 DynaHouse and TeleHouse albums;^[12] Barbra Streisand, star of the 1970 film version, recorded the title song on the film soundtrack. Sammy Davis Jr. performed the title song live in concert. "What Did I Have That I Don't Have" was also covered with some success by Eydie Gorme and was also sung by Streisand on the soundtrack on the film version.

Awards and nominations

• Tony Award for Best Original Score (Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, nominees)
• Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (John Cullum, nominee)
• Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical (Barbara Harris, nominee)
• Theatre World Award (John Cullum, winner)

References

1. ^ "Please Don't Pick on Daisy" Time magazine review, 1965
2. ^ ^{a b} Brantley, Ben. "Reincarnation With a Green Thumb" New York Times, February 12, 2000
3. ^ Connema, Richard. "Steel Kiss and On a Clear Day", Talkin' Broadway
4. ^ Listing for 2000 London production arts-archive.com
5. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Kenneth."A New Life! Harry Connick, Jr. Will Star in Broadway's 'On a Clear Day', as Reconceived by Michael Mayer" playbill.com, March 1, 2011
6. ^ ^{a b} Jones, Kenneth."'On a Clear Day', Nov. 12, You Can See Harry Connick Jr., Beginning Broadway Run" playbill.com, November 12, 2011
7. ^ Voss, Brandon."New Vision for 'On a Clear Day'" playbill.com, November 12, 2011
8. ^ Itzkof, Dave."'A Clear Day’ Is Born Again in New Concert Production" New York Times, June 17, 2010
9. ^ On a Clear Day You Can See Forever: a musical play, by Alan Jay Lerner. Music by Burton Lane. New York: Random House, c. 1966.
10. ^ On a Clear Day You Can See Forever: the original Broadway cast recording. RCA Victor. LSOD-2006 Stereo, LP. c1965. (also on CD)
11. ^ On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Vocal score. Piano reduction by Robert H. Noeltner. New York: Chappell & Co., Inc., 1967.
12. ^ http://www.discogs.com/sergio-franchi

External links

• Internet Broadway Database
• Profile of the musical at guidetomusicaltheatre.com
• http://www.box.net/shared/zj5khzdgia Piano Solo "On a Clear Day" played by Roger Williams, from the Pianocorder Contemporary Artists Series, (7 ft Grand Piano)
• http://www.onacleardaybroadway.com