''Reuben, Reuben'' is a two-act, "urban folk

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

" (or a "musical play") by

Marc Blitzstein Marcus Samuel Blitzstein (March 2, 1905January 22, 1964), was an American composer, lyricist, and Libretto, librettist. He won national attention in 1937 when his pro-Trade union, union musical ''The Cradle Will Rock'', directed by Orson Welles, ...

, written from 1953 to 1955. Set in New York's

Little Italy Little Italy is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave populated primarily by Italians or people of Italian ancestry, usually in an Urban area, urban neighborhood. The concept of "Little Italy" holds many different aspects of the Italian cul ...

and inspired by the

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

legend, it concerns Reuben, a

suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or acad ...

veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in an job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in the military, armed forces. A topic o ...

who has received a medical discharge because he cannot speak. His disorder serves as an allegory of the difficulties of interpersonal communication in society, and of the eventual triumph of love over these difficulties and over the death wish. It was shown at the Shubert Theatre in Boston from October 10 to 22, 1955.

Hanya Holm Hanya Holm (born Johanna Eckert; 3 March 1893 – 3 November 1992) is known as one of the "Big Four" founders of American modern dance. She was a dancer, choreographer, and above all, a dance educator. Early life, connection with Mary Wigman Bo ...

choreographed, Robert Lewis stage directed, and

Cheryl Crawford Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director. Biography Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City a ...

produced the show. Blitzstein himself described the opera as a, "picture of New York: the gaiety, plight, awareness and unawareness of anger, bitterness, insouciance, ardor, urgency, even wisdom, mellowness. All trapped: fighting the trap, or supine within it.”

History

Following the completion of his opera '' Regina'' in 1949, Blitzstein began sketching out his next work. By April of 1950, the opera soon had its title, he soon struck the interest of director

and director Robert Lewis. In assistance with the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

, Blitzstein worked with

Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, Prose, prose writer, Memoir, memoirist, and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway as well as her communist views and political activism. She was black ...

but the formal work on the opera began in 1953. In 1950, however, following the premiere of

Gian Carlo Menotti Gian Carlo Menotti (, ; July 7, 1911 – February 1, 2007) was an Italian-American composer, libretto, librettist, director, and playwright who is primarily known for his output of 25 operas. Although he often referred to himself as an American ...

's opera ''

The Consul ''The Consul'' is an opera in three acts with music and libretto by Gian Carlo Menotti, his first full-length opera. Performance history Its first performance was on March 1, 1950, at the Shubert Theatre in Philadelphia with Patricia Neway as t ...

'', an article written by Blitzstein in the '' Theatre Arts Magazine'' detailed his view that Menotti was safer than his last opera, ''

The Medium ''The Medium'' is a short (one-hour-long) two-act dramatic opera with words and music by Gian Carlo Menotti. Commissioned by the Alice M. Ditson Fund at Columbia University, its first performance was there on 8 May 1946, with Claramae Turner a ...

''. Regardless of the critique, Blitzstein saw the success of this genre and called the form of musical theatre "perhaps the first true American musical form". An early public showing of Blitzstein's opera was scheduled for March 16, 1950, the day after Menotti's ''The Consul'' premiered on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

. By 1954, work was slowing down and becoming more difficult as the writing process was becoming too long for Blitzstein. Nevertheless, the first draft was completed in the early parts of 1954 and a contract by Cheryl Crawford was swiftly written up. Blitzstein did not stop editing the work and continued to revise sections up until its premiere on October 10, 1955. By 1964, the opera had been forgotten.

Influence and references

Musicologist

Howard Pollack Howard Pollack (born March 17, 1952) is an American pianist and musicologist, known for his biographies of American composers. Biography Pollack was born in Brooklyn and studied piano while attending James Madison High School. He continued his p ...

has noted that Blitzstein had referred to many literary figures in the opera including classical figures like

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

and

Aristotle Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...

, English writers and poets like

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

John Keats John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) was an English poet of the second generation of Romantic poets, along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley. His poems had been in publication for less than four years when he died of tub ...

, and Robert Shaw to Americans like

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940), widely known simply as Scott Fitzgerald, was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and exces ...

William Faulkner William Cuthbert Faulkner (; September 25, 1897 – July 6, 1962) was an American writer. He is best known for William Faulkner bibliography, his novels and short stories set in the fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, a stand-in fo ...

, and

Hart Crane Harold Hart Crane (July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American poet. Inspired by the Romantics and his fellow Modernists, Crane wrote highly stylized poetry, often noted for its complexity. His collection '' White Buildings'' (1926), feat ...

. Further influences upon Blitzstein came from Scottish playwright

James Bridie James Bridie (3 January 1888 in Glasgow – 29 January 1951 in Edinburgh) was the pseudonym of a Scottish playwright, screenwriter and physician whose real name was Osborne Henry Mavor.Daniel Leary (1982) ''Dictionary of Literary Biography: ...

and his 1949 comic play ''

Daphne Laureola ''Daphne Laureola'' is a comic play by James Bridie about a young Polish refugee's infatuation with a middle-aged English woman. 'Egalitarianism is at the heart of this vision, but idealism may be just a liability.' Productions The play was fir ...

'', along with American writer James Jones and his 1951 novel ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...

''. Blitzstein also drew influence from the films of American filmmaker

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

and American choreographer

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

. In terms of classical music references, Blitzstein was fascinated by the emotionality of

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

and

Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...

's 1928 musical play ''

The Threepenny Opera ''The Threepenny Opera'' ( ) is a 1928 German "play with music" by Bertolt Brecht, adapted from a translation by Elisabeth Hauptmann of John Gay's 18th-century English ballad opera, '' The Beggar's Opera'', and four ballads by François V ...

''. For his opera's form, Blitzstein looked towards Verdi's 1853 opera '' La traviata'' for a model. Other influences included

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

's Symphony No. 2 (''Age of Anxiety'') and

Burton Lane Burton Lane ( Levy; February 2, 1912 – January 5, 1997) was an American composer and lyricist primarily known for his theatre and film scores. His most popular and successful works include '' Finian's Rainbow'' in 1947 and '' On a Clear Day Yo ...

's 1951 song, "Too Late Now". In 1956, Blitzstein shared his views on opera, stating that the art form could take a lesson from the language of musicals, "opera can certainly learn from them, particularly in the matter of communicativeness".

Roles

Plot

:Place:

Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

(New York) :Time: 9:30 pm to dawn (early 1950s)

Act 1

Scene 1: At 9:30 pm, a

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

unfolds between a small-time hustler Pez a lesson on pickpocketing to young vagrant Blazer. Soon, Reuben enters, a disheartened war veteran who reminisces about the good times in his life when he was part of a circus. Jane soon enters and asks Reuben for help in finding the BMT subway, however Reuben fails to speak and scares Jane away. Reuben commits himself to being able to speak and Fez soon returns, alarmed at Reuben's artificial demeanor, warning him that there are many thieves around. An Irish-American couple, Mr. and Mrs. J. Doakes, enter fighting which irritates Reuben, and soon Jane enters. They all hold a pleasant conversation and once Jane leaves the couple notice Reuben and soon exit. Reuben begins hating the world and decides to go for a drink. Scene 2: :Place: The Bar :Time: 10:00 pm Four "barflies" talk about their problems to the bar owner, Bart who is flipping coins anxiously as he's worried he'll lose power to his rival Malatesta. Soon, Reuben walks in which Bart takes as a sign from God. The two talk for a bit and Reuben gives Bart a note that says, "A high place." Bart's assistant Harry is tasked with helping Reuben find a place like this. Outside, Reuben passes two boys playing and sees one of the boy's shadow morph into a demon. He becomes fearful and states the words, "Bridge, that’s where." After his manic episode, he heads for the

Manhattan Bridge The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. Designed by Leon Moisseiff, the bridge has a tota ...

. Harry is tasked to follow him while Bart places odds on his death with Malatesta while the "barflies" watch. Scene 3: :Place: The Bridge :Time: 10:30 pm The Italian-American woman Nina has just landed a job at a call center. To celebrate, she is lazily walking on the Manhattan Bridge but is 'rescued' by Reuben who thinks she is about to jump off. She interprets his advance as assault and a cop comes to rescue her. Realizing that Reuben was trying to save her, she poses as his girlfriend and shoos the cop away. As the couple walk away, the cop laments his treatment. Scene 4: :Place: The Bar :Time: 11:00 pm Bart begins to feel secure in his bet with Malatesta when Reuben and Nina enter. They talk about their new friendship and Nina invites Reuben to the San Gennaro festival in

Little Italy, Manhattan Little Italy () is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City, once known for its Italian American population. It is bounded on the west by Tribeca and Soho, on the south by Chinatown, on the east by the Bowery and Lower East Side, a ...

. While Nina is in the bathroom, however, Bart encourages Reuben to commit suicide. Nina returns and senses Bart's malignant intentions. While they argue, Reuben escapes and is followed by Harry and Nina. Scene 5: :Place: The Carnival :Time: 11:30 pm Reuben and Nina are trying to find each other at the festival. However, Nina is being bothered by several friends and street vendors who are vying for her love. Once they find each other, the friends taunt the couple's love. Reuben entertains the crowd but Bart tries to get Reuben to talk about his father which the couple ignores, instead singing about love. Bart has Harry start a fight and Reuben tries to help but Nina gets him to leave. Scene 6: :Place: The Column :Time: 12:30 pm Reuben and Nina are sitting on a park bench together. Reuben, feeling remorseful, falls into a deep sleep on Nina's lap. When he wakes, they confess their love for each other. Soon, Bart's girlfriend appears and convinces them to come to the club "The Spot" where she works. Scene 7: :Place: The Spot :Time: 1:00 am The club is described by Blitzstein as a "tawdry, garish, sleazy, a Greenwich-village imitation of a fashionable night-club uptown." The Countess is performing a number when three girls perform a joint number after her. A fight between a black worker and a white patron upsets Reuben. The Countess eventually joins Nina, Reuben, and Bart at a table whereupon she tells the couple of Bart's bet. Reuben climbs to the chandelier and is encouraged to jump by Bart but dissuaded by Nina. Feeling unsure, when firefighters arrive with a net, he jumps and in the process reenacting his father's death.

Act 2

Scene 1: :Place: The Wards :Time: 2:30 am After a brief intermezzo, it is revealed that Reuben and Nina have been placed in a mental institution. The couple each help someone from their side of the institution, and the couple is eventually released. Scene 2: :Place: The Bedroom :Time: 3:00 am Nina and Reuben return to Little Italy while Bart waits for them, the arranger of their release. Having conquered death, Reuben plans to go to a party at Bart's to face him. Scene 3: :Place: The Bar :Time: 4:30 am A large group has arrived at the bar and the couple quickly arrive. Bart insults Reuben and Reuben wants to hit him but restrains himself. Bart still thinks Reuben will kill himself but he sees an upside down horseshoe and pushes Reuben who pushes Bart back. The Countess tells them to just leave and Harry finally quits. Scene 4: :Place: The Bridge :Time: Dawn A shipman is returning to his boat in Brooklyn by taking the bridge. He meets the couple and waves them goodbye. Reuben and Nina vow to start again.

Reception

The opera's run in Boston was a failure: audience members left in the middle of the show, and critics panned it. Nevertheless,

named his daughter Nina after the play's heroine. It was never performed again.

References

{{Authority control 1955 operas Operas by Marc Blitzstein English-language operas Operas set in the United States Operas Music based on the Faust legend Folk operas