2.4 Paint Your Wagon!

The Gospel of Musical Theatre

It's the last installment of our Lerner & Loewe deep dive, and it's kind of a downer. But an interesting one: Paint Your Wagon, the quintessential expression of loneliness and the challenge of connection.

We talk about:

• Changes: The differences between the 1951 Broadway musical and the 1969 film – and how things had changed in the real world from 1951 & 1969
• Polyamory: The sexual & gender politics of Ben, Pardner & Elisa's relationship in the film
• Manliness: The vision of American masculinity embodied in the Western myth and the songs "Wandrin’ Star," "Another Autumn," and "I Talk to the Trees"
• Dynamics: The theological, economic, and social dynamics of connection & completion given voice in songs like “They Call the Wind Maria,” and the dynamics embodied in the questions they raise.
• Wistfulness: Whether shows from another era—like My Fair Lady, Paint Your Wagon, Gigi—help us identify with their creators & original audiences, or whether they romanticize & perpetuate a false narrative about the past
• Our Verdict: Our speculative take on the psychology of Lerner & Lowe based on the characters they create

You’ll hear:

• James Barton singing “Wandrin’ Star” from the 1951 Broadway Cast recording
• Justin Guarini singing “Another Autumn” and Nathan Hackman singing “They Call the Wind Maria” from the 2015 Encores! Cast recording
• Tony Bavaar singing “I Talk to the Trees” from the 1951 Broadway Cast recording

Continue the conversation with Peter (@pgeinvan) and Nathan (@nathan_lerud) on Twitter, and follow us on Instagram or Twitter @gospelofmt!