Synopsis • Reviews • Pictures • Performance Details
Synopsis
On the eve of war, while a shift is taking place around the globe, a shift is also taking place in Harlem New York. Harlem Holiday – Harold Arlen explores the complicated and often stormy relationship between the multi-racial inhabitants of Harlem in 1939. Seeing through distrust, they discover common ground in their dreams for a better life.
 Harold Arlen, a cantor’s son from upstate New York, became identified as a composer with an ear for blues music and a favorite of African-American singers. This composer most famous for The Wizard of Oz was also a prolific writer of shows for the infamous Cotton Club. The show is set on two stoops, one African-American, the other Jewish. Using a radio set in a window, the cast is alternately reminded of their grim reality and carried away to flights of dreams. Using Arlen’s classic torch songs Stormy Weather, When the Sun Comes Out, and The Man That Got Away with his light-hearted gems Lydia, I’ve Got the World On a String and The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea, and even a ten-minute version of the film The Wizard of Oz, this show is a thought-provoking, emotional, and ultimately triumphant look at human relations.
Reviews
“OK, here’s a pop quiz for you. Who wrote the score to the Wizard of Oz? Here’s a clue: It’s the same fella who wrote that carefree little number, “Ive Got the World on a String,” that Tony Bennett made so popular. If you guessed Harold Arlen, then you’re really ahead of the game. Not knowing Arlen’s name certainly does not get in the way of enjoying his music, however, and should not stop audiences from enjoying the terrific tribute to him at Stamford Theatre Works…Certain liberties are taken in this production and Arlen might be surprised by some of the interpretations of his work, but he would most likely be pleasantly surprised. The cast members take a somewhat convoluted path down the yellow brick road with a hilarious take on “The Wizard of Oz.” Audience members may never look at this children’s classic the same way again.”
Ellen Wilder, The Stamford Advocate
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Details
Multi-ethnic cast of five. Scored for piano, bass, drums, and saxophone.
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