J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation

Last updated
J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation
MusicJonathan Larson
LyricsJonathan Larson
Book Jeffrey M. Jones
BasisThe life and times of J.P. Morgan

J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation is a 1995 musical with a book by Jeffrey M. Jones and music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson. [1]

Contents

Jonathan Larson was invited to compose music for En Garde Arts‘s production of Jeffrey M. Jones’ J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, a postmodern work detailing the life of financier J. P. Morgan. Larson was called in as a replacement as Jones' long-time collaborator, Dan Moses Schreier, dropped out, suggested by artistic director Annie Hamburger after hearing a recording of the workshop production of Rent at New York Theatre Workshop. [2]

Development

Ron Chernow's The House of Morgan was a major historical source for the team during development. [3]

The score for J.P. Morgan contains "Larson’s musical recipe" including classic composer John Philip Sousa, soul, Seattle-inspired music, and electric-guitar-heavy grunge. [2] Meanwhile, Entertainment Weekly described it as a "ragtime-to-rock satire". [4] Larson not only wrote new songs for the show but re-worked some of his older songs, particularly "Greenback Dollars," "Jack O'Diamonds," and "Run that Railroad" (which had its origins in an early song for RENT). [5]

The show was staged at the "pointedly appropriate setting" of the Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street, which was across the street from the Morgan Guaranty Trust Company, founded by the titular character. [6] Due to the nature of the location, background checks were performed on the actors. [7]

Songs

1. "All-American Businessman"
2. "I Loved A Sailor"
3. "The Beating/I Loved A Sailor"
4. "There's An Office Down There"
5. "Greenback Dollars"
6. "Get All You Want"
7. "The Woman Died"
8. "Run That Railroad"
9. "Susquehanna War"
10. "He Don't Know How"
11. "Gentleman's Agreement"
12. "Telegrams"
13. "Your Loving Wife"/ "Little Jack O'Diamonds" [performed in counterpoint]
15. "Appetite Annie"
16. "The Bailout"
17. "The Panic"
18. "Hold On To Your Money"
19. "I See A Man"
20. "Proceedings"
21. "Sail On"
[8]

Critical reception

According to The Atlantic , J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation, along with Larson's other shows Superbia and Tick, Tick... Boom! , "opened and closed quickly, in out-of-the-way venues". [9] The New York Times noted the piece's "intricate, even esoteric book...obviously the product of many hours of library research" and "peppy score in a post-modernist medley of musical voices". [6]

Reviews were mixed to negative, despite a positive review from Ben Brantley at The New York Times, and the show closed a week early. [10]

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References

  1. ↑ D'artes, E. Engar (1996-01-25). "JP MORGAN SAVES THE NATION". Engarde Arts. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  2. 1 2 Istel, John (1996-07-01). "'Rent' Check: Did Jonathan Larson's Vision Get Lost in the Media Uproar?". AMERICAN THEATRE. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  3. ↑ Collis, J. Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson. 2018. Outer Obscurity Productions. "Chapter Six: A Gentleman's Agreement - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation". 152.
  4. ↑ May 10, EW Staff Updated; EDT, 1996 at 04:00 AM. "Rent composer had a bright future". EW.com. Retrieved 2022-04-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ Collis, J. Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson. 2018. Outer Obscurity Productions. "Chapter Six: A Gentleman's Agreement - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation". 158-159.
  6. 1 2 Brantley, Ben (1995-06-16). "THEATER REVIEW; 'J. P. Morgan' and Some Heavy Site-Specificity". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  7. ↑ Collis, J. Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson. 2018. Outer Obscurity Productions. "Chapter Six: A Gentleman's Agreement - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation." 152.
  8. ↑ Collis, J. Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson. 2018. Outer Obscurity Productions. "Chapter Six: A Gentleman's Agreement - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation." 152. "Appendix C: Synopses". 329-333.
  9. ↑ Davis, Francis (1996-09-01). "Victim Kitsch". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-04-03.
  10. ↑ Collis, J. Boho Days: The Wider Works of Jonathan Larson. 2018. Outer Obscurity Productions. "Chapter Six: A Gentleman's Agreement - J.P. Morgan Saves the Nation." 171-173.


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