Klarinet Archive - Posting 000079.txt from 1994/04

From: James Langdell <James.Langdell@-----.COM>
Subj: The Lady and the Clarinet
Date: Mon, 11 Apr 1994 20:19:42 -0400

I have a copy now of the script of Michael Cristofer's
play "The Lady and the Clarinet." This edition, published
by Dramatists Play Service, includes 40 score pages of the
cues for unaccompanied clarinet, composed by Stanley Silverman,
that provide the music on stage throughout this play.

I've not read or played the whole thing yet, but I wanted to
share a passage from the beginning of the play. The lady,
Luba, is arranging for a romantic evening and had the whim of
having a live musician present. She comes into her bedroom
to find the hired clarinetist already there:

... I don't know why I thought of music, I was shopping, I
was making a big decision about avocado vinaigrette versus
prosciutto and melon, I already had the steaks and the candles,
and all of a sudden I thought, yes, why not? Music. But real,
not a record player, cassette, cartridge tape, four-track
imitation but the genuine article. ...

I wanted a cello, you know. I called and asked for a cello.
But they didn't have any. No, I'm sorry. That's a terrible
thing to say, isn't it? Yes, I didn't mean that, to say that,
not like that. I mean, I just never _thought_ of a clarinet,
I always forget about clarinets, how often do you think about
clarinets? I thought of a cello, but they didn't have any.
I was lucky. Play. Go on. Really. It's beautiful.

I always forget how a clarinet sounds. But it's perfect.
It even looks perfect. I always like a cello because of the
way it fits in between the legs. But a clarinet fits, too.
Between the lips. I feel better already.

That's a mark of what's wrong with the world today: Too many
people "always forget about clarinets."

I'll report more about this play and its music later.

--James Langdell jamesc@-----.com
Sun Microsystems Mountain View, Calif.