Rhinegold: A Musical (1973-2023)

I woke from a dream the other morning and just couldn't get back to sleep. I was dreaming about the cabaret of the musical "Rhinegold" by Jim Steinman and Barry Keating, and somehow I'd been corralled into performing with the cast, singing the opening song "Swimming in the Rhine (And it's Fine)". It went a little something like... actually it went a lot like... because I was able to remember most of the lyrics:

"Swimming in the Rhine

And it's fine (So very fine)

Swimming in the Rhine

And it's fine (So very fine)

Surging foam and a watery, watery home

Guarding our deep sea shrine...”

REPEAT.

"Rock us O waters

Rock us O waters

Waft us away on a wave

Lull us you waters

Waft us away on a wave

Lull us you waters

Cradle and cuddle us (Away on a wave!)

Cradle and cuddle us (Away on a wave!)

Riverbed rapture

Riverbed rapture we crave...!"

Even though this is being sung by the Rhinemaidens, I was singing one of the parts to the song, and I always remember really relishing it once it got to this bit, warbling operatically to the back row:

"Hi ya by ya ly ya my ya why ya doo wa zat to me?

Doo wa boo wa who wa you wa—guarding glittering G-O-L-D!

Hi ya by ya ly ya my ya why ya doo wa zat to me?

Doo wa boo wa who wa you wa—guarding glittering G-O-L-D! G-O-L-D…!"

If you're reading these lyrics, and you have no idea what any of this sounds like, may I suggest you go along to this website and check out all the recordings you can download there: https://jimsteinman.com/rhinegold.htm

You also get a complete draft, which I believe is taken from the 1975 production at Playwrights' Horizons, and a whole gallery of pictures, possibly from the first production at the Mercer Arts Center in 1973.

My exposure to this score by Jim Steinman and Barry Keating was through the recordings at said site, in the year 2005, which was then followed by a CD (of same recordings) issued to fans through the Rockman Philharmonic. Eighteen years later, and this music has obviously made enough of an impact on me to be able to sing parts of it in one of my dreams.

The musical, if you were wondering, is based on "Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)" by Wilhelm Richard Wagner, the prelude to his four-part epic music drama "Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)". The other sections include: "Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)", "Siegfried" and "Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)". "Ring" was first performed all together in 1876 at the legendary Bayreuth Festspielhaus where many operas by Wagner were first performed, and are still performed to this day. If you've never heard this music, I can only say... Well, rent out "Excalibur" from 1981 and go from there. Oh and did I mention "Apocalypse Now"?

What's the plot, if you didn't already know? Here’s a bit of a rundown from Uncle Wiki: "The plot revolves around a magic ring that grants the power to rule the world, forged by the Nibelung dwarf Alberich from gold he stole from the Rhine maidens in the river Rhine. With the assistance of the god Loge, Wotan—the chief of the gods—steals the ring from Alberich, but is forced to hand it over to the giants Fafner and Fasolt in payment for building the home of the gods, Valhalla, or they will take Freia, who provides the gods with the golden apples that keep them young. Wotan's schemes to regain the ring, spanning generations, drive much of the action in the story..."

The majority of what you've just read is the summary for "Das Rheingold", but the last sentence also establishes the remaining three narratives, which leads to... again, check out "Excalibur", "Apocalypse Now" etc. etc. etc.

Of course, "Das Rheingold" is also the basis for the Jim Steinman/Barry Keating musical first performed at the Mercer Shaw Theatre, part of the Mercer Arts Centre in New York, June 1973. The production was helmed by author and lyricist Barry Keating, with choreography from playwright Wendy Wasserstein, Tom Willis as musical director and arranger, costumes from Bosha Johnson, lighting by Phillip A. Haultcoeur, set from Frank Siciliano including set pieces by Hope Auerbach, and more.

Cast included: Craig-Richard Nelson as the King of the Rhine and one of the Giants Fasolt; Barbara Korey, Jessica Harper (yes, that Jessica Harper!), and Ursuline Kairson as the Rhinemaidens; Andre De Shields (yes, that Andre De Shields!) as Alberich the Nibelung; Roger Brown and Ann Bardack as Wotan, King of the Gods and his Queen Fricka; P.J. Tomc as Friea, Goddess of Youth; Chuck Oberlander as the Other Giant Fafner; John Seidman and John Mills (no, not that John Mills?!), as Froh, God of Youth and Donner (Thor?), God of Thunder; Tom Leo as Loge, God of Fire; Gregory Johnson as Mime, Alberich’s Nibelung sibling; plus Johanna Albrecht as Erda, the Earth Goddess who gets a showstopper "Hushabye"; and Kenneth Shippy, Mimi Kennedy (yes, Mimi Kennedy!) and more rounding out the cast as Sea Creatures and Nibelungs.

In amongst that impressive line-up was pianist Keith Musgrave providing, I believe, musical accompaniment to the action taking place onstage. Who was Keith Musgrave? If I'm remembering my info correctly, he later wrote a little album called "Bat out of Hell" sung by a guy named Meat Loaf. Major thank you, by the way, to Ben Miller for providing the cast/crew information there, in a program he discovered a few years ago.

(Quote from Jim's bio: "Mr. Steinman's work for the coming year include a score for the Shakespeare Festival's King Lear this summer; a musical version of Brecht's Arturo Ui, adapted in collaboration with director Alan Schneider, for the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C.; and Brecht's Good Woman of Setzuan as a musical, for a new production at London's National Theatre next spring. He will also begin work on a solo rock and roll album.")

(Quote from Barry’s bio: "His pet wish is to have directed productions of Brecht-Weill's "Mahagonny", Hugo von Hofmannsthal's "Elektra" and a complete version of Wagner's Ring Cycle in English before age 28.")

Judging by the recordings (which I'm guessing came from the first production) "Rhinegold" was a tremendous success. Sadly, however, the Mercer Arts Center was not to last.

Wikipedia: "On August 3, 1973, allegedly due in part to illegal alterations on a basement bearing wall, a section of the Broadway façade of the structure, then known as the University Hotel, collapsed onto Broadway, killing four residents of the hotel... On the Mercer Street side of the hotel there was the Mercer Arts Center, a complex of live theaters operated by Sy and Cynthia Kaback. The collapse occurred just hours before the theaters were due to be filled with hundreds of patrons. The remains of the hotel were demolished, and New York University subsequently built a 22-story student dorm for law students on the site."

About five months later, another musical by Jim Steinman called "More Than You Deserve", his collaboration with playwright Michael Weller, opened at the New York Shakespeare Festival Public Theater, where it ran from November to January the following year. The first act would end with a rousing number called "Song of the City of Hope" which reprised the entire closing number from "Rhinegold", this time with Meat Loaf joining on vocals. Because, yes, this is the musical where Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman first met, but that's another story.

A second production of "Rhinegold" would emerge at New York's Playwrights Horizons from March to April 1975. This time the cast included Johanna Albrecht, George Ayer, Alan Braunstein, Sarah Harris (a legendary name from early Steinman era), Mary Hendrickson, Pat Lavelle, Lester Malizia, Howard Meadow, Edwin Owens, Ellen Parks (another legendary name from early Steinman era), Chuck Richie, Frank Thompson and Ron Van Lieu. Regretfully, we don't seem to have any information available on who played what.

Robert Moss was Executive Director (I'm going to guess that Barry directed in some capacity), with Jim now joining Barry on book-writing, with a team including Production Coordinator Kathleen Chalfant, Technical Director Charles Tyndall, Music Director Jez Davidson, Set Designer Calvin Churchman, Costume Designer Bosha Johnson, Lighting Designing Jim Chaleff, Publicity Joan Lowell, and Stage Manager Joel Brehm. Thank you Jim Steinman Wiki for this information!

Here are some more productions from Playwrights Horizons, all Pulitzer Prize winners: Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's "Sunday in the Park with George" (1985), Alfred Uhry's "Driving Miss Daisy" (1988), Wendy Wasserstein's "The Heidi Chronicles" (1989) (we saw her name earlier too!), Doug Wright's "I Am My Own Wife" (2004), Bruce Norris's "Clybourne Park" (2011), Annie Baker's "The Flick" (2014), and Michael R. Jackson's "A Strange Loop" (2020). Rewind back to early 1975 and Jim and Barry are performing "Rhinegold" there!

A note before I continue: the script on the website is credited with Book by Jim Steinman and Barry Keating. The first production was written by Barry Keating, so what you are reading, in fact, is the second iteration of the show. The first one seems to have a prologue which is missing by 1975. Historian me, (no, not that Historian, if you know what I mean!), would love to see the first one. "But, ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, tonight's history."

Or music! Because now I'm going to take a look at these songs!

"Swimming in the Rhine (And it's Fine)"---we begin with a watery piano riff, and what sounds like the 1940s Andrews Sisters "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" version of the River Rhine, with this very memorable little tune. Thanks to some sheet music from the musical "More Than You Deserve", I was finally able to nut out the lines I couldn't hear on the recording:

"Cradle and cuddle us (Deep in your heart)

Cradle and cuddle us (Deep in your heart)

Nothing can keep us

Nothing can keep us apart!" I do love solving a good mystery!

"Beautiful Rhinegold"---now the music changes, as the Rhinemaidens and Sea Creatures come together to sing this hymn to the river Rhinegold. "Wake full of rapture/Laugh with delight/Glow in the morning/and gleam in the night..." The recording cuts out though, so after all these years, I've never really heard an "ending" to this song.

"Godz"---this is like a medley of about four different songs. The first section might be familiar to Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman fans, because Wotan/Odin is singing "Let the Revels Begin" from the 1982 Meat Loaf tour. Earlier, it had also appeared as "Formation of the Pack" in Jim's "Neverland".

I can hear an arrangement in my mind. "Let the Revels Begin" is like a theatrical rock beginning, before Friea comes charging in with "Nightmare", and believe me, to me this is heavy metal. The guitars are insane! "The Giants' Song" begins next, and now I can imagine more orchestra coming in, but it feels like a very primal rock experience, very savage sounds, (yes, sort of how Jim described the score for "Tanz der Vampire" in 1997!). Finally, everything comes together in a huge raging cacophony with "War Cry Battle Yell!" and again... this is so much more than piano, even though it's piano on the recording. It conjures the entire thing!

"Who'd do the Dirty?"---next we have Andre singing the first version I ever heard of the song "Who'd do the Dirty?" He's listed in the 1973 program as Alberich the Nibelung, but the 1975 script says this is performed by Loge, God of Fire. I'm a little confused, but damn is it fun. It sort of feels like Jim's predecessor to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", at least musically.

Barry has written some razor sharp lyrics: "I can tear out your heart/I can suck out your soul/I can pull you apart and put you back again whole/I can flicker and flame/I can do as I dare/Cause it's all just a game/And I really don't care...” REPEAT! It could almost be a song for the Joker.

"Chinkachain"---I have always utterly adored this thing, almost from the very first time I heard it. The lyrics are supposed to describe how the Nibelungs are toiling at their forge. The script describes it as a bit of a bizarre Disney number. To me, it's sort of like Tweedledee and Tweedledum. The music will later appear in the "Neverland" instrumental "The Hunt" and other Jim scores like "Kid Champion" and "Batman".

"Master of the Earth"---here we have Andre singing again, presumably as Alberich. There are some lyrics here I can't make out, which aren't published in the draft, but I know there are more lines! Andre sings: "Hoi ho! Hoi hey! Pile up the bounty/and a hustle/and a hustle away!" But he's singing something else! Something my ears can't humanly transcribe! Make my year if you can get the lyric. Musically, we can also hear snatches of "The Hunt" from "Neverland", and I love these little connections between Jim's scores.

"Hushabye"---this must be Johanna Albrecht as Erda, the Earth Goddess. She sang this again (in some form anyway) as Emily in "Neverland", but that part of the show was never recorded. Thankfully, we have this version, because it has always blown my mind. The soaring vocal reminds me of Susanna Foster in the 1943 "Phantom of the Opera" and "The Climax". This is one of the high points of the score, and for anyone witnessing this at the cabaret you are in for a treat!!!!

"Rainbow and Finale"---after Mother Erda warns Wotan/Odin to yield the ring, the Godz gather before the Rainbow Bridge, as the Rhinemaidens sing mournfully below. Yes, this is the song that becomes "Song of the City of Hope" in "More Than You Deserve". If you've ever seen the movie "A Small Circle of Friends" (1980, United Artists), Jim reused the theme again in his score here. I can always hear it in Jim's song too, "Lost Boys and Golden Girls".

The recordings here are both a demo, featuring—I'm going to guess—Ursuline Kairson on lead vocals, with Meat Loaf very clearly singing in the background (!!), followed by a full cast rendition of the finale. As the curtain falls, and the last notes play, the audience is left wondering what will ultimately become of the Ring forged by Alberich from the Rhinegold. Did Jim and Barry ever consider adapting the other stories? I can only imagine at this point.

Bonuses: "Instrumental"---this comes from the "Kid Champion" instrumental which you can also download on the Steinman site. The other piece is "Chinkachain" which sounds like an edited version of the same recording. The 2005 CD came with an Andre piano and vocal demo of "Who'd do the Dirty?" which you can now find as part of the "Bat out of 2100" demos.

Fifty years later, "Rhinegold" will be performed in a cabaret version at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, New York City. Note: Laurie Beechman, the legendary performer who also recorded the female vocal on "Total Eclipse of the Heart" from the "Bat 2100" demos. A great little connection there! This is one of my favourite versions of the song, which she sang as a duet with Marcus Lovett.

Barry once again returns to direct with a cast that will include Iris Beaumier, Bradley Dean, Madge Dietrich, Jon Lonoff, Mariah Lyttle, Andrew Polec, Larry Purifory, Greg Sullivan, and none other than Andre De Shields reprising his role from the original productions. Musical Direction is from Drew Wutke, who along with Andrew Polec, also worked on the fiftieth anniversary concert of "The Dream Engine" at Amherst, another Jim Steinman musical. The show will be performed twice but for one night only 14 July, at 7 and 9:30 P.M. If you find yourself unable to resist the call of the Rhinegold, then by all means, get along. Tickets here: https://lauriebeechmantheatre.venuetix.com/

Thank you for reading,

Ryan.