I Could Write A Book
I Could Write A Book
The Jazz Age Writers
Sat, Aug 7, 8:00 - 10:00 pm
Silva Concert Hall, Hult Center
The Eye Center
Presenting Festival Sponsor
Our Grand Finale concert will focus on three American writers -- F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940), John O'Hara (1905-70), and Damon Runyon (1880-1945). In the case of Fitzgerald, we'll show how he constantly referenced song titles and lyrics, in both his short stories and novels, in a way that they became almost a literary version of a film score, and used these songs, and their associations, to augment and further his characters and plots. There are over seventy instances of popular songs mentioned in his books, and that's not counting his own "made-up" titles and lyrics...
With O'Hara and Runyon, we'll turn the tables and show the influence their writing had on popular composers, with excerpts from Rodgers & Hart's 1940 Pal Joey, which was based a series O'Hara short stories published by The New Yorker in the late 1930s, and Frank Loesser's 1950 masterpiece Guys And Dolls, which was based on several Damon Runyon short stories: "The Idyll of Sarah Brown" and "Blood Pressure" and "Pick The Winner", all from his 1932 collection, Guys And Dolls.
Event Personnel
Ken Peplowski, director, clarinet
Julie Alsin, vocals
Shirley Andress, vocals
Clairdee, vocals
Bob Cross, vocals
Bill Hulings, vocals
Ian Whitcomb, vocals
Dan Barrett, trombone
Jesse Cloninger, reeds
Rod Fleeman, guitar
Doug Miller, bass
Chuck Redd, drums
PROGRAM
SET I -- F. Scott Fitzgerald
Tender Is The Night (1941)
 Hindustan(1918)O. Wallace/H. Weeks (w/m)
 Smiles(1917)
    - introduced in The Passing Show of 1918
J. Callahan (w), L. Roberts (m)
 Tea For Two(1925)
    - introduced in No, No Nanette
I. Caesar (w), V. Youmans (m)
 Poor Butterfly(1916)
    - introduced in The Big Show
J. Golden (w), R. Hubbell (m)
The Last Tycoon (1941)
 Lovely To Look At(1935)
    - introduced in Roberta
D. Fields (w), J. Kern/J. McHugh (m)
 Top Hat, White Tie And Tails(1935)
    - introduced in Top Hat
I. Berlin (w/m)
 My Blue Heaven(1927)W. Donaldson/G. Whiting (m)
 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes(1933)
    - introduced in Roberta
O. Harbach (w), J. Kern (m)
The Great Gatsby (1925)
 Beale Street Blues(1916)W. Handy (w/m)
 The Love Nest(1920)
    - introduced in Mary
O. Harbach (w), L. Hirsch (m)
 Ain't We Got Fun(1921)
    - introduced in Satires of 1920
R. Egan (w), G. Kahn (m)
 The Sheik Of Araby(1921)H. Smith/F. Wheeler (w), T. Snyder (m)
SET II -- John O'Hara & Damon Runyon
John O'Hara - Pal Joey (1940)
 I Could Write A Book(1940)
    - introduced in Pal Joey
L. Hart (w), R. Rodgers (m)
 You Mustn't Kick It Around(1940)
    - introduced in Pal Joey
L. Hart (w), R. Rodgers (m)
 What Is A Man?(1940)
    - introduced in Pal Joey
L. Hart (w), R. Rodgers (m)
 Bewitched (Bothered And Bewildered)(1940)
    - introduced in Pal Joey
L. Hart (w), R. Rodgers (m)
Damon Runyon - Guys and Dolls (1950)
 Guys and Dolls(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
 If I Were A Bell(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
 I've Never Been In Love Before(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
 Luck Be A Lady(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
 I'll Know(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
 Fugue for Tinhorns(1950)
    - introduced in Guys and Dolls
F. Loesser (w/m)
Featured composers, lyricists, creators
Irving Berlin
Irving Caesar
J. Will Callahan
Walter Donaldson
Raymond B. Egan
Dorothy Fields
John Golden
W. C. Handy
Otto Harbach
Lorenz Hart
Louis A. Hirsch
Raymond Hubbell
Gus Kahn
Jerome Kern
Frank Loesser
Jimmy McHugh
Lee S. Roberts
Richard Rodgers
Harry B. Smith
Ted Snyder
Oliver Wallace
Harold Weeks
Francis Wheeler
George A. Whiting
Vincent Youmans
Ticket/Venue Info
I Could Write A Book Ticket Prices
Seat LvlFull PriceDiscount Prices
15%  20%  25%  Youth 
AA36.00  30.75  29.00  27.00  18.00 
A30.00  25.50  24.00  22.50  15.00 
B24.00  20.50  19.25  18.00  12.00 
O18.00  15.50  14.50  13.50  9.00 
Silva Concert Hall
Hult Center for the Performing Arts
One Eugene Center
Eugene, Oregon
541-682-5000
Purchase tickets at:
1. The Shedd Ticket Office
541.434.7000
2. The Hult Ticket Office
541.682.5000
OFAM 2010 Schedule
Friday Jul 23
7:30 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
Saturday Jul 24
7:30 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
Wednesday Jul 28
8:00 pmSwingin' The Dream
Thursday Jul 29
2:00 pmWhy Can't You Behave?
8:00 pmMan Bites Dog
Friday Jul 30
2:00 pmThe Rain In Spain
7:30 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
7:30 pmKiss Me, Kate
Saturday Jul 31
2:00 pmKiss Me, Kate
8:00 pmSuch Sweet Thunder
Sunday Aug 1
2:00 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
Wednesday Aug 4
7:30 pmKiss Me, Kate
Thursday Aug 5
2:00 pmWhere Did Robinson Crusoe Go
8:00 pmWhen You Wish Upon A Star
Friday Aug 6
2:00 pmSomewhere
7:30 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
7:30 pmKiss Me, Kate
Saturday Aug 7
2:00 pmThe Boys From Syracuse
8:00 pmI Could Write A Book
The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts
E. Broadway & High Street, Eugene | PO Box 1497, Eugene OR 97440-1497 | Phone 541.687.6526 | Tickets: 541.434.7000 | Email: info@theshedd.net
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Shedd Institute Reviews