In a selection from his book Studies in Music with Text, David Lewin explores the idea of musical analysis as stage direction. He proposes that different features within a score of music (with text) imply dramatic direction to be actualized on stage. He discusses the natural intuition that one develops about the behaviour of characters in a drama and how these characteristics “seek validation” through musical-textual analysis. To put it succinctly, Lewin states, “no analysis without direction; no directing without analysis”. He then goes on to apply his maxim to a piece from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.
Lewin’s theory proved to be valuable in the analysis of opera music, but would it suffice within the context of music theatre? Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls (1950) is a musical that features Runyonesque characters in New York who live their lives under the radar and prefer to go by colourful aliases such as “Angie the Ox” and “Rusty Charlie”. Miss Adelaide is a showgirl who has been engaged to big-time gambler Nathan Detroit for fourteen years. After years of him putting off their wedding, Adelaide complains to Nathan that she is done waiting and insists that they elope right in that very moment. Due to a lost bet, Nathan nervously tells Adelaide that he cannot run off with her at that very second because he has to attend a prayer meeting. Convinced that Nathan is lying to her to worm his way out of commitment, Adelaide becomes upset and the pair break into the duet, “Sue Me”.
“Sue Me”
Performed by Faith Prince and Nathan Lane
Although this number is a duet, Adelaide and Nathan barely sing together, which makes it sound more like a back-and-forth musical argument. Adelaide sings during the verses and Nathan repeats the chorus. Tonally, the piece is written in Bb major with minimal deviation from the home key. To illustrate their sides of the argument, Loesser writes in different time signatures, and the orchestration highlights different instruments in Adelaide and Nathan’s parts. As the one in their relationship who is upset, Adelaide mostly rants about how poorly treated she feels by Nathan and vents her frustration and sadness. Her part is written in a quick 6/8 time signature with sparse orchestration. Her verses follow a pattern where she is initially angry, then gradually becomes sadder. She begins by ranting about Nathan’s behaviour for approximately 8 bars over staccato accompaniment played mostly by the brass, percussion, and keyboard sections of the orchestra. Chords are played on only the two strong beats. Afterwards, Adelaide reflects upon how she has tried to handle the situation (“when I think of the time gone by and I think of the way I tried”) and this time chords are played on every eighth note in the bar. This compositional technique results in a build-up of tension that is resolved when she reaches the climax of her verse where she dejectedly admits that she could “honestly die”. Nathan periodically attempts to stop her from spiralling and get her attention (“Adelaide, Adelaide!”) to no avail. One could compare Adelaide’s verses to a speeding train that eventually slows, until it reaches its destination. Her thoughts race until she finally admits how much of a toll the relationship has taken on her.
In contrast to Adelaide’s high-energy verse filled with strong emotion, Nathan’s chorus is written in 3/4 time with a waltz-like feel. He tries to express his feelings of regret to Adelaide (“sue me”/“what can you do me”) as the woodwind and string sections of the orchestra illustrate his apologetic tone. Adelaide interrupts Nathan’s apology a couple of times in which she pulls the accompaniment back into a 6/8 feel for approximately 4 bars on “the best years of my life” and “when you wind up in jail”, trying to take over the conversation. Nathan cuts her off both times, exasperatedly wailing “ALRIGHT already”, discreetly falling back into 3/4 to finish his apology. Those instances are the only times when the pair’s vocal lines overlap. Each chorus Nathan sings ends with “I love you” and the accompaniment attempts to cadence but is overtaken by Adelaide’s verses as she continues to rant throughout the song. The first couple of times Nathan ends his sections with “I love you”, the words are sung on the 6th (in solfege: la), 3rd (mi), and 1st (do) scale degrees. The very last time he makes the statement at the end of the song, “love” is sung on the 5th (sol) scale degree. The larger interval between “I” and “love” (minor 7th) is an indication of Nathan’s rising desperation to have Adelaide forgive him. Instead, she exits the stage and Nathan hangs his head in sorrow as the orchestra plays the final chords.
There are several points of analysis in the accompaniment that illustrate how both characters feel, however there are just as many points that indicate physical and comedic cues as well. As Adelaide rants about how dysfunctional their relationship is, she paces around to a brisk tempo. Depending on the actress and production, sometimes Adelaide carries a handkerchief or purse and repeatedly flicks Nathan with it on beat to let out her anger. When she has finished ranting, she often ends up across the stage from Nathan and he uses the waltz-like tempo of the chorus to slowly draw nearer to her. In Nathan Lane and Faith Prince’s performance, the director did a successful job of having the stage direction balance the humour and gimmicks in the acting with the more serious and melancholic undertones of the song. When analyzing the performance through the lens of Lewin’s maxim, “Sue Me” makes for an entertaining duet that effectively develops the plot of Guys and Dolls as well as the relationship between Nathan and Adelaide.