Dallas — In the past two decades, Michael John LaChiusa has been one of our most prolific composers for musical theater, as well as opera, not to mention shows he categorizes as musicals but others consider opera.
Critical acclaim has been constant, but mainstream success has yet to catch fire. Of the myriad of complex shows he has composed, only two have made it Broadway: the ambitious Marie Christine (1999) only had 42 performances, despite Audra McDonald in the title role; and the Tony-nominated The Wild Party (2000) made it to 68. His other works include Bernarda Alba, Hello Again (which will have its first local production this year at Uptown Players), See What I Want to See and First Lady Suite (the latter two have been performed at Theatre Three, which also did Wild Party, for which he came to Dallas to see).
He worked with McDonald again when his one-woman opera Send (who are you? I love you?) had its world premiere at the Houston Grand Opera (paired with Poulenc's La voix humaine), and a collaboration with the Metropolitan Opera (for a version of the tale of Scheherazade) is still in the works. He also recently had a new show open off-Broadway, Queen of the Mist (produced by the Transport Group, which give the Dallas-born Lysistrata Jones its New York debut).
Perhaps one of his biggest challenges, though, has been a musical version of Edna Ferber's novel Giant, best known for the 1956 movie starring Rock Hudson, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor. The musical, which features a book by Sybille Pearson, had an early workshop in 2009 at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia. That version was four hours long. It has been scaled back and for a new production that debuts at the Dallas Theater Center in January, in a co-production with New York's Public Theater.
Directed by Michael Greif (Rent, Grey Gardens and Next to Normal on Broadway), the production features a starry New York cast that includes Aaron Lazar, Kate Baldwin, P.J. Griffith and Dee Hoty. Previews begin tonight (Wednesday, Jan. 18), with the opening on Friday, Jan. 27. It runs through Feb. 19 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center's Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre.
TheaterJones talked to LaChiusa about the project.
TheaterJones: Had you read Giant when you were approached to turn it into a musical?
Michael John LaChiusa: I read it when I was younger, around 13, and I didn't remember much about it. It was a little mature for me when I first read it. I was familiar with the movie. It was the niece of Edna Ferber, Julie Gilbert, who approached me about the project, a good decade ago. That was the first time I really sat down to read it. So I read it and said "no, goodness, it's too big." Another year later she came back and said "are you sure you don't want to do it?" and I read it again. And I went "oh, I get it." I let it gestate for a while, and decided I would have to work with a collaborator instead of write the book myself, which I sometimes do. I approached my friend Sybille Pearson. She read it and said "oh, absolutely not." And I said please go back and read it again, and she did, and found a way into it, and that's how we began work on the piece.
I understand that when the show had an early version at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virgina, it was long.
It was four hours long with two intermissions. It was one of the most fascinating events, because I didn't know if we could pull it off. It was one of those wonderful opportunities for both Sybille and I because of the grant and the theater and the ideology of why we were allowed to do it at epic length. It was an "anything goes" sort of project. I said "OK, you're asking for it, I'm going to write a three-act epic, telling this story of America in 25 years. And it's about Texas. You don't do things small about Texas." We did it and the audience went on that ride, they were there from beginning to end. The show didn't feel like it was that long.
How did you decide to approach again with editing?
When we decided to bring the show to the Public Theater to see if they'd like to produce it, we had economic issues to deal with in a piece that long, for one thing. And secondly, on reflecting on it, we realized that we would always have our opera, with the commission for the original piece. I said "let's take this piece and transform it so it could travel." At the Signature, it was an art installation basically. They [told us that] there's a four-hour Porgy and Bess and there's a two-and-a-half hour Porgy and Bess, and you can have both. That gave me the inspiration to go into the piece and keep what we have, intact, and be able to edit it and condense, and still have the epic that we desire to be able to tell the story, without sacrificing.
The famous movie version wasn't completely faithful to the novel. Is yours?
Ours is solely based on the novel. We haven't done anything from the movie at all. In the movie there's quite a beautiful evocation of Texas, the pictures of Texas are what really tell the story. In ours, the music's job is to conjure up those images of the great sky you see there, or the 10,000 head of cattle.
One thing in the movie, and it's a classic scene, but it's not in the book or our show, is a conversation that Bick has with a bigoted restaurant owner. It shows a hero fighting. There's a very important reason why it doesn't happen in the book. That's one fundamental difference of our storytelling. There's something bigger at stake.
One of the themes is tolerance of immigrants. How does this story about Texas in the early 20th century relate to the larger picture of America?
We wanted to make sure that remarkable thing that the novel has of celebrating Texas but also not be afraid to open the era up and say "you know, this could be fixed." The book uses Texas as a metaphor for our entire country.
Edna Ferber, as a writer—and not just with Giant but with other books like Show Boat and Saratoga Trunk—did address issues that our country was facing. She had a point of view and influence that allowed her to choose subject matter and points of political interest that were global enough so that no matter what time period you're living in, you will recognize something in her book that's very similar to the time in which you are reading that book. Whether it be 10 years ago or 10 years from now. I think that universal look at the human condition is hopefully something we've infused the musical with, as a nod to Edna to prescient issues like Mexican immigration law and protection and border patrol and all that. Those are always going to be with us as a country. Like the legacy of slavery will always be a part of our identity. And that's what she sought to do as a writer, to see who are we as America, what is our identity? She was still writing about the '20s, but it was 20 later when she wrote the book. As long as she keeps it universal, it won't matter if it is indeed an issue about Muslims entering our country or Mexicans entering our country.
How much research did you do with the music of Texas and Mexico at that time?
I did the stuff that you have to do to get the taste of it in your mouth. I listened to cowboy songs from the turn of the century, and also bluegrass, the anthems, the Mexican dances, Mexican folk songs. All of those things I listen to, get a taste of, reflect on and then hopefully filter through my own point of view, my own sensibilities and feelings. There was a lot of research, but at some point you have to take the leap off into the deep end and go "OK, now it has to become mine." This is my idea of what this sounds like.
How much input did you have with the casting?
A lot. When you do a musical, you just don't hand the actor the music and say "sing it, act it." You begin the process of tailoring for that actor that's there in the room with you. And you learn along with them what they can do. Maybe you need to do something more, maybe you need to do something less. It's like tailoring, tucking in the waist or shortening or elongating the sleeves. There's that collaborative process, and musical-making is the most collaborative of all the disciplines. You work hand in hand with whatever actor is there in the room with you. You write to their strengths. The input is important for me in the casting process.
Kate Baldwin plays Leslie, the Elizabeth Taylor role. What made her right for the part?
The character ages, it takes close to 27 years, we have to see a young woman in her 20s move into her 40s and then into her early 50s. Kate has the ability to do that cross-generational switch without makeup, which we'll have and will be great, but she'll be able to bridge all those age groups.
You always seem to be working on several projects simultaneously. Is that difficult?
I have to, to keep a roof over my head. We all have to juggle things simultaneously these days. I like to do that as a matter of fact. What I try to allow for is that projects are in different stages. If I'm writing something new, I can always be in production for something that's already been through the workshop process. If things are in different stages, it's a little easier on the brain cells and my liver. It does require a certain degree of old fashioned vaudevillian plate twirling. You have to keep them up in the air. You have to focus a lot—and [have] a good bottle of cold vodka.
Many of your musicals have been based on source material ranging from Medea to Schnitzler's La Ronde to Federico Garcia Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba. How do the ideas come to you for adaptations and original stories?
Queen of the Mist, which is an original musical, just opened off-Broadway. For me, it's the story and the characters either grab me or they don't. I don't really know myself what it is. It's sort of like a genie, you hope to grab it by the tail when it comes whizzing by you and hang on tight if you can.
In an Opera News article you made what were considered disparaging remarks about another composer who had a hit show on Broadway, and he lashed back. What did you learn from that?
I learn from everything. First I learned that I should have a good editor watching what I write. I felt that maybe I should not have, what I felt sorry about was that people and feelings were hurt, and anybody who knows me knows that I never would do that. Of course I should have know that.
If I have an opinion, I'll say it. But I learned that if I'm writing my opinion out, it shouldn't be harmful to a person's ego or their sensitivity. Watch that.
I saw Marie Christine on Broadway and send (who are you? I love you?) at the Houston Grand Opera, both of which were written for and starred multiple Tony-winner Audra McDonald. Is she your muse?
I have worked with her and have written for her. We have a shorthand which is lovely. She tells me what she need and I give her what I need. Writing Send was real fun because Audra has a great comedic side to her.
I know you've been to Dallas before, when Theatre Three produced The Wild Party. Are you looking forward to returning?
I have a good time whenever I come down there and I eat really well.
◊ A shorter version of this article originally appeared in the December/January issue of Arts+Culture Magazine, which is still on stands around town. A+C is a TheaterJones media partner, and they also have a nifty new website. 
