Lorenz Hart and Richard Charles Rodgers had a long and fruitful collaboration, producing shows between 1920, with Poor Little Ritz Girl, to their last work together By Jupiter (1942). Although the duo had success it could not compare to either the popularity or longevity that Rodgers work with Oscar Hammerstein II enjoyed with Oklahoma! (1943), Carousel (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951) and The Sound of Music (1959), few composers could have left such an important legacy.

By Jupiter was originally based on an existing play, The Warrior's Husband by Julian F. Thompson, however, the recording on offer is not the original show, but an off Broadway revival which ran between 19 January 1967 and 30 April 1968 after running for 118 performances.

The story is slight indeed, with an army headed by Theseus and Hercules, heading off to the land of the Amazons to steal the Sacred Girdle of Diana from the Amazonian queen, Hippolyta.

Ok the whole show is jolly, if a little misogynistic, though this is to be expected given its original age. The revival had additional material by Fred Ebb, though without going back to the original it’s difficult to know just what it was he contributed, I’m guessing he updated a few elements which now, themselves, feel outdated. The revival starred Bob Dishy, I kid you not!

I have a real problem with By Jupiter, partially; lyrically the show is average at best. It’s light hearted, fluffy and forgettable, but mostly it’s the music. Sure, it’s jolly and above average, but you look at what Rodgers would produce, the following year, with Oklahoma! (1943), a show, which exists, at a wholly different level to By Jupiter.

The full track listing is:

'For Jupiter and Greece', 'Jupiter Forbid', 'Life With Father', 'Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me', 'In The Gateway of the Temple of Minerva', 'Here's A Hand', 'Finale Act 1', 'Wait Till You see Her', 'The Boy I Left Behind Me', 'Ev'rything I've Got', 'Bottoms Up', 'Careless Rhapsody', 'Finale Act II' and 'Jupiter Forbid (Reprise)'.

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with the show and as it represents the last collaboration between Rodgers and Hart, there is an element of historical importance, but when all is said and done, it’s not Oklahoma!

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Charles Packer