In the collection of essays that make up The Voodoo That They Did So Well: The Wizards Who Invented the New York Stage, author Stefan Kanfer explores the history of the American stage via some of its most prominent figures and institutions. From Mozart collaborator Lorenzo Da Ponte to Stephen Sondheim, Voodoo's scope spans two centuries and travels from the Old World to the New York stage.

From early childhood to the twilight of their careers, Voodoo examines the successes and failures of Broadway's greatest hit-makers. From Irving Berlin, the composer of such classics as "God Bless America" and "White Christmas," to Richard Rodgers, to George and Ira Gershwin, the Broadway stage's great brother duo, Kanfer enlightens each chapter with the history behind New York theatre's most prolific artists. He even includes chapters on the impact of Yiddish theatre on mainstream New York theatre and the life and death of vaudeville.

Other than the obvious language barrier, what set Yiddish theatre apart from popular New York theatre was its enraptured audience in the then insular and close-knit Lower East Side. As Kanfer explains, "The audience was in the lower east side and the actors lived in the lower east side. It was like a small town within a big town. It was really, really intimate. When people wanted to be entertained they went to the theatre. Modern distractions with i-pods and television and movies make it impossible to recreate that time."

Vaudeville has likewise disappeared, Kanfer notes. "Today's variety show and talk show is today's vaudeville. The Ed Sullivan Show was the most like old vaudeville." The buffet of entertainment combining comedy and music on Jay Leno and David Letterman's late night talk shows are thereby ancestors of yesterday's vaudeville reviews.

Every artist Kanfer explores eventually reaches high levels of critical praise for his work, but not without long years of hard work and struggle. "They all struggle. Art is never easy, [and] suffering is hidden for some. Richard Rogers dressed in a suit and tie, and he would only play songs for business; he was also an alcoholic. We don't know how neurotic Mozart was. Da Ponte wasn't overly depressed. He just needed money. Composers were very driven and often depressed. But they weren't necessarily doomed or felt their lives were doomed. [In the midst of their success they were] treated as if they were demi-gods. They were a very melodramatic stripe," he said.

All of the greats could be called geniuses in their own right. Surprisingly however, or maybe not so surprisingly, each artist's recipe for success included a great deal of blood and sweat. Most of all, the hard work poured into every detail of their work was the most surprising find for Kanfer in his research. " The difference between success and failure in theatre is a matter of three hours. They worked hard. They didn't let anyone see them work hard. They worked and reworked until they got it right. That's the nature of the theatre. A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To the Forum didn't work on the road, so Sondheim wrote a new song for the beginning in three hours [and made the show a long-running Broadway hit]. They would work on their act for months to make it appear effortless. Industriousness is common to all who made it look easy," Kanfer explained.

When asked what compelled him to write Voodoo, Kanfer gives two reasons. He has "always been a fan of the American Songbook". Infact, he enjoys his favorite classics in a very unique way, playing them on both his acoustic and electric ukuleles. It was his innate curiosity, however, that instigated his research and subsequent writings. "When I was a kid, I always wanted to know things that my parents knew that I didn't know," Kanfer admits. Hopefully Kanfer's characteristic curiosity will kindle many others, so that these rich lives and their impact on today will not be forgotten.

by
Alex Herrald