🔗 Share this article

Separating from the more prominent partner in a performance duo is a risky business. Comedian Larry David went through it. The same for Musician Andrew Ridgeley. Presently, this clever and deeply sorrowful small-scale drama from screenwriter Robert Kaplow and director Richard Linklater tells the nearly intolerable tale of Broadway lyricist the lyricist Lorenz Hart just after his split from composer Richard Rodgers. His role is portrayed with theatrical excellence, an unspeakable combover and simulated diminutiveness by actor Ethan Hawke, who is frequently digitally shrunk in size – but is also occasionally shot placed in an off-camera hole to look up poignantly at heightened personas, confronting Hart’s vertical challenge as actor José Ferrer previously portrayed the diminutive artist Toulouse-Lautrec.

Complex Character and Themes

Hawke earns substantial, jaded humor with the character's witty comments on the subtle queer themes of the film Casablanca and the excessively cheerful musical he recently attended, with all the rope-spinning ranch hands; he bitingly labels it Okla-queer. The sexuality of Lorenz Hart is multifaceted: this picture clearly contrasts his queer identity with the non-queer character invented for him in the 1948 stage show the musical Words and Music (with actor Mickey Rooney acting as Hart); it cleverly extrapolates a kind of dual attraction from Hart's correspondence to his young apprentice: youthful Yale attendee and would-be stage designer the character Elizabeth Weiland, acted in this movie with uninhibited maidenly charm by the performer Margaret Qualley.

As a component of the legendary New York theater lyricist-composer pair with musician Richard Rodgers, Hart was responsible for matchless numbers like the song The Lady Is a Tramp, the number Manhattan, My Funny Valentine and of course the titular Blue Moon. But annoyed at the lyricist's addiction, inconsistency and melancholic episodes, Rodgers ended their partnership and partnered with Oscar Hammerstein II to write Oklahoma! and then a multitude of theater and film hits.

Psychological Complexity

The movie envisions the deeply depressed Lorenz Hart in the show Oklahoma!'s first-night NYC crowd in 1943, looking on with jealous anguish as the performance continues, despising its insipid emotionality, abhorring the exclamation mark at the conclusion of the name, but heartsinkingly aware of how lethally effective it is. He knows a hit when he watches it – and perceives himself sinking into failure.

Before the intermission, Lorenz Hart unhappily departs and makes his way to the pub at the venue Sardi's where the rest of the film occurs, and waits for the (certainly) victorious Oklahoma! troupe to show up for their post-show celebration. He realizes it is his performance responsibility to congratulate Richard Rodgers, to pretend things are fine. With polished control, Andrew Scott portrays Richard Rodgers, obviously uncomfortable at what they both know is the lyricist's shame; he offers a sop to his pride in the appearance of a short-term gig writing new numbers for their ongoing performance A Connecticut Yankee, which only makes it worse.

• Actor Bobby Cannavale plays the barman who in conventional manner attends empathetically to Hart's monologues of vinegary despair
• Patrick Kennedy plays author EB White, to whom Hart accidentally gives the idea for his children’s book Stuart Little
• Margaret Qualley portrays Weiland, the inaccessibly lovely Yale attendee with whom the picture conceives Lorenz Hart to be intricately and masochistically in love

Hart has earlier been rejected by Richard Rodgers. Certainly the universe wouldn't be that brutal as to have him dumped by Weiland as well? But Qualley ruthlessly portrays a youthful female who wishes Hart to be the laughing, platonic friend to whom she can confide her exploits with guys – as well of course the showbiz connection who can promote her occupation.

Acting Excellence

Hawke shows that Lorenz Hart somewhat derives voyeuristic pleasure in learning of these young men but he is also authentically, mournfully enamored with Elizabeth Weiland and the picture informs us of an aspect infrequently explored in pictures about the domain of theater music or the films: the dreadful intersection between professional and romantic failure. Nevertheless at a certain point, Lorenz Hart is boldly cognizant that what he has achieved will persist. It's a magnificent acting job from Ethan Hawke. This may turn into a live show – but who shall compose the numbers?

The movie Blue Moon was shown at the London film festival; it is available on 17 October in the USA, November 14 in the UK and on the 29th of January in the Australian continent.