Finian’s Rainbow–Finale

We wish the featured image was a little clearer; it is the best we could find of the Gospel quartet hired to sing at Sharon and Woody’s wedding. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Before the curtain had closed on Act One, Senator Rawkins had arrived at Rainbow Valley and had complained that Finian and Sharon and the other white people were “living” with black people and were thus breaking the law. He orders Finian and Sharon to leave immediately. Sharon is outraged at his behavior and says the first thing that came into her mind: “I wish to God you were black.”

Unfortunately for Senator Rawkins, Sharon was, at that very moment, standing over Og’s stolen crock of gold. And instantly (well, as instantly as the stage business will permit), the Senator is turned into an African-American. Fortunately for us, he is also turned into an African-American with a great set of vocal chords. But more on that in a minute.

The Sheriff, who is more used to taking orders than giving them, sees a black man where the Senator used to be and chases the black man right off the property. Perhaps this is the origin of the term, “dim bulb.”

As the curtain rises on Act Two, we see the result of the use of credit, as the formerly industrious poor have now become the idle rich. In a parody on idleness and class distinction, the cast sings “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich.” We have a delightful audio rendition from the 2016 Irish Repertory production.

While the Sheriff may be slow, he is not totally without deductive abilities; and between Acts, he has figured out that the man he chased off the property was, in reality, the new form of Senator Rawkins. Having found a crime (witchcraft), he accuses Sharon of witchcraft but is unable to arrest her because he is outnumbered. As he goes for reinforcements and the others leave, Susan enters the now empty woods and dances to express herself (“Dance of the Hidden Crock”). We have been unable to find a clip of the dance to provide to you; but we can tell you that, in the course of the dance, Susan finds the crock where Finian buried it. She takes it away to find a new and safer location.

As we move into the next scene, Senator Rawkins, who has been hiding in the woods, meets Og. Og ponders what to do, and he decides that the most important first step will be to change the “inside” of Rawkins before returning him to his former, white status. Having just enough magic left within his dwindling leprechaun body, Og says the magic words in song in order to make Rawkins into a “better person, not a worsen.” The song is “Fiddle Faddle,” and we have the audio version from the 2016 Irish Repertory production.

When Rawkins awakens, he finds that he has a wonderful, new view of life and meets three Gospel sings in search of a fourth to fill in their quartet. Rawkins auditions and is chosen to become the lead singer in the quartet. The song that they sing is “The Begat,” and we have two clips from the 2009 Encores! production. The first is a rehearsal performed for the press, led by the incomparable Chuck Cooper.

The second is a “sneak peek” at the finished version seen on the stage. Here we again see the quartet, now in white tie and tails (some subtle irony here), perform part of the song.

Og, who is searching for Sharon, mistakes Susan for Sharon, only to realize that his feelings for Sharon have now developed into feelings for Susan. (As an aside, for a leprechaun, Og certainly is a fast study on how the human male thinks and feels.) Back in the script, Og is agog and wonders if all human love is this fickle, as he sings “When I’m Not Hear the Girl I Love.” We have another “press event” video from the 2009 Encores! production, this time of Christopher Fitzgerald and Alina Faye. There is great humor in this number, as Og dances just a bit with Susan, only to forget her and turn to sing to the audience. Also, catch the wonderful way the two performers “converse” with each other in their dance steps–first alone and then in unison.

We also found a short, “sneak peek” of part of the final version.

We return to place, because it is so important to the plot. Og found Susan in a part of the woods that she reserves for herself, where she keeps everything of value in her life, including the new-found crock of gold. Not knowing what lies beneath his ever-increasingly-mortal feet, Og says that he wishes she could talk. Bong! The second wish has been used, and now Susan can say that she loves Og. However, Og is in a pickle; there is only one wish left. If he uses the last wish to save Sharon from the charge of witchcraft by reversing her wish, he will lose the gold and his leprechaun status forever. At this moment of indecision, Susan kisses him. Og’s mind is made up, and he wishes Rawkins to be white again.

Of course, that only changes the outside of the man; inside, he is still a good man looking to sing in a Gospel quartet.

Everyone welcomes Og and Susan, and they are amazed at the fact that Susan can hear and talk. Everyone breaks into song, a reprise of “If This Isn’t Love.” Finian is pleased that his daughter has found happiness and that Og is not displeased to be a mortal. However, Finian feels that he no longer has a place of contentment in Rainbow Valley, and he goes off in search of his own rainbow. “Maybe there’s no pot of gold at the end of it, but there’s a beautiful new world under it.”

The people wish him well and wave him goodbye to the sounds of a reprise of “How Are Things in Glocca Morra.”

We hope you have enjoyed our discussion of Finian’s Rainbow, and please join us again on Tuesday, January 23d, as we explore something new in the field of musicals. We don’t mean to be a tease, but right now we don’t have a clue what the subject will be.