They said it couldn't be done. When Phillip Himberg started checking around to see how to get permission to put "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" on stage at Sundance, he was told it simply wouldn't happen.
"I had called the only person I knew, Sheldon Harnick, who did the English translation of the show, and told him my idea. He said, 'It's great but unfortunately, it can't be done.' "It seems that Jacques Demy, who directed the original French film ,and also wrote the screenplay and song lyrics, had a very bad experience when the show was produced as an English-language stage play in 1979 in Los Angeles. And he made it very clear before he died that it would never be done on stage again. Demy's widow, Agnes Varda, has been determined to honor his wishes.
But Varda was persuaded after Himberg talked with her and explained his concept. Sundance would not produce the show in a traditional manner, with multiple sets and scene changes, but in a fluid, concert-style presentation.
"It's all geometry and traffic," said New York-based director Damien Gray. "We've tried to create a movement based on optical motion like a camera moves. There's no set. The stage is empty and everyone is in blue. There's only one piece on the stage and it's a metal, movable piece."
Composer Michel LeGrand, who wrote the music - which was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1965 - including the film's signature song, "I Will
Wait For You," approved the idea and arranged to release the rights for a one-time run. But then LeGrand changed agents and the process began all over again. "It was a very complicated task," said Himberg.
Eventually, Sundance got permission from LeGrand and Varda, and Harnick came to Uah to teach the cast phrasing and timing.
More than 30 years after the film's debut, the script was found to be in pieces, and Harnick was needed to help show the cast how it all fit together with English words.
(A theatrical re-release of "Umbrellas" in 1996 had a similar rocky road. The master tape and copies of the film print had disintegrated by the mid-1970s. Fortunately, however, Demy had archived multiple monochromatic negatives, which, when properly combined with one another, allowed recreation of the original color for the new release, which is now on video.)
Add to the intricacies of obtaining the performance rights, a demanding operatic score that requires every line to be sung and a touching, heartrending story, and you have "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg."
Two-time Grammy winner Maureen McGovern, who plays Madame Emery, "the umbrella lady, the mom," said the score contains songs that are among the most challenging she's ever learned. "It's very intricate music. It's an opera and it's very French. It's passion.
"The movie had dubbing for some of the cast who couldn't sing. We're the real thing. But the best thing is we have an excellent cast with gorgeous voices."
McGovern is also impressed with Gray's direction and vision. "It's a minimalist set. We're all in shades of blue in an elevated concert version. I think it's a wonderful vision."
Both McGovern and Gray agree that the show resonates with the passion of the story and LeGrand's score. "It's a tear jerker," Gray said. "Sometimes the cast has a hard time getting all the way through it. Bring your handkerchief. Bring a whole box."
The cast also includes M'Lisa Bailey-Hansen, Britany Bateman, T.J. Young, James Royce Edwards, Michelle Marquis, Christie Candland, David Raphael D'Agostini, Megan Mack Christensen and Casey Blandford.
"The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" opens Friday, July 16, on the outdoor Eccles Stage in Sundance Canyon at the resort for a 12-performance limited run. Tickets are available by calling the box office for reservations at 1-801-225-4100 or Prices range from $15 to $20 on weeknights and $17 to $25 on weekends. Tickets may also be purchased from any Smith'sTix outlet.