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Parting ways from the more famous colleague in a performance partnership is a risky affair. Larry David went through it. The same for Musician Andrew Ridgeley. Currently, this humorous and heartbreakingly sad intimate film from writer Robert Kaplow and helmer Richard Linklater tells the almost agonizing story of songwriter for Broadway Lorenz Hart right after his separation from Richard Rodgers. His role is portrayed with flamboyant genius, an unspeakable combover and artificial shortness by actor Ethan Hawke, who is often digitally shrunk in size – but is also at times filmed standing in an hidden depression to stare up wistfully at heightened personas, confronting the lyricist's stature problem as José Ferrer once played the diminutive artist Toulouse-Lautrec.

Complex Character and Themes

Hawke gets big, world-weary laughs with the character's witty comments on the concealed homosexuality of the movie Casablanca and the cheesily upbeat stage show he’s just been to see, with all the lasso-twirling cowboys; he bitingly labels it Okla-gay. The orientation of Hart is complex: this movie clearly contrasts his homosexuality with the non-queer character invented for him in the 1948 theater piece the musical Words and Music (with actor Mickey Rooney acting as Lorenz Hart); it intelligently infers a kind of bisexuality from Hart’s letters to his young apprentice: young Yale student and would-be stage designer the character Elizabeth Weiland, played here with carefree youthful femininity by actress Margaret Qualley.

Being a member of the famous New York theater composing duo with the composer Rodgers, Lorenz Hart was responsible for unparalleled tunes like The Lady Is a Tramp, the number Manhattan, My Funny Valentine and of course Blue Moon. But exasperated with Hart’s alcoholism, inconsistency and gloomy fits, Rodgers severed ties with him and teamed up with Oscar Hammerstein II to compose the musical Oklahoma! and then a raft of live and cinematic successes.

Psychological Complexity

The film envisions the deeply depressed Lorenz Hart in Oklahoma!’s opening night Manhattan spectators in 1943, observing with jealous anguish as the production unfolds, loathing its mild sappiness, abhorring the exclamation point at the end of the title, but dishearteningly conscious of how lethally effective it is. He knows a success when he views it – and senses himself falling into defeat.

Prior to the intermission, Hart unhappily departs and heads to the pub at Sardi’s where the remainder of the movie takes place, and expects the (inevitably) triumphant Oklahoma! troupe to appear for their after-party. He knows it is his performance responsibility to praise Richard Rodgers, to pretend everything is all right. With polished control, actor Andrew Scott acts as Rodgers, evidently ashamed at what they both know is Hart's embarrassment; he provides a consolation to his self-esteem in the appearance of a brief assignment creating additional tunes for their existing show A Connecticut Yankee, which simply intensifies the pain.

• Bobby Cannavale plays the barman who in conventional manner hears compassionately to the character's soliloquies of acerbic misery
• Actor Patrick Kennedy plays writer EB White, to whom Lorenz Hart accidentally gives the idea for his kids' story the novel Stuart Little
• The actress Qualley portrays Weiland, the unattainably beautiful Yale attendee with whom the film imagines Lorenz Hart to be intricately and masochistically in love

Lorenz Hart has previously been abandoned by Richard Rodgers. Undoubtedly the world couldn't be that harsh as to have him dumped by Elizabeth Weiland as well? But Margaret Qualley pitilessly acts a young woman who desires Lorenz Hart to be the laughing, platonic friend to whom she can reveal her exploits with young men – as well of course the Broadway power broker who can promote her occupation.

Performance Highlights

Hawke demonstrates that Hart to a degree enjoys spectator's delight in learning of these boys but he is also truly, sadly infatuated with Elizabeth Weiland and the picture informs us of an aspect rarely touched on in films about the world of musical theatre or the movies: the awful convergence between occupational and affectionate loss. Nevertheless at one stage, Lorenz Hart is defiantly aware that what he has attained will survive. It's an outstanding portrayal from Ethan Hawke. This could be a stage musical – but who shall compose the numbers?

The film Blue Moon was shown at the London movie festival; it is available on October 17 in the United States, the 14th of November in the Britain and on the 29th of January in Australia.