The first of a three-part program featuring Broadway legend Cy Coleman, composer of SWEET CHARITY, LITTLE ME, WILDCAT and countless pop hits. Coleman discusses his life and career, including his collaborations with wordsmiths Carolyn Leigh, Michael Stewart and Neil Simon as well as directors Bob Fosse and Michael Bennett, among others. He even performs some of his own songs live at the piano recorded exclusively for this program. Featured songs: “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “Witchcraft,” “A...
Oct 03, 2022•35 min•Ep. 27
Part two of a special program featuring some of Broadway’s greatest composers and lyricists talking about and performing their own songs. This episode includes performances by Cy Coleman, Peter Link, Harold Rome, Micki Grant, Frank Loesser, Stephen Schwartz, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, Alan Menken, and Jule Styne. Featured songs: “A Moment of Madness,” “King Of Hearts,” “Sing Me A Song Of Social Significance,” “One Big Union,” “Who’s Gonna Teach The Children How To Sing?” “Bloop, Bleep,” “Presti...
Feb 28, 2022•34 min•Ep. 26
The first of a two-part program featuring some of Broadway’s greatest composers and lyricists speaking about and performing their own songs. This episode includes performances by Cole Porter, Craig Carnelia, Burton Lane, Alan Menken, Harold Arlen, Jerry Herman, Daniel Schreier & Michael Roth, Stephen Schwartz, and Sheldon Harnick. Featured songs: “Anything Goes,” “The Things I Learned In High School,” “Chin Up, Cheerio,” “People Collecting Things,” “Buds Won’t Bud,” “I’ll Be Here Tomorrow,” ...
Feb 21, 2022•33 min•Ep. 25
Dorothy Fields, daughter of comedy star, Lew Fields, lyricist and librettist of such stage classics as A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, SWEET CHARITY and ANNIE GET YOUR GUN, along with numerous memorable films such as the Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers SWING TIME and ROBERTA, discusses her life and career. She recounts growing up in a theatrical household, breaking through in the Broadway of the 1920’s, and her collaborations with many legendary composers, including Jimmy McHugh, Jerome Kern, Fritz Kreisle...
Feb 14, 2022•33 min•Ep. 24
E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, renowned lyricist and book writer for Broadway and film, the writer behind such iconic works as FINIAN’S RAINBOW, JAMAICA, and the film musical, THE WIZARD OF OZ, recounts his illustrious career. Known as the “Master of Whimsy” and “Broadway’s Social Conscience,” Harburg who gave us “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” among hundreds of other well-known songs, describes his lyric writing process, the way he tailors songs to particular performers, and even sings some of his own wor...
Feb 07, 2022•33 min•Ep. 23
Thomas Z. Shepard, legendary record producer whose countless cast albums include the Houston Grand Opera production of PORGY AND BESS, 1776, DAMES AT SEA, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, SWEENEY TODD, COMPANY, and much more, discusses his career. Shepard describes his typical approach to recording a Broadway cast album, his many collaborations with composer/lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, and his joy in getting to produce the recording of the Houston Grand Opera production of PORGY AND BESS and the ...
Jan 31, 2022•33 min•Ep. 22
A look at The Art of Orchestration, featuring four of Broadway’s greatest: Robert Russell Bennett (Show Boat, Oklahoma), Hans Spialek (Anything Goes, On Your Toes), Jonathan Tunick (Company, Pacific Overtures), and Michael Starobin (Falsettos, Sunday in the Park with George). The four artists describe their different techniques and discuss their collaborations with writers and performers to bring out the best in a score for a show. Featured songs: “Overture to CAROUSEL,” “Four Jews In A Room Bit...
Jan 24, 2022•33 min•Ep. 21
Lyricist and bookwriter Tom Jones and composer Harvey Schmidt discuss their musical theatre collaborations, including their work on the long-running classic THE FANTASTICKS. Jones and Schmidt recount their early days and their collaborations on other shows such as 110 IN THE SHADE, I DO! I DO! and CELEBRATION. They also sing some of their own songs from THE FANTASTICKS. Featured songs: “THE FANTASTICKS Overture,” “I Can See It,” “Opening from 110 IN THE SHADE,” “Another Hot Day,” “A Man and a Wo...
Jan 17, 2022•34 min•Ep. 20
Charles Strouse, legendary composer of ANNIE, APPLAUSE, GOLDEN BOY, and BYE BYE BIRDIE, recounts his illustrious career. He recalls his work with lyricist Lee Adams and iconic stars like Dick Van Dyke, Mel Brooks, Lauren Bacall, Ray Bolger, and Sammy Davis Jr. Strouse also discusses lesser-known works like IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S SUPERMAN, the Off-Broadway revue MAYOR, and his lyrics for NIGHTINGALE. Featured songs: “Put On A Happy Face,” “Those Were The Days,” “Hymn for A Sunday Evening...
Jan 10, 2022•33 min•Ep. 19
Marc Blitzstein, composer and lyricist noted for THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, THE AIRBORNE SYMPHONY, JUNO, and REGINA, discusses his life and work. He recalls the political controversy around THE CRADLE WILL ROCK, the challenges of bringing it to the stage with director Orson Welles and producer, John Houseman, and his translation/adaptation of Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill’s The THREEPENNY OPERA. Additional commentary by Dr. Eric Gordon, author of “Marc the Music, The Life and Work of Marc Blitzstein....
Jan 03, 2022•33 min•Ep. 18
A look at the making of the 1984 Tony Award-winning musical, LA CAGE AUX FOLLES based on the movie of the same name. Creators Harvey Fierstein, Jerry Herman, Arthur Laurents, and star George Hearn all discuss their involvement in the show. They discuss their collaboration and the challenges of bringing this now classic show to the Broadway stage. Featured songs: “Prelude,” “We Are What We Are,” “Song On The Sand,” “La Cage Aux Folles,” “Look Over There,” “I Am What I Am,” and “The Best Of Times....
Dec 27, 2021•33 min•Ep. 17
Excerpts from an interview with Jule Styne, famed composer of FUNNY GIRL, BELLS ARE RINGING, GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES, PETER PAN and Broadway classic GYPSY. Styne discusses his life and career and performs one of the first songs he ever wrote. The interview took place in 1979 on the occasion of the release of Styne’s biography simply entitled, Jule. The legendary composer recalls his early days in London as a Harry Lauder imitator, and growing up in Chicago, playing in jazz bands with Benny Good...
Dec 20, 2021•42 min•Ep. 16
Burton Lane, composer of such celebrated Broadway shows as FINIAN’S RAINBOW and ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER, along with songs for over thirty films including ROYAL WEDDING and BABES IN ARMS, discusses his career. He recounts his early songwriting efforts in Hollywood with Frank Loesser and Harold Adamson, Broadway collaborations with E.Y. “Yip” Harburg and Alan Jay Lerner, writing songs for Fred Astaire, and discovering a young Judy Garland when she was performing as part of The Gumm Sist...
Dec 13, 2021•34 min•Ep. 15
Richard Maltby, Jr., director and lyricist of such shows as STARTING HERE, STARTING NOW, BABY, and the multi-award-winning Fats Waller tribute AIN’T MISBEHAVIN’, discusses his career from his earliest beginnings. He reflects on his work with composer David Shire, having their songs recorded by Barbra Streisand, and the challenges of adapting Fats Waller’s music for the theater. Featured songs: “We Start Today,” “Autumn,” “Starting Here, Starting Now,” “Just Across the River,” “I Don’t Remember C...
Dec 06, 2021•33 min•Ep. 14
Stephen Sondheim, James Lapine and orchestrator Michael Starobin discuss the creation of their Pulitzer-prize winning musical. Hear Sondheim and Lapine talk about working with stars, Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. From their visit to the Chicago Art Museum to see this famous Seurat painting to opening night at the Booth Theatre on Broadway, go behind the scenes on this remarkable show. Featured songs from the original Broadway Cast Recording: “Sunday In The Park With George,” “Color And L...
Mar 07, 2021•34 min•Ep. 1
Take a trip backstage with Broadway’s best – exclusive interviews with the leading creators of musical theatre. Based on the popular 1980s radio series produced and hosted by award-winning director and producer, Paul Lazarus, ANYTHING GOES is a celebration of storytelling through song, past, present and future. Now available in 30-minute segments. Hundreds of episodes featuring show-stopping interviews with composers, lyricists, book writers, directors and performing legends from the Broadway st...
Mar 07, 2021•2 min
