Cultural Attaché’s Icons 2025 series concludes with our most popular interview of the year: Christian Borle and his wife, Skye Mattox. They collaborated on a three-night celebration of the works of lyricist Paul Williams for the 92nd Street Y’s Lyrics and Lyricists series.
Borle is best-known for his work on Broadway (Some Like It Hot, Something Rotten!) and Mattox is known as a performer choreographer. During the pandemic, Paul Williams became something that bonded the two.
For more than half a century, Paul Williams’ songs have woven themselves into American culture with startling ease — melodies that slipped into our collective memory long before many listeners even knew his name. From The Rainbow Connection to Evergreen, from Bugsy Malone to the Carpenters’ biggest hits, his work is so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget the artist behind it. But two people who have certainly not forgotten — and who are determined to make audiences remember — are Christian Borle and Skye Mattox.
Our conversation from November 25th stretched from vinyl listening rituals to artistic partnership, recovery, Muppets, movement, and the strange serendipities that have accompanied this project from the beginning. Christian Borle and Skye Mattox talk about their creative journey, their first meeting with Williams, and why his music — and presence — still feels like a gift. Even if they didn’t include any songs from Ishtar in their show.
This interview was posted on December 3rd.
To watch the print version of this story, which includes five performances of songs by Paul Williams, please go HERE.
Photo: Christian Borle and Skye Mattox in the Cultural Attaché Interview.