None of that should distract from the fact that Styne is one of musical theater’s finest composers. His work, and that of his collaborators, is celebrated in this week’s new episode of Lyrics and Lyricists: Preludes from New York’s 92nd Street Y. The show is called Jule Styne and His Many Lyricists. It begins streaming on December 7th and will remain available through December 31st.

The lyricists with whom Styne worked include Bob Merrill (Funny Girl), Betty Comden and Adolph Green (Bells Are Ringing, Do Re Mi, Subways Are For Sleeping, Fade Out – Fade In), Leo Robin (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes) and Stephen Sondheim (Gypsy).

Performing in this show will be Farah Alvin (It Shoulda Been You), Allison Blackwell (Pretty Woman: The Musical), Nikki Renée Daniels (the postponed revival of Company), Jeff Kready (A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder), Julia Murney (Wicked), Zachary Noah Piser (Dear Evan Hansen), Zachary Prince (Honeymoon in Vegas), Pearl Sun (Come From Away) and Mariand Torres (In Transit). Beth Malone (Angels in America) narrates. Paul Masse created the series and serves as musical director.

Every episode of this series has been entertaining, informative and at times emotional. Tickets are $15 per episode or you can get access to all five shows for $60. All episodes are now going to be available through December 31st. I strongly recommend checking them out.

Photo: Composer Jule Styne with Stephen Sondheim (Photo by Friedman-Abeles/Courtesy New York Public Library Archives)

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If you haven’t seen the previous episodes in this series, here’s what to expect: a combination of narration, song and music performances and possibly the introduction of biographical material in the form of excerpts from letters, interviews and biographical sources.

Richard Rodgers probably needs no introduction. He is the composer of such musicals as Babes in Arms, Carousel, The King and I, Oklahoma!, On Your Toes, Pal Joey, The Sound of Music and South Pacific. (His collaborators being Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II.)

Rodgers was the first person to become an EGOT – winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. He also won the Pulitzer Prize for South Pacific.

His daughter, Mary, was also a composer. She is best known for the musical Once Upon a Mattress. She contributed to several other musicals and shows including Working and The Madwoman of Central Park West. She was also a children’s novelist. Her best-known book (which was turned into a movie three times – one for television) is Freaky Friday.

Her son and Richard Rodgers’ grandson is composer Adam Guettel. He is the Tony Award-winning composer of the musical The Light in the Piazza. His other musicals/projects include Floyd Collins and Myths and Hymns.

In 2018, Audra McDonald released a new song by Guettel entitled March Is a Windy Month from an upcoming musical based on the Danny Boyle film Millions. No recent updates on that project have been announced.

My personal favorite musical of the 21st century, so far, is The Light in the Piazza. Guettel wrote extraordinary beautiful music and arguably the most romantic score since West Side Story.

Performing in Rodgers, Rodgers and Guettel: Statues and Stories are Allison Blackwell (Pretty Woman: The Musical), Nikki Renée Daniels (the postponed revival of Company), soprano Katherine Henly, Telly Leung (Aladdin), Julia Murney (Wicked), Zachary Noah Piser (Dear Evan Hansen), Pearl Sun (Come From Away) and Mariand Torres (In Transit).

The show is narrated by Beth Malone (Angels in America). Paul Masse is the Artistic Director and pianist.

Tickets are $15 to watch Rodgers, Rodgers and Guettel: Statues and Stories. The show will remain available for viewing through December 23rd.

Photo: Mary Rodgers (Photo by Friedman-Abeles/Courtesy New York Public Library)

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