"Composer David Shire and lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr., two of the most gifted songwriters of our time, are revered among musical theater lovers for their ground-breaking off-Broadway revues Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever, as well as for the Broadway musicals Baby and Big. Yet relatively little has been written about them and their work. In this book, composer/conductor/music journalist/Yale and NYU professor Joshua Rosenblum sets out to increase appreciation for Maltby and Shire's large and impressive body of work and establish their place in musical theater history. The book chronicles their six-decade partnership, giving full behind-the-scenes accounts of their musicals, interspersed with illuminating analyses of standout individual numbers. The two songwriters, engaging and articulate, are quoted liberally throughout the book in exclusive interviews. Additionally, the book covers other well-known artistic figures who feature prominently in the Maltby/Shire story, including Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Francis Ford Coppola, Craig Lucas, Mike Ockrent, Susan Stroman, John Weidman, Charles Strouse, Adam Gopnik, Jason Robert Brown, and Jonathan Tunick. Attention is also given to Shire's separate career as an Oscar- and Grammy-winning film and TV composer, and Maltby's as a Tony Award-winning director. Finally, the book explores the very nature of artistic collaboration: how do songs actually get written, and what enables some partnerships to last for decades. Written for a wide range ofreaders, the book has a broad appeal that will extend from Maltby/Shire devotees to anyone interested in the creative process and Broadway musicals in general"--
How do musical theater songs actually get written? What enables some composer and lyricist partnerships to last for decades?
Composer David Shire and lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr., two of the most gifted songwriters of our time, are revered among musical theater lovers for their ground-breaking off-Broadway revues Starting Here, Starting Now and Closer Than Ever, as well as for the Broadway musicals Baby and Big. Rosenblum sets out to increase appreciation for Maltby and Shire's large and impressive body of work and establish their place in musical theater history. This book chronicles their sixty-six-year (and counting) partnership, giving full behind-the-scenes accounts of their musicals, interspersed with deep-dive analyses of standout individual numbers. Other well-known artistic figures who feature prominently in the Maltby/Shire story include Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Michael Stewart, Francis Ford Coppola, Craig Lucas, Mike Ockrent, Susan Stroman, John Weidman, Charles Strouse, Garth Drabinsky, Adam Gopnik, Jason Robert Brown, and Jonathan Tunick.
Using his experiences as a Broadway conductor, music journalist, and professor of musical theater composition, as well as his long-term personal and professional acquaintance with both Maltby and Shire, Joshua Rosenblum is uniquely suited to chronicle their lives, careers, and creative output. The songwriters, both of whom are engaging and articulate in describing what they do, are quoted liberally throughout the book in exclusive interviews, creating the impression that one is spending time with two inspiring creative artists who happen to be great company.
This book provides a unique chronicle and analysis of the work of Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire, an extraordinary Broadway songwriting team whose work is revered by musical theater aficionados. Anyone interested in Broadway musicals will enjoy this book, which covers other well-known figures who feature prominently in the Maltby/Shire story, including Stephen Sondheim, Harold Prince, Francis Ford Coppola, Craig Lucas, Mike Ockrent, Susan Stroman, Garth Drabinsky, and Jonathan Tunick. The book includes enlightening, entertaining interviews with the subjects as well as illuminating analyses of some of Maltby and Shire's greatest songs.
