Anything Goes

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 first major revival of SHOW BOAT.

Featured songs: “Overture from THE KING AND I,” “Why Do I Love You?” “Unexpected Song,” “I Don’t Want To Know,” “Don’t Get Around Too Much,” “I Let A Song Go Out Of My Heart,” “I’m On My Way,” “Hello, Young Lovers,” and the “1776 Finale.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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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 Bitching,” “March of the Falsettos,” “Overture to THE KING AND I,” “A Terrific Band and A Real Nice Crowd,” “The Twenty-Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” “There’s A Small Hotel,” “Overture to NINE,” “I Happen To Like New York,” and “I Never Wanted To Love You.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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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.”

Featured songs: “Finale from The Cradle Will Rock,” “Nickel Under The Foot,” “Moll’s Song,” “Ballad of Hurry Up,” “Ballad of the Bombardier,” “Mack the Knife,” “One Kind Word,” “Make A Quiet Day (Rain Quartet),” “The Best Thing of All,” and the rarely sung “Zipperfly” introduced and performed by Leonard Bernstein.

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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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 Goodman, Glenn Miller and Jack Teagarden, meeting Al Capone, his Hollywood career with Frank Loesser and Sammy Cahn, evenings in Los Angeles with Frank Sinatra and Jerome Kern, and of course, his Broadway shows with Busby Berkeley, Jerome Robbins, George Abbott, Comden & Green, Bob Merrill, Arthur Laurents and Stephen Sondheim.

Featured songs performed by Styne at the piano: “The Guy With The Polka-Dotted Tie,” and “Never Never Land.“

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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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 Sisters.

Featured songs: “Overture from FINIAN’S RAINBOW,” “Everything I Have Is Yours,” “How D’ya Like to Love Me?” “I Hear Music,” “The Lady’s In Love With You,” “How About You?” “Don’t Let It Get You Down,” “The World Is In My Arms,” “Old Devil Moon,” “Look to the Rainbow,” “When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich,” “How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I’ve Been A Liar All My Life,” “Too Late Now,” “On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever,” “Come Back To Me,” and “Where Have I Seen Your Face Before.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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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 Christmas,” “Handful of Keys,” “This Joint is Jumpin’,” “What Could Be Better?” and “The Story Goes On.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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Sheldon Harnick, acclaimed writer of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, FIORELLO!, SHE LOVES ME, THE ROTHSCHILDS, and more, shares highlights from his oevre. He speaks about his career beginnings after leaving the Army, the advice he got from his idol, E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, and how he almost didn’t get the job writing for FIORELLO! Harnick talks about Jerome Robbins, finding the overall theme of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, and writing specifically for a star: Zero Mostel. Harnick also sings several of his own songs.

Featured songs: “Politics and Poker,” “Little Old New York,” “What Makes Me Love Him,” “Garbage,” “No Song More Pleasing,” “The Ballad Of The Shape Of Things,” “The Boston Beguine,” “Unfair,” “Till Tomorrow,” “Little Tin Box,” “She Loves Me,” “Ice Cream,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “Do You Love Me,” “If I Were A Rich Man,” and “In My Own Lifetime.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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Jim Wann, composer, lyricist, and performer of PUMP BOYS AND DINETTES talks about the Country and American Roots-influenced scores he brought to the stage. He discusses his early work Off-Broadway, including DIAMOND STUDS and HOT GROG, and explains the origins of both the Pump Boys and the Dinettes, and how they eventually made their way to Broadway. A marvelous guitarist and singer in his own right, Wann talks about how Country music is a natural translation to the stage due to its roots in storytelling through song.

Featured songs: “Highway 57,” “Cakewalk Into Kansas City,” “Sleepy Time Down South,” “Bound Away,” “Pump Boys,” “Fisherman’s Prayer,” “The Night Dolly Parton Was Almost Mine,” “Romance Of The Rented Room,” and “Closing Time.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/Anything Goes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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Maury Yeston, composer-lyricist of the Tony-winning musical NINE, talks about his score for the adaptation of Federico Fellini’s film, “8 1/2.” Yeston also discusses his incidental score and song for the original production of “Cloud Nine” Off- Broadway as well as some of the pop songs he has written. Recalling the Broadway production of Nine, he explains writing music for the large, predominantly female cast. The “Maury Tabernacle Choir” featuring Yeston on all the parts performs “The Germans at the Spa.”

Featured songs: “Overture from NINE,” “Nine,” “Cloud Nine Rock Version,” “Guido’s Song,” “Folies Bergère,” “The Bells of St. Sebastian,” “Danglin’,” and “Unusual Way.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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Part two of our conversation with John Kander and Fred Ebb, songwriters for such Broadway shows as WOMAN OF THE YEAR, 70, GIRLS, 70, THE RINK, THE HAPPY TIME, and ZORBA. They talk about their writing process and share several anecdotes about working with luminaries like Hal Prince, George Abbott, Liza Minnelli, Robert Goulet and more. Kander and Ebb share their love of writing together and going back and forth with Bob Fosse to create a perfect, climactic number for Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera to perform in CHICAGO.

Featured songs: “All That Jazz,” “I Don’t Remember You,” “Life Is,” “The Butterfly,” “Old Folks,” “Chicago Overture,” “Nowadays,” “Mister Cellophane,” “The Grass Is Always Greener,” “The Rink,” “Colored Lights,” and “Yes.”

Originally produced and broadcast in 1986. For more information go to AnythingGoesPL.com or BPN.FM/AnythingGoes. Theme music arranged by Bruce Coughlin. Sound mixing by David Rapkin. Associate producer Jeff Lunden. Anything Goes – Backstage with Broadway’s Best – is produced and hosted by Paul Lazarus.

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