Composer-lyricist Jerry Herman, winner of the 2009 Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, said in the Tony press room that he has hung up his songwriting shoes for good.
"I think my style of musical has come and was very, very good to me, but is gone now. I think it's better to know when to leave than to end up with two or three shows that didn't make it. I left at my height."
Herman said, however, that he would still like to see talked-about revivals of Hello, Dolly! and Mame, but added, "The big problem with my shows is that they require a major star…we don't train people to do shows like that anymore."
Jerry Herman (born July 10, 1931) is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for La Cage aux Folles and Hello, Dolly!.
Early life
Raised in Jersey City by musically inclined parents, Herman learned to play piano at an early age, and the three frequently attended Broadway musicals. His father, Harry, was a gym teacher and in the summer worked in the Catskill Mountains hotels. His mother, Ruth, also worked in the hotels as a singer, pianist, and children's teacher, and eventually became an English teacher. After marrying, they lived in Jersey City, New Jersey and continued to work in the summers in various camps until they became head counselors and finally ran Stissing Lake Camp in the Berkshire Mountains. Herman spent all of his summers there, from age 6 to 23.
It was at camp that he first became involved in theatrical productions, as director of Oklahoma!, Finian's Rainbow and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.At the age of 17, Herman was introduced to Frank Loesser who, after hearing material he had written, urged him to continue composing. He left the Parsons School of Design to attend the University of Miami, which has one of the nation's most avant garde theater departments. He was also a member of the Zeta Beta Tau Fraternity.
Broadway career
In 1960, Herman made his Broadway debut with the revue From A to Z, which featured contributions from newcomers Woody Allen and Fred Ebb as well. That same year producer Gerard Oestreicher approached him after seeing a performance of Parade, and asked if he would be interested in composing the score for a show about the founding of the state of Israel. The result was his first full-fledged Broadway musical, Milk and Honey (starring Molly Picon), in 1961. It received respectable reviews and ran for 543 performances.
In 1964, producer David Merrick united Herman with Carol Channing for a project that was to become one of his most successful, Hello, Dolly!. The original production ran for 2,844 performances, the longest running musical for its time, and was later revived three times. Although facing stiff competition from Funny Girl, Hello, Dolly! swept the Tony Awards that season, winning 10, a record that remained unbroken for 37 years, until The Producers won 12 Tonys in 2001.
In 1966, Herman's next musical was the smash hit Mame starring Angela Lansbury, which introduced a string of Herman standards, most notably the ballad "If He Walked Into My Life", the holiday favorite "We Need a Little Christmas", and the title tune.
Although not commercial successes, Dear World (1969) starring Angela Lansbury, Mack & Mabel (1974) starring Robert Preston and Bernadette Peters, and The Grand Tour (1979) starring Joel Grey are noted for their interesting concepts and their melodic, memorable scores. Herman considers Mack & Mabel his personal favorite score, with later composition La Cage aux Folles in a close second. Both Dear World and Mack & Mabel have developed a cult following among Broadway aficionados.
In 1983, Herman had his third mega-hit with La Cage aux Folles starring George Hearn and Gene Barry, which broke box-office records at the Palace Theatre and earned Herman yet another Tony Award for Best Musical. From its score came the gay anthem "I Am What I Am" and the rousing sing-a-long "The Best of Times."
Other well known Herman showtunes include "Shalom" from Milk and Honey; "Before the Parade Passes By", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", and "It Only Takes a Moment" from Hello, Dolly!; "It's Today!", "Open a New Window", and "Bosom Buddies" from Mame; and "I Won't Send Roses" and "Time Heals Everything" from Mack & Mabel.
Herman is the first composer/lyricist in history to have three musicals run more than 1500 performances on Broadway: Hello, Dolly! (2,844), Mame (1,508), and La Cage aux Folles (1,761). (Andrew Lloyd Webber has had three such long runs, but is not a lyricist. Stephen Schwartz recently achieved this title.) His work is honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 7090 Hollywood Boulevard. Other honors include the Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, named after him by his alma mater. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982.
Herman's work has been the subject of two popular musical revues, Jerry's Girls (1984) conceived by Larry Alford, and Showtune (2003) conceived by Paul Gilger. A 90 minute documentary about his life and career, "Words and Music by Jerry Herman," by filmmaker Amber Edwards, was broadcast on PBS in 2008. In 1989, American-playwright Natalie Gaupp wrote a short play titled "The Jerry Herman Center." The play is a comedy which portrays the lives of several patients in "The Jerry Herman Center for Musical Theatre Addiction." In the 2008 film WALL-E, Herman's music from Hello, Dolly! influences WALL-E and gives him emotions.
Work
Stage
Off-Broadway revues
I Feel Wonderful (1954)
Nightcap (1958)
Parade (1960)
Madame Aphrodite (1961)
Showtune(2003)
Broadway musicals * From A to Z (1960) * Milk and Honey (1961) * Hello, Dolly! (1964) * Ben Franklin in Paris (additional music) (1964) * Mame (1966) * Dear World (1969) * Mack & Mabel (1974) * The Grand Tour (1979) * A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine (additional songs) (1980) * La Cage aux Folles (1983) * Jerry's Girls (1985) * An Evening with Jerry Herman (1998)
Awards and nominations
2009 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre (winner)
1999 Theatre World Special Award (An Evening with Jerry Herman) (winner)
1984 Tony Award for Best Original Score (La Cage aux Folles) (winner)
1979 Tony Award for Best Original Score (The Grand Tour) (nominee)
1966 Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist (Mame) (nominee)
1964 Tony Award for Best Composer and Lyricist (Hello, Dolly!) (winner)
1962 Tony Award for Best Composer (Milk and Honey) (nominee)
