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Mary Rodgers: "Shy"

 Mary Rodgers feels that her father, Richard, never repeated the triumph of "Carousel." ("You can start to hear him drying up around the time of Flower Drum Song.")


Rodgers can't tolerate "You'll Never Walk Alone," but she likes the surrounding story, and she points out that the writers aren't really focused on Julie/Billy. They're focused on Billy as a father. The emotional heft of the show comes from Billy's attempt to form a bond with his offspring. ("My boy, Bill, will be sturdy and tall as a tree.....Like a tree, he'll grow...with his head held high.....") Mary Rodgers's insight is especially powerful because of her own thoughts about her own semi-monstrous father, whom she loved.

(Also, Rodgers's book smartly dismisses criticism of "Carousel" as "the-musical-that-isn't-empowering." "It's about some bad behavior; it doesn't *advocate* bad behavior. Does Sweeney Todd advocate cannibalism?")

Rodgers admires her great friend, Stephen Sondheim, and she especially admires "Officer Krupke" and "Something's Coming." She could do without "Maria" and "One Hand, One Heart." Also, she'll skip "Passion," thanks so much.

I don't think I have an interest in all 350-ish pages of the Rodgers story, but I've enjoyed skipping around. The chapter titles are witty; they aren't exactly models of clarity. (I would like titles of this sort: "Watching Dad Write Oklahoma," "Explaining Marriage to Sondheim....") I do like the humor of the titles: "I Dismember Mama," "East Side Story...."

Finally, I'm tempted to rent the Julie Andrews version of "Cinderella." This one scores high with Mary Rodgers.
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