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Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers
The memoirs of Mary Rodgers Guettel--writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and "a woman who tried everything."
"What am I, bologna?" Mary Rodgers Guettel (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman.
Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent's overwhelming talent, to become not just a theater star but also a renowned author of books for young people (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the Chairman of the Juilliard School.
But in telling these stories--with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from her coauthor, Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times--Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms.
Both an eyewitness report from the Golden Age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don't make anymore--and never did. They make themselves.
"What am I, bologna?" Mary Rodgers Guettel (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman.
Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent's overwhelming talent, to become not just a theater star but also a renowned author of books for young people (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the Chairman of the Juilliard School.
But in telling these stories--with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from her coauthor, Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times--Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms.
Both an eyewitness report from the Golden Age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don't make anymore--and never did. They make themselves.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published August 9, 2022
613 people are currently reading
4,470 people want to read
About the author
Mary Rodgers
33 books62 followersMary Rodgers was an accomplished author, screenwriter and composer. Her first book--Freaky Friday--won several prizes, and was cited on the ALA Notable Book list. She composed many musicals, and had also amassed credits in television and radio. She had served as Chairman of the Board of the Julliard School and on the Board of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 379 reviews
February 12, 2023
I have not enjoyed myself this much while reading a book in a very long time.
I meant to read it last year when it was released but I was hoping it would come out on audio. It never did so I eventually got it in print. I see why audio would have been quite an undertaking (though I still think they should have tried!!) as it's a book with two voices, Rodgers' in the text and Green's in the footnotes, fleshing out the story, adding context and all kinds of flourishes.
The subtitle is well earned. Mary is outspoken in that way where she has long since stopped caring what anyone thinks of her and is happy to tell you what she really thinks of people. Her voice alone is worthwhile, the kind of strong and singular presence that makes you really mourn her loss when the book is done. (The book was released posthumously.) I am quite jealous of Green's sittings with her while they composed this book together.
If you know much about musical theater in the second half of the 20th century, this book is truly a feast. As the daughter of the most famous musical theater composer of the era, Mary knows everyone. But like a good nepo baby she is aware that it is her connections that get her in the door at all, and that everyone is willing to tolerate a woman in the room if she brings the name Rodgers with her. Mary is not precious about her own work, she's often too hard on herself, and at those times it's nice to have Green in the footnotes sticking up for her.
What makes her so fascinating is how she was not at all the person she was supposed to be and never apologized for it. She worked furiously and constantly for years, when it was not at all acceptable for women to do so, especially women of a certain class. She also got divorced, slept around, and between her two marriages had six children that she loved and wanted dearly. It feels almost impossible for one person to do all that, along with writing one of the most performed musicals in the country and one of the most famous children's books. And then along with all that she has just buckets and buckets of the juiciest gossip. She almost married Stephen Sondheim! If you do not know much about musical theater this gossip may feel quite boring but oh boy did I love it.
I loved reading this book so much that I brought it on the plane with me, even though it is quite big and heavy and I am a very committed light traveler. I couldn't think of anything I'd rather read in the air. A joy to pick up, constant laughs, the kind of book where if anyone is around you just want to tell them every single good line or anecdote you find and you find a lot. A joy, truly.
I meant to read it last year when it was released but I was hoping it would come out on audio. It never did so I eventually got it in print. I see why audio would have been quite an undertaking (though I still think they should have tried!!) as it's a book with two voices, Rodgers' in the text and Green's in the footnotes, fleshing out the story, adding context and all kinds of flourishes.
The subtitle is well earned. Mary is outspoken in that way where she has long since stopped caring what anyone thinks of her and is happy to tell you what she really thinks of people. Her voice alone is worthwhile, the kind of strong and singular presence that makes you really mourn her loss when the book is done. (The book was released posthumously.) I am quite jealous of Green's sittings with her while they composed this book together.
If you know much about musical theater in the second half of the 20th century, this book is truly a feast. As the daughter of the most famous musical theater composer of the era, Mary knows everyone. But like a good nepo baby she is aware that it is her connections that get her in the door at all, and that everyone is willing to tolerate a woman in the room if she brings the name Rodgers with her. Mary is not precious about her own work, she's often too hard on herself, and at those times it's nice to have Green in the footnotes sticking up for her.
What makes her so fascinating is how she was not at all the person she was supposed to be and never apologized for it. She worked furiously and constantly for years, when it was not at all acceptable for women to do so, especially women of a certain class. She also got divorced, slept around, and between her two marriages had six children that she loved and wanted dearly. It feels almost impossible for one person to do all that, along with writing one of the most performed musicals in the country and one of the most famous children's books. And then along with all that she has just buckets and buckets of the juiciest gossip. She almost married Stephen Sondheim! If you do not know much about musical theater this gossip may feel quite boring but oh boy did I love it.
I loved reading this book so much that I brought it on the plane with me, even though it is quite big and heavy and I am a very committed light traveler. I couldn't think of anything I'd rather read in the air. A joy to pick up, constant laughs, the kind of book where if anyone is around you just want to tell them every single good line or anecdote you find and you find a lot. A joy, truly.
June 24, 2024
When well-known people enter their 'twilight years', they often feel under pressure to write their memoirs. But what if the very thought of doing so is unnerving?. What if, as in the case of Mary Rodgers (daughter of prolific Broadway composer Richard Rodgers), they feel a memoir would be a fool's errand? ~ because probably few people (they feel) would read it... because many would hear of its publication and say 'Mary who?'.
Throughout most of her creative life, Mary was, of course, very aware that she was in the shadow of her famous father. As a daughter, however, her attitude was that of an indifferent, distant relative. That attitude extended to her screaming-with-privilege mother as well. As a result... unlike Christina Crawford, Mary didn't ultimately end up writing a neurotic, anti-parent tell-all. As she says, "Complaints make good copy. But I wasn't embittered." Her memoir is not a 'Daddy Dearest'.
What it is is simply a marvelous look back at her life; one sprinkled with pain and disappointment, certainly, but one also full of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. The p&d resulted mostly from unfortunate intimate alliances with men (until one such relationship gained solid ground). The a&ps were the products of her talent.
With her lyricist partner Marshall Barer, Mary created 'Once Upon a Mattress' - the hilarious and still oft-performed musical that launched Carol Burnett's career. When writing for the stage eventually proved too challenging, Mary turned to fiction - and created the phenomenally successful 'Freaky Friday' series. She may have been in Daddy's shadow but she was never in the dark.
And she always seemed to have a built-in resilience, a can-do spirit that would place her squarely in front of another door when the previous one she walked through would slam-close behind her.
She was always caustic - which some confused with being a bitch. But a bitch couldn't have written a memoir this genuinely entertaining. (After all, she wasn't her contemporary Arthur Laurents: a genuine bitch, and it shows in his own personal accounts.)
Mary wrote this book with NY Times theater critic Jesse Green. The final chapter reveals the details of their unique collaboration. The book is a banquet for theater nerds - but not so much for its insight into the difficulties of being the self-serving Richard Rodgers or the rich tidbits of Mary's close relationship with Stephen Sondheim (although both elements are on parade).
Instead, we're afforded the opportunity of experiencing Mary's 'alarmingly outspoken' life first-hand. It's the bumpy ride of an artist in full-swing - but a refreshing (and often very funny) one.
Throughout most of her creative life, Mary was, of course, very aware that she was in the shadow of her famous father. As a daughter, however, her attitude was that of an indifferent, distant relative. That attitude extended to her screaming-with-privilege mother as well. As a result... unlike Christina Crawford, Mary didn't ultimately end up writing a neurotic, anti-parent tell-all. As she says, "Complaints make good copy. But I wasn't embittered." Her memoir is not a 'Daddy Dearest'.
What it is is simply a marvelous look back at her life; one sprinkled with pain and disappointment, certainly, but one also full of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. The p&d resulted mostly from unfortunate intimate alliances with men (until one such relationship gained solid ground). The a&ps were the products of her talent.
With her lyricist partner Marshall Barer, Mary created 'Once Upon a Mattress' - the hilarious and still oft-performed musical that launched Carol Burnett's career. When writing for the stage eventually proved too challenging, Mary turned to fiction - and created the phenomenally successful 'Freaky Friday' series. She may have been in Daddy's shadow but she was never in the dark.
And she always seemed to have a built-in resilience, a can-do spirit that would place her squarely in front of another door when the previous one she walked through would slam-close behind her.
She was always caustic - which some confused with being a bitch. But a bitch couldn't have written a memoir this genuinely entertaining. (After all, she wasn't her contemporary Arthur Laurents: a genuine bitch, and it shows in his own personal accounts.)
Mary wrote this book with NY Times theater critic Jesse Green. The final chapter reveals the details of their unique collaboration. The book is a banquet for theater nerds - but not so much for its insight into the difficulties of being the self-serving Richard Rodgers or the rich tidbits of Mary's close relationship with Stephen Sondheim (although both elements are on parade).
Instead, we're afforded the opportunity of experiencing Mary's 'alarmingly outspoken' life first-hand. It's the bumpy ride of an artist in full-swing - but a refreshing (and often very funny) one.
October 10, 2023
I actually hesitated to read this, since the subject did not seem ALL that terribly interesting, even to someone like myself who has an abiding and strong interest in theatre, especially musicals. I vaguely knew of the author as daughter of the famous composer, Richard; and that she'd written at least one successful musical (that would be 'Once Upon a Mattress') and a slew of flops - and that she was friends with Sondheim, who had immortalized her in the lyrics to the opening number of his 'Company": 'Hank and Mary get into town tomorrow'! Beyond that not much, and how fascinating could any of THAT be?
But I had heard/read rave reviews about the book, and about how witty she was and how outrageous her reminiscences were - and boy howdy! The book is compulsively readable, and though you'd have to have a least a modicum of interest in the theatrical milieu to sustain oneself through nearly 500 pages - the book never drags, and one just really enjoys spending time with such a hilarious and intriguing woman, who knew virtually everyone and isn't afraid to spill the tea!
It must have been quite difficult to be sandwiched in between her famous father and her equally talented son (that would be Adam Guettel, composer of 'Light in the Piazza' amongst other things). - but she seems to have handled her status with aplomb and pluck.
But I had heard/read rave reviews about the book, and about how witty she was and how outrageous her reminiscences were - and boy howdy! The book is compulsively readable, and though you'd have to have a least a modicum of interest in the theatrical milieu to sustain oneself through nearly 500 pages - the book never drags, and one just really enjoys spending time with such a hilarious and intriguing woman, who knew virtually everyone and isn't afraid to spill the tea!
It must have been quite difficult to be sandwiched in between her famous father and her equally talented son (that would be Adam Guettel, composer of 'Light in the Piazza' amongst other things). - but she seems to have handled her status with aplomb and pluck.
February 6, 2023
Fascinating, forthright, and funny. This dishy, conversational traversal of Mary Rodgers' colorful life was as informative as it was entertaining. Every faggoty fiber in my theater nerd body is electrified.
4.5 stars
4.5 stars
February 15, 2023
Shy, she's not. Remarkably generous and hilarious and revealing.
September 12, 2022
What a joy! This candid unabashed memoir is an absolute delight. Written in a very talky (rather than written) text complemented by her surviving co-author's footnotes conveniently clickable in the e-version.
In case you don't know, the author is the elder daughter of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein. I grew up R & H musicals, so this was candy to this former kid. Rodgers has a way with words that are the frosting on this cake.
I knew most of the names from Stephen Sondheim to George Abbott to Martin Charnin to Rodger's son Adam Guettel.
The fact that I read this 560 page book in 2 days demonstrates the easy digestion of this delectable offering.
In case you don't know, the author is the elder daughter of Richard Rodgers of Rodgers and Hammerstein. I grew up R & H musicals, so this was candy to this former kid. Rodgers has a way with words that are the frosting on this cake.
I knew most of the names from Stephen Sondheim to George Abbott to Martin Charnin to Rodger's son Adam Guettel.
The fact that I read this 560 page book in 2 days demonstrates the easy digestion of this delectable offering.
November 7, 2022
DNF at 40 percent or so. Oh, my goodness, the footnotes. And the footnotes. And the everlasting footnotes. I think Mary Rodgers is funny and she has an interesting story. However, I continually find it jarring that she's being funny and flippant about things that made her miserable. She grew up in a sophisticated worldly society filled with famous people, I can't really imagine what that must have been like. I just can't take the laughing on the outside/crying on the inside vibe any more. I really just can't.
September 20, 2022
Memoirs are a tricky wicket for both author and reader. The author has to know how to be selective on what to parcel out and about whom. And the reader has to be satisfied with what IS being parceled out. (The Bill Clinton memoirs, for instance, are chock-full of seemingly every moment in his life. They’re dull because of that. I like the idea of editing…)
Mary Rodger was the daughter of composer and producer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy. Both are long dead - Mary Rodgers, herself died in 2014 - but as she writes of them in her memoir, “Shy”, they come alive on the page. Rodgers’ subtitle is “The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers”. She writes with lightness about the people who’ve influenced her and whom she has influenced.
As I read “Shy”, I began to forget Ms Rodgers is in her 80s. She seems to be a woman who has enjoyed her life so far, even though she’s spent a lot of it trying to figure it out.
It’s an interesting memoir, one of the best I’ve read. And she does something in the book I rarely see. She posts many pictures, together with the text, so the pictures flow naturally. She also provides foot notes as part of the text, so the reader doesn’t have to flip to the back of the book to read them. It smooths out the reading experience.
Mary Rodger was the daughter of composer and producer Richard Rodgers and his wife, Dorothy. Both are long dead - Mary Rodgers, herself died in 2014 - but as she writes of them in her memoir, “Shy”, they come alive on the page. Rodgers’ subtitle is “The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers”. She writes with lightness about the people who’ve influenced her and whom she has influenced.
As I read “Shy”, I began to forget Ms Rodgers is in her 80s. She seems to be a woman who has enjoyed her life so far, even though she’s spent a lot of it trying to figure it out.
It’s an interesting memoir, one of the best I’ve read. And she does something in the book I rarely see. She posts many pictures, together with the text, so the pictures flow naturally. She also provides foot notes as part of the text, so the reader doesn’t have to flip to the back of the book to read them. It smooths out the reading experience.
September 2, 2023
As I read this memoir by Mary Rodgers, I found myself thinking she would have been a fun person to know. She was smart, funny, witty, self-deprecating, talented and generous, not to mention a good storyteller. I'm not sure when was the last time I enjoyed a memoir so much.
You might think that growing up as the daughter of Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Rodgers and Hart fame) would have given Mary a life filled with endless fun and joy, but, as it turns out, her parents were not the most loving of parents. Richard Rodgers, not an affectionate person to begin with, was wrapped up in his work and Mary's mother, Dorothy, was cold and disapproving. Though they provided Mary and her sister, Linda with all their material needs, they were not so good at the little things in life, like providing emotional support and encouragement. A lot of their child-rearing duties were shuttled off to various nannies and servants. Mary remembers her mother telling her at one time, "Your father and I love you, but we don't really like you."
Mary Rodgers is not looking for sympathy in this book. She tells things how she remember them. She dishes a lot of dirt in this candid memoir, but it's rarely mean-spirited. It's often quite funny and if you love the world of Broadway and musical theater, you are in for a treat.
Mary Rodgers is probably best remembered today for being the composer of the musical "Once Upon a Mattress," which boosted the stardom of Carol Burnett when it opened in 1959. But Mary Rodgers wasn't just a composer, she was also an author of children's books. The two that are most notable are "The Rotten Book," and "Freaky Friday," which has been filmed by Disney three times! Part of the fun of this book is the detailing of the creation of these works, plus many other lesser known works and some that never saw the light of day, including two unproduced musicals, one based on Carson McCuller's "The Member of the Wedding."
Fans of Stephen Sondheim will enjoy her stories detailing their close friendship and how they almost got married. Since Sondheim was openly gay, it would have been a platonic arrangement but, fortunately for the both of them, they decided against it. There are also some behind the scenes stories about the recording of the cast album for "Company," and how some of Mary's conversations with Sondheim inspired a few lyrics for that show. There are also tidbits about Sondheim's flop musical "Anyone Can Whistle," and "Do I Hear a Waltz," the Richard Rodgers show Sondheim wrote the lyrics for after the death of Oscar Hammerstein.
The book is the result of two years of conversations that Mary Rodgers had during the last two years of her life with New York Times theatre critic Jesse Green. Green pretty much transcribed Mary's stories word for word, giving you the feeling that Mary's telling you these stories over a cup of coffee. Green contributes footnotes throughout that give background information on some of the many personalities that appear through the book and also acts as a fact-checker. He also adds a poignant chapter in his own voice at the end of the book, when Mary's health begins to fail.
Highly recommended for fans of the theater and entertainment worlds, but also a fascinating look at the life of a woman working in the male-dominated entertainment field in the middle of the twentieth century.
You might think that growing up as the daughter of Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Rodgers and Hart fame) would have given Mary a life filled with endless fun and joy, but, as it turns out, her parents were not the most loving of parents. Richard Rodgers, not an affectionate person to begin with, was wrapped up in his work and Mary's mother, Dorothy, was cold and disapproving. Though they provided Mary and her sister, Linda with all their material needs, they were not so good at the little things in life, like providing emotional support and encouragement. A lot of their child-rearing duties were shuttled off to various nannies and servants. Mary remembers her mother telling her at one time, "Your father and I love you, but we don't really like you."
Mary Rodgers is not looking for sympathy in this book. She tells things how she remember them. She dishes a lot of dirt in this candid memoir, but it's rarely mean-spirited. It's often quite funny and if you love the world of Broadway and musical theater, you are in for a treat.
Mary Rodgers is probably best remembered today for being the composer of the musical "Once Upon a Mattress," which boosted the stardom of Carol Burnett when it opened in 1959. But Mary Rodgers wasn't just a composer, she was also an author of children's books. The two that are most notable are "The Rotten Book," and "Freaky Friday," which has been filmed by Disney three times! Part of the fun of this book is the detailing of the creation of these works, plus many other lesser known works and some that never saw the light of day, including two unproduced musicals, one based on Carson McCuller's "The Member of the Wedding."
Fans of Stephen Sondheim will enjoy her stories detailing their close friendship and how they almost got married. Since Sondheim was openly gay, it would have been a platonic arrangement but, fortunately for the both of them, they decided against it. There are also some behind the scenes stories about the recording of the cast album for "Company," and how some of Mary's conversations with Sondheim inspired a few lyrics for that show. There are also tidbits about Sondheim's flop musical "Anyone Can Whistle," and "Do I Hear a Waltz," the Richard Rodgers show Sondheim wrote the lyrics for after the death of Oscar Hammerstein.
The book is the result of two years of conversations that Mary Rodgers had during the last two years of her life with New York Times theatre critic Jesse Green. Green pretty much transcribed Mary's stories word for word, giving you the feeling that Mary's telling you these stories over a cup of coffee. Green contributes footnotes throughout that give background information on some of the many personalities that appear through the book and also acts as a fact-checker. He also adds a poignant chapter in his own voice at the end of the book, when Mary's health begins to fail.
Highly recommended for fans of the theater and entertainment worlds, but also a fascinating look at the life of a woman working in the male-dominated entertainment field in the middle of the twentieth century.
September 7, 2022
I always have admired Mary Rodgers' work in the theater (ONCE UPON A MATTRESS), in tv production (THE YOUNG PEOPLE'S CONCERTS) & in children's literature (FREAKY FRIDAY), but in reading her memoir--which covers her 2 marriages, her 6 children, & her multitudinous love affairs (including an on-off lifelong one with Stephen Sondheim) resulting in both intense dislike & disapproval. Her title calls her book "alarmingly outspoken"--I found it selfish, thoughtless & cruel.
January 12, 2023
Compelling overall but did have some pacing issues, likely due to it being so conversational. I liked the footnotes in some instances (like explaining who some of the people mentioned are) but not in others (sometimes they felt superfluous). Definitely found the earlier bits more interesting, and to the surprise of no one at all, my favorite part was whenever Sondheim was discussed.
September 4, 2022
Sondheim enthusiasts might know Mary Rodgers primarily as the married friend he consulted to learn about marriage so that he could write the musical “Company.” Knowledgeable fans of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musicals (or Rodgers and Hart’s) would certainly know her as the daughter of composer Richard Rodgers. It probably takes true aficionados to recognize her as the composer of “Once Upon The Mattress,” the Broadway musical that made Carol Burnett a star, or as the author of “Freaky Friday,” the novel about a mother-daughter switcheroo whose sequels and movie adaptations kept her busy for twenty years.
Each of these aspects of her life – and much more — is told in fascinating detail ....“Shy” is an entertaining read, and something more.
https://newyorktheater.me/2022/08/17/...
Each of these aspects of her life – and much more — is told in fascinating detail ....“Shy” is an entertaining read, and something more.
https://newyorktheater.me/2022/08/17/...
October 10, 2022
This book certainly lived up to the title of “alarmingly outspoken” but in many instances TMI about too many dysfunctional relationships. (Although I wonder if it would have felt less bitchy for me had many of those stories been original, old diary entries instead of newly retold stories for publication?)
As for a general reading experience, I found the footnotes, while providing some interesting information, disruptive to my reading.
September 16, 2022
An incredible read for the ages. You feel in conversation with Mary the whole time which is the highlight of the book for me. Even more than her salacious stories of growing up as Broadway royalty. Her spirit is all in this book and it is both hilarious and incredible moving and emotional. I’ve never been filled with such regret mixed with amazement and humor. A spectacular read.
April 27, 2023
"Talent excuses almost anything but Arthur Laurents."
March 30, 2023
This is the closest thing to sitting next to Mary, daughter of Richard Rodgers, at a dinner where she tells about her life. She knew everybody in the Broadway crowd from 1940-2000 and in this memoir isn't afraid of telling all. She is funny, informative, gossipy, and though she considers herself second tier, talented. Her way with music was good, but her way with words is amazing. She had me laughing practically every page. She democratically skewers everyone, including herself, and gives kudos where they are due. I loved learning the backstory behind so many musicals (including her own Once Upon a Mattress).
I learned many tidbits: She wrote freakin' Freaky Friday for crying out loud. A classic! And "William's Doll" from Free to Be....You and Me." Her friendship with the genius Stephen Sondheim. Her charity work with educational boards. and so much more.
The book is long, and for me it took a long time. I loved the format. She tells the stories while her coauthor footnotes extensively, making it feel like a dialogue between the two. Footnotes are a favorite of mine, and these tell the back backstory and are often as witty as the original story.
I think this would be a great read for those who love Broadway, just remember she doesn't whitewash anything including her own shortcomings. It is a great book about feminism and making your way in a sexist world. It is also for those who love wit and a great turn of phrase. There are too many to remember, but a couple of my favorites:
When describing a saccharine song she agreed to write for Shari Lewis: "In my defense, that was during the period when I would basically do anything. And that period has been my whole life."
And later when describing yet another flop she was involved in: "If only you could tell rottenness in advance, the way you can spot a mushy banana. But all new ideas look identically great before they're peeled"
I learned many tidbits: She wrote freakin' Freaky Friday for crying out loud. A classic! And "William's Doll" from Free to Be....You and Me." Her friendship with the genius Stephen Sondheim. Her charity work with educational boards. and so much more.
The book is long, and for me it took a long time. I loved the format. She tells the stories while her coauthor footnotes extensively, making it feel like a dialogue between the two. Footnotes are a favorite of mine, and these tell the back backstory and are often as witty as the original story.
I think this would be a great read for those who love Broadway, just remember she doesn't whitewash anything including her own shortcomings. It is a great book about feminism and making your way in a sexist world. It is also for those who love wit and a great turn of phrase. There are too many to remember, but a couple of my favorites:
When describing a saccharine song she agreed to write for Shari Lewis: "In my defense, that was during the period when I would basically do anything. And that period has been my whole life."
And later when describing yet another flop she was involved in: "If only you could tell rottenness in advance, the way you can spot a mushy banana. But all new ideas look identically great before they're peeled"
January 10, 2023
I really, really wanted to like this book. It’s all about so many things that interest me - musical theatre, show business, celebrity personalities, social history and dynamics- I really, really wanted to like it.
I didn’t.
Reading it, I often felt like a gossip or a voyeur, learning more than I need to know about people I don’t know. I found it to be sometimes amusing, sometimes tedious, sometimes maddening, sometimes mean spirited, rarely inspiring or touching, but often unutterably sad. At the end of the day, did Mary like the life she had been given (I say it that way because she so often seems to blame her parents for giving it to her)? I don’t know. I certainly didn’t do a word search, but it seems to me that it isn’t until page 444 that the words”love” appears in reference to any of her relationships. I don’t feel I have much of an understanding of her as a person, at least not one that comes into focus, but maybe that’s the point.
Most of all, I have a huge problem with the second person exegetical method of exposition, especially at the beginning and the end, when it is most intrusive. For me, it was less instructive than distracting, disruptive and often superfluous. I understand the intent (it is explained at the end) and I don’t know how else it could have been done, but I wish it had been done better.
What kept me going was the occasional witty and acerbic observation about show business and relationships that I underlined for quotability. I wish they might have come more frequently.
Reading it was entertaining, but when I finally turned the last page, I found myself sadly in agreement with Mary’s own assessment, “Why should anyone want to hear about the daddy (and mummy) issues of a second-drawer composer and children’s-book author whose greatest contribution to art, she said, was being a midwife to it?”
July 5, 2024
Wow wow wow…what a dishy listen. Loved it.
Ms. Christine Baranski--you deserve a medal for your narration.
Ms. Christine Baranski--you deserve a medal for your narration.
October 17, 2022
I really looked forward to this book after reading The NY Times review of it, but almost put it down after the first 60 pages or so. Take the subtitle seriously: this memoir is alarmingly outspoken. Sometimes it distressed me, sometimes it repelled me. With a few exceptions late in the book, my emotional state after spending time in this book was usually frustration and sadness. The first chapter is titled “Hostilities” and that should be taken as a warning of things to come. In the final chapter her co-author describes her direction to him after a first look at an early draft: “Make it meaner.” I think he succeeded.
If you love those old R&H musicals or almost any of the classic musicals of that era, I’d advise against reading this book unless you are really good at compartmentalizing. The background stories and behind the scenes battles aren’t pretty and may ruin those shows for you. I hope I don’t sound mean with this review but the book was not what I expected. However, I will say this; Mary was one tough cookie who fought through a lot to achieve her version of a successful life. Although born into a privileged life she had her own demons and tragedies. She did a lot of good with her work on various boards where her outspokenness cut through bureaucratic BS to actually get things done. The last chapter and the author’s note at the end gave me a more sympathetic view of her.
If you love those old R&H musicals or almost any of the classic musicals of that era, I’d advise against reading this book unless you are really good at compartmentalizing. The background stories and behind the scenes battles aren’t pretty and may ruin those shows for you. I hope I don’t sound mean with this review but the book was not what I expected. However, I will say this; Mary was one tough cookie who fought through a lot to achieve her version of a successful life. Although born into a privileged life she had her own demons and tragedies. She did a lot of good with her work on various boards where her outspokenness cut through bureaucratic BS to actually get things done. The last chapter and the author’s note at the end gave me a more sympathetic view of her.
October 26, 2022
Mary Rodgers, the daughter of famed composer Richard Rodgers and a talented composer and author in her own right, wanted her readers to have a good time, and as someone with a longstanding interest in women’s lives and musical theater, I most definitely did. New York Times theater critic Jesse Green acts as a ventriloquist, allowing Mary’s voice—witty, acerbic and outspoken—to shine through, and his extensive footnotes fill in the blanks about the people Mary references without detracting from her conversational approach.
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August 24, 2022I started this based on a rave review in the NYT Book Review and I could only make it thru the first 40 pages. The book is structured with copious footnotes on each page. It disrupts the flow of the stories without adding enough to make it worth it. Ms. Rogers is funny but her humor is arch and bitchy and so “in group,” that it made me want to shower.
September 30, 2022
I love every moment of this book. A beautifully written and hilarious look into an amazing life.
November 13, 2024
I loved this book. She is so sharp and witty. Glad she let them release it after she’d died. Baller move. Love Mary Rogers. Any lady in some big fucken glasses is a friend of Jackson’s.
November 8, 2022
Although I'm a Broadway Baby (grew up in Manhattan and my parents took us to musicals from an early age) I knew very little about Mary Rodgers other than her famous composer father and the fact that she wrote the very enjoyable "Once Upon A Mattress" (which I never saw on Broadway, only a TV version still starring the incomparable Carol Burnett and Jack Gilford from the original cast.) I did not know she was a children's author or responsible for "Freaky Friday" which I've not read or seen. But I read a really positive review of this memoir and am very glad I picked it up. It's definitely not an "...and then I wrote" type of memoir, although there are indeed elements of that, but its also a journey of discovery about herself, her toxic relationship with her mother (what parent tells her own daughter "we love you but we don't like you"?) her less than loving and involved genius of a philandering father (Mary does not hold back on the good the bad or the ugly about anyone (although this was written/told to collaborator Jesse Green while she was in her late 70's early 80's so most of the dirt she dishes are about people already deceased.) She is incredibly candid and is as tough on herself as she is on anyone else in her life. She is also very witty. If you're not a theater fan, I'd suggest this isn't for you (I enjoyed the footnotes which read something like "If you don't know who Stephen Sondheim was, you're not reading this book.") But the footnotes were bothersome overall and the only reason this isn't a 5 star read for me. They are plentiful, which can be OK. And I get that at times they serve as a kind of dialogue between Mary and Jesse. But many of them could have been incorporated into the text and I found them distracting since sometimes they went on for more than one page. It seems a petty complaint, but I did find them distracting (especially since there were often four per page and I'd lose my place when I returned to the main text.) Otherwise I think for theater aficionados, this is a great read and pretty enlightening info about some major players from the golden age of Broadway.
March 29, 2023
I loved this book, and yet it’s somewhat difficult to review; perhaps I should just refer everyone to the rave review in the NYT. Jesse Green does a fantastic job of combining Mary’s own voice in (generally) chronological reminiscences with footnotes in his own words that clarify and illuminate her references. One might worry that having several of these footnotes per page would be distracting, but I didn’t find it so at all.
Rodgers led a fascinating life with several different chapters to it, and this book is definitely about her life, not her famous father’s, although of course he is a character in her story. The real focus is on how being born into this family affected her, in multiple ways - her choices in career and in love, her successes and failures, all of which she describes with complete candor. The last chapter, in which Green describes their years of collaboration, is fascinating and moving.
Rodgers led a fascinating life with several different chapters to it, and this book is definitely about her life, not her famous father’s, although of course he is a character in her story. The real focus is on how being born into this family affected her, in multiple ways - her choices in career and in love, her successes and failures, all of which she describes with complete candor. The last chapter, in which Green describes their years of collaboration, is fascinating and moving.
February 1, 2024
Mary Rodgers was the daughter of Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers & Hart and Rodgers & Hammerstein), but she also succeeded on her own as a composer, author, and philanthropist. As the subtitle promises, this autobiography is frank and no-holds-barred. If you're a fan of musical theater, you'll love this dishy tell-all. Rodgers knew everyone in the theater world in the second half of the twentieth century. And if you loved Freaky Friday (the book and movies), she tells the story of how she came to write it. I liked everything about this book. Highly recommended.
January 1, 2024
This was so so fun and delightful. It felt like spending a long time listening to an amazing cultures force talk to you, the type of older NYC woman who seems to know everything and drink martinis. She was really giving a Howard Hawks heroine. I think it would’ve been nice to know her.
May 24, 2024
Very fun, honest, biting at times. Loved the conversation with her cowriter through the footnotes format. I lost some steam at a certain point, but overall very glad I read it.
March 14, 2024
What a marvelous, hilarious, gossipy, honest and fun-filled ride. And it did a lot to cure me of any latent longings to have been alive at that time, and not (just) because of all the smoking.
August 15, 2022
Overall an enjoyable book. At times it seems Rodgers is trying too hard to be clever or witty or biting. But as one moves past that performance (and this is not unlike other memoirs), a portrait emerges. She definitely lived life on her own terms with a mix of both bluster and modesty.
As with any memoir or biography there are things which go into infinitesimal detail while other things are alluded to but constantly skipped over. (For instance, her relationship with her sister is often touched on but never fully explored.)
The final chapters are touching as she deals with her own mortality and her husband's. They are honest and frank as both grapple with failing bodies. But she (nor Jesse Green) doesn't try to draw some grand conclusion to her life. It is just another section of her existence.
As with any memoir or biography there are things which go into infinitesimal detail while other things are alluded to but constantly skipped over. (For instance, her relationship with her sister is often touched on but never fully explored.)
The final chapters are touching as she deals with her own mortality and her husband's. They are honest and frank as both grapple with failing bodies. But she (nor Jesse Green) doesn't try to draw some grand conclusion to her life. It is just another section of her existence.
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