Maury Yeston is a composer, lyricist, educator, and musicologist. He is known for initiating new Broadway musicals, and writing their music and lyrics, among them Nine in 1982, and Titanic in 1997, both of which won him Tony Awards for best musical and best score and each brought him nominations for a Grammy. He also won two Drama Desk Awards for Nine, and was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for two of his new songs in the film version of Nine. He also wrote a significant amount of the music and most of the lyrics to the Tony-nominated musical Grand Hotel in 1989, which was Tony-nominated for best show, best score and another two Drama Desk Awards for music and lyrics and ran more than a thousand performances.
We talked about his struggle to “make it” along with . . .
- Why he wrote Nine before he even had the rights to the film on which it was based.
- How critics have changed, and how he believes they should write their reviews (this one is not only for the critics out there, but for anyone who has asked for advice on a show, or tweets, etc.)
- The most important thing he learned in his decades with the Lehman Engel BMI Workshop, both as a student and as head of the program.
- How bad reviews for an out of town tryout can actually be a blessing in disguise.
- What he thinks is the biggest mistake writers make today.
This week’s episode is brought to you by The New York Beer Company, a popular Hell's Kitchen spot near Times Square featuring craft beer, cocktails, brunch, late-night & live music. Visit them at: www.nybeercompany.com.
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