Tags: Arthur Laurents

This is all fairly unprepared. I am just going to talk, and I am just going to ramble. Some of the thoughts will be incomplete, some will be pontifical. And contentious and dogmatic and opinionated. I’m going to talk only about theatre lyrics, lyrics in a dramatic situation on a stage in terms of character, not pop lyrics....

TERRENCE MCNALLY:  It’s hard to imagine what the musical theatre would be like in 1985 without the efforts of the four gentlemen sitting here with me, the authors of West Side Story. In our theatre community, they are held in great, great respect and much love. West Side Story is the one time these four extraordinary talents came together. I’d like to start with the germ of the idea, the first time somebody said, “Hey, there’s...