Pop Goes the Theater

Thanks for the wonderful article on musical theater’s appeal to pop musicians (“From Rock to Broadway,” by Randy Lewis, June 1). What these artists need to realize is that all their great music will not make a musical without a strong libretto, one that presents an engaging story with recognizable characters going through emotional changes until they reach a satisfying conclusion. Without it, all they have is a collection of songs, a concept album at best. With this elusive theatrical framework for their songs, they have the opportunity to touch the ages with their work.

As for Scott Zeiger’s comment that maybe one in 200 new shows gets so much as a staging on Broadway, I feel his numbers are way off. I’m currently coordinating the reading of 76 new musicals for a competition. With little effort, I could come up with a list of an additional 50 shows just by writers I know. There are probably 1,000 shows written for every one given a professional staging, whether Broadway figures into it or not.

Everyone seems to be writing a musical now--and the one thing most have in common is that they underestimate the importance of the book.

LIBBE S. HaLEVY

Los Angeles

HaLevy is co-founder and literary director of Broadway on Sunset.

I was especially interested in Lewis’ article, as I too am a pop songwriter with an original musical and a “catalog of hits” show in various stages of theatrical development. Theater has always been my first love and I got sidetracked for about 30 years, but those things happen.

It’s always great when an artist, song and production are joined in people’s creative memory, but here was an article about songwriters (and there aren’t many of those) and yet the lyric to “On Broadway” was attributed to the singer. I’m not writing this out of ego, it’s just that most people believe that singers make the songs up as they go along, and songwriters as a group are rarely credited in any way. When it’s actually a printed lyric, we really need to be recognized for our work.

Neither the Drifters nor George Benson nor the other artists who recorded “On Broadway” would be singing it were it not for the writers: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller. They brought our baby to life, but we were the ones who gave birth.

I actually wrote those two opening lines because I grew up loving the theater. That’s the way I’ve always felt about Broadway and always will.

CYNTHIA WEIL

Beverly Hills