R.I.P Marvin Hamlisch

[best12bars]

All of them died too young.

[jv92]

As much as I enjoy the score to A CHORUS LINE, my favorite Hamlisch score is SMILE, with lyrics by Howard Ashman. I think I'll give both a listen today.

[Jordan Catalano]

I think in his honor, they should remake the CHORUS LINE movie.

[best12bars]

Right now, if possible. Today.

Quick.

[Jordan Catalano]

I'll call some friends of mine and also ask Patti (since she's in town) to be Cassie. We'll get this done by midnight.

[best12bars]

And jv92, I love the score to SMILE. Saw it on Broadway in previews, and was so impressed with his music.

EDIT: Go, Jordan, go!

A-five, six, seven, eight ...!

[Wynbish]

A new Chorus Line movie? God, I hope you get it!

[devonian.t]

Very few people count as genuine legends in their field of work. This man was one of them.

Such as sad loss I literally said "oh no!" When I read the news.

[hockeynut2]

What sad news. He was just at Wolf Trap and he looked great. He was so wonderful to my writer Jane Coyne and her son Joshua who is a violinist. You can read her review that night below.
Jane Coyne reviews Marvin Hamlisch and the National Symphony 3 weeks ago

[onedaymore]

I had literally just saw him a few weeks ago conducting the Chicago Symphony behind Idina Menzel. He was wonderful. What a legend. Let his scores be remembered forever. RIP.

[Theatreboy49]

It truly is a shame, he was a master of his craft. And while I've had the pleasure of being in A Chorus Line my favorite score of his is Sweet Smell. I think it just perfectly fits in the time period and is so catchy, even if the show didnt run that long. RIP Mr. Hamlisch, you will be missed.

[beautywickedlover]

Very sad to hear this. R.I.P.

[ggersten]

While there is sadness, there also is joy in remembering all that Mr. Hamlisch contributed to the arts and culture. Those achievements will always be with us. And for that, we can be thankful.

I did a radio interview with Mr. Hamlisch in 81 or 82 for my college radio station. He treated me like I was a reporter for the New York Times - charming, open and responsive even to questions he'd been asked many times before. The three things I most remember were (1) He loved playing with Groucho (2) "They're Playing Our Song" is NOT the Marvin Hamlisch story and (3) He fought to keep "What I Did For Love" in A Chorus Line.

R.I.P.

[Nettik]

R.I.P. Marvin Hamlisch. Very sad to hear this news.

[best12bars]

I'll never forget when Cher announced his name as a nominee at the 1974 Oscars as "Marmen Hammelshmish."

I searched for it on YouTube but can't find it.

EDIT: Oh, and he returned the "honor" by accepting his award at the podium and saying, "Thank you, Sheer."

[PalJoey]

At. The. Ballet.

http://youtu.be/ZT8yLVl_IjY

[egghumor]

What a shock.

I worked as an assistant to Howard Ashman on SMILE. As most of you know that was also the show with which Howard collaborated with Marvin Hamlisch. I assume that SMILE was not one of Mr. Hamlisch's most cherished artistic experiences as Howard Ashman was not only lyricist, but librettist and director as well. Ashman always had more “veto power” than Mr. Hamlisch amd that power imbalance brought a measure of frustration. Through it all, Mr., Hamlisch was a consummate professional and a true, true gentleman to everyone in the SMILE company. I admired him tremendously and I'm so grateful that I had a very positive, albeit brief experience with such a kind and gifted man. R.I.P.

[best12bars]

egghumor---okay, now it's my turn to say, "wow" and be hugely impressed.

I loved "Smile" when I saw it in previews, and I thought the book, music, and lyrics were great. Very unusual!

I remember opening the Playbill before it started and checking out the song list. There were several "chunks" (for lack of a more delicate word) of songs/scenes/transitions strung together, very much like the "Hello, Twelve" Montage in A Chorus Line, as far as structure goes. Not too many stand-alone songs. I knew, even before the overture, that it was going to be a special show, and I wasn't disappointed. I loved the way it all flowed together (dialogue into song into dance into scene change, etc.).

I'm sorry if Marvin was frustrated with the collaboration, and I do see that when your partner is the lyricist AND the book writer AND the director ... you're "outnumbered." But I think they did a terrific job.

[broadwayrob]

This hit me like a ton of bricks this morning. Truly a great loss. Such a sad day...

[BWF]

A very sad day. Everyone has a musical that takes the top spot and for me A Chorus Line was the one. I, too, loved Smile ...

[egghumor]

b12b, thanks. I'd love to offer a bit more regarding SMILE, but I want to respect the original intention of this thread. Is it possible to PM w/you?

[Mr Roxy]

As prolific as he was, he did not compose Minnies Boys as someone just commented on Twitter. He was a giant who the critics were not kind to after Chorus Line

My favorite song he did was "Dreamers" from Jean Seaberg

This is a big loss R.I.P

[best12bars]

b12b, thanks. I'd love to offer a bit more regarding SMILE, but I want to respect the original intention of this thread. Is it possible to PM w/you?

Absolutely!

[Pammylicious]

Barbra's Facebook page:

"I’m devastated. He was my dear friend. He’s been in my life ever since the first day I met him in 1963, when he was my rehearsal pianist for 'Funny Girl.' He played at my wedding in 1998… and recently for me at a benefit for women’s heart disease. The world will remember Marvin for his brilliant musical accomplishments, from 'A Chorus Line' to 'The Way We Were,' and so many others, but when I think of him now, it was his brilliantly quick mind, his generosity, and delicious sense of humor that made him a delight to be around. Just last night, I was trying to reach him, to tell him how much I loved him, and that I wanted to use an old song of his, that I had just heard for the first time. He was a true musical genius, but above all that, he was a beautiful human being. I will truly miss him."

Barbra Streisand

[EricMontreal22]

RIP. Very sad. I feel like a number of people I simply never expected to die so soon, have surprised me this year (Donna Summer, Hamlisch, even at his age Gore Vidal who I kinda imagined just always being around). I feel he was underated--a number of musical theatre books are pretty condescending about the score for Chorus Line, for example.

With the conversation about Smile, I thought those who haven't read it might wanna read the transcription of an interview Ashman and Hamlisch did with Bob Fosse for Smile, when Hamlisch briefly got Fosse interested in perhaps directing it. http://www.psclassics.com/cd_ashman_transcript.html

[best12bars]

egghumor---it seems you're not accepting PMs, so I can't respond!

Pammylicious---thanks for posting that. It actually brought a tear to my eye. I know Barbra was very close to him, and I'm sorry for her personal loss as well as all of us who loved his music.