Home > Alan J. Lerner

In 1942 he was introduced to Austrian composer Frederic Loewe, who needed a lyricist for an out-of-town musical. The Lerner/Loewe collaboration had begun. Their first major hit was Brigadoon (1947), a romantic fantasy set in a mystical Scottish village. In 1951 they wrote the less successful Paint Your Wagon. That same year Lerner wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for An American in Paris. He had also written with Kurt Weill (the stage musical Love LifeLove Life was a Broadway musical written by Kurt Weill (music) and Alan Jay Lerner (book and lyrics). It opened at the 46th Street Theatre (now the Richard Rodgers) on October 7, 1948 and closed on May 14, 1949 after having played 252 performances. The or) and Burton LaneBurton Lane (born February 2, 1912 in New York City and died January 5, 1997 in New York City) was a composer and lyricist and was most known for his musicals, Finian's Rainbow and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. Tony Award Nominations for Burton Lane (the movie musical Royal Wedding ).

After years of dead ends, Lerner and Loewe unveiled their masterpiece, My Fair LadyMy Fair Lady is a musical theater production with lyrics and book by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederic Loewe, adapted from George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion''. The musical opened on March 15, 1956 at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in New York City. It ran f, in 19561956 is a leap year starting on Sunday. see link for calendar) Events January January 1 End of Anglo- Egyptian Condominium in Sudan. January 16 President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt vows to reconquer Palestine January 26 1956 Winter Olympic Games open in. Their adaptation of PygmalionPygmalion is a Greek name, probably going back to Phoenician roots. Pygmalion or Pygmaion according to Hesychios of Alexandra is probably a Cypriote form of Adonis, a Levantine vegetation-god. Bearers of the name include: # Pygmalion, king of Tyre, brothe retained George Bernard Shaw's social commentary and added unusally appropriate songs for the characters of Eliza DoolittleEliza Doolittle is a fictional character who appears in the play Pygmalion ( George Bernard Shaw, 1912) and, by extension, the musical version of that play My Fair Lady''. Eliza is a Cockney flower girl, who comes to Professor Henry Higgins asking for elo and Henry Higgins . My Fair Lady set box-office records in New YorkNew York is a state in the northeastern United States whose U. postal abbreviation is NY . It is sometimes called New York State when there is need to distinguish it from New York City. History See: History of New York New York was one of the thirteen col and LondonLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri; the eventual movie version won seven Oscars. Lerner and Loewe's next work was the film musical hit Gigi. Their partnership cracked during the stress of Camelot in 1960, with Loewe resisting Lerner's desire to direct as well as write. Camelot was a hit nonetheless, and became the symbol for President Kennedy's brief administration. Loewe retired to Palm Springs, California while Lerner went through a series of unsuccessful musicals with such esteemed composers as Andre Previn, Leonard Bernstein and Charles Strouse. At the time of Lerner's death he had been approached to write lyrics for Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera. In 1978 he published his autobiography, The Street Where I Live.

Throughout Lerner's career, his lyrics captured a sense of romantic yearning, and included witty references and occasional double entendres. His librettos had smart one-liners but, for the most part, were structurally flawed.

Lerner was a suave, sophisticated gentleman with an addictive personality; for over 20 years he battled an amphetamine addiction, and Lerner would marry eight times (one ex-wife quipped, "Marriage is Alan's way of saying goodbye"). The drugs and divorces cost him much of his money. When he died in 1986, he reportedly owed the IRS over $1 million in back taxes. Yet the only thing most remember about Lerner are his lyrics, among the most literate and passionate in 20th century popular music.