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He was born Seymour Kaufman on June 14, 1929 in New York City, and was raised in the Bronx. He was a child-prodigy who gave piano recitals at Steinway Hall , Town Hall, and Carnegie Hall between the ages of six and nine. Before beginning his fabled Broadway career, he led the Cy Coleman Trio, which made many recordings and was a much-in-demand club attraction.
Despite the early classical and jazz success, he decided to build a career in popular music. His first collaborator was Joseph Allen McCarthy, but his most successful early partnership, albeit a turbulent one, was with Carolyn Leigh. The pair wrote many pop hits, including Witchcraft and The Best Is Yet To Come.
Coleman's winning streak as a Broadway composer began when the team collaborated on Wildcat ( 1960Events January-February January 1 Independence of Cameroon January 9 Aswan High Dam construction begins in Egypt January 11 Chad declares its independence. January 14 Ralph Chubb, the gay poet and printer, dies at Fair Oak Cottage in Hampshire. January 23), which marked the Broadway debut of comedienne Lucille BallVivian Vance as Ethel on an episode of I Love Lucy Lucille Desiree Ball ( August 6, 1911 April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian and star of I Love Lucy. A 'B-grade' movie star of the 1940s, she became one of the best and most popular stars in t. The score included the hit tune "Hey Look Me Over." When Ball was unable to cope with the rigors of eight performances a week, she left the cast, and the show soon folded. Up next for the two was Little MeLittle Me was the parody "confessional" self-indulgent autobiography of "Belle Poitrine" ("Pretty Bosom"), subtitled The Intimate Memoirs of the Great Star of Stage, Screen and Television by Patrick Dennis, who had achieved a great success with Auntie Mam, with a book by Neil SimonNeil Simon (born 1927 in New York City) is, after William Shakespeare, the most performed playwright of all time. He began his career as a TV comedy writer, most notably for Sid Caesar's Your Show of Shows''. He is the author of over forty Broadway plays based on the novel by Patrick DennisPatrick Dennis (1921 1976) was an American author. He was born Edward Everett Tanner III in Chicago. His best known book Auntie Mame which recalled his adventures growing up as the ward of his father's madcap sister. Although Dennis claimed the work was a ( Auntie MameAuntie Mame is a novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles his madcap adventures growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister. Although he referred to it as autobiographical, in reality the author was raised by both his parents. The nove). The show introduced Real Live Girl and I've Got Your Number, which became popular standards.
In 1964Events January January 1 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. January 3 Senator Barry Goldwater announces that he will seek the Republican nomination for President. January 5 In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Ort, Coleman met Dorothy FieldsDorothy Fields ( July 15, 1905 March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist who wrote well over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. She had great talent to match colloquial every day speech to complex scores, and was, along with Ann Rone at a party, and when he asked if she would like to collaborate with him, she is reported to have answered, "Thank God somebody asked." Fields was revitalised by working with the much younger Coleman, and by the contemporary nature of their first project, which was to become Sweet Charity, again with a book by Simon, and starring Gwen Verdon. The show was a major success and Coleman found working with Fields much easier than with Leigh. The partnership was to work on two more shows – an aborted project about Eleanor Roosevelt, and Seesaw which reached Broadway in 1973 after a troubled out-of-town tour. Despite mixed reviews, the show enjoyed a healthy run. The partnership was cut short by Fields' death in 1974.
Coleman remained prolific in the late 1970s. He collaborated on I Love My Wife ( 1977) with Michael Stewart, On The Twentieth Century ( 1978) with Betty Comden and Adolph Green, and Home Again, Home Again with Barbara Fried, although the latter never reached Broadway.
In 1980, Coleman served as producer and composer for the circus-themed Barnum, which introduced theatergoers to Jim Dale and Glenn Close. Later in the decade, he collaborated on Welcome to the Club ( 1988) with A.E. Hotchner and City of Angels ( 1989) with David Zippel. In the latter, inspired by the hard-boiled detective film noir of the 1930s and '40s, he returned to his jazz roots, and the show was a huge critical and commercial success.
The 1990s brought more new Coleman musicals to Broadway: The Will Rogers Follies ( 1991), again with Comden and Green, The Life ( 1997), a gritty look at pimps, prostitutes, and assorted other lowlife in the big city, with Ira Gasman , and a revised production of Little Me.
Coleman's film scores include Father Goose, The Art of Love, Garbo Talks and Family Business. In addition, he wrote Shirley MacLaine's memorable television specials, If My Friends Could See Me Now and Gypsy in My Soul.
Coleman was on the ASCAP Board of Directors for many years and also served as their Vice Chairman Writer.
He died of heart failure on November 18, 2004. To the very end, he was part of the Broadway scene - just prior to passing away, he had attended the premiere of Michael Frayn's new play Democracy.