Mary Rodgers > Quotes

“It’s like what Steve said about Burt Shevelove, that his death didn’t even seem real; when people don’t live near you, you tend to think they’re just “away.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“I uncover more and more nice things about Daddy as I think through his life. It’s also admirable that, being the kind of person who never expressed gratitude, he never demanded it either. But even my mother, who loudly and endlessly did demand gratitude, generally did the right thing in a crisis. That’s the point: Straight through my life, everywhere you look, they were horrible, especially my mother, about little things, but important things they were wonderful about. The trouble is, and this is key, it doesn’t even out. Even in my admittedly rather eventful life, there weren’t as many big things as little.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“We never discovered what exactly, but she was a moving violation. Thus was born the Nightingale of Samarkand, who was lowered in a cage during the bed scene while shrilling an insane modal tune to keep the Princess awake. Do not seek to know how the musical theater sausage is made.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“Frightened, I ran into the study to tell him and asked, “Are you going to call Dr. Schloss?”5 By which he deduced that I had eaten the pennies to get attention. I hadn’t, but that’s what having a reputation means. It’s like getting a carved owl for your birthday and politely saying how much you like it; soon, everyone thinks that’s what you want and you’re overrun with owls.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“Adults seem to be under the impression that children deaf, dumb, blind and utterly insensitive.”
― Mary Rodgers, Freaky Friday

“That kid’s got no discipline, and a kid that’s got no discipline is the fault of the mother and the father.”
― Mary Rodgers, Freaky Friday

“I don’t know, I thought it sounded good?” Actually, I was really proud of the unexpected change of key and rhythm, especially because it gave the song, and the scene, a sense of propulsion. “Well, I wouldn’t have done that.” Which is when I decided never to play him my music again.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“No, it’s the situation that makes it so good: the mute father trying to teach his child about love.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“Finally, in his thick German accent, Max politely explained that all musical phrases must consist of an even number of bars.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“Despite this pressure, Rodgers and Hammerstein wouldn’t cut it—and if you license South Pacific legally, neither can you.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“But we did come up with the kicker together, in which the boy from Tacarembo la Tumbe del Fuego Santa Malipas Zatatecas la Junta del Sol y Cruz—a made-up mouthful of a name—turns out to be heading to a town with an even longer one: Llanfair-pwllgwyngyll-gogery-chwyrn-drobwll-llan-tysilio-gogo-goch. That town, in Wales, is real; we called the first Welsh person we could think of, Sybil Burton, Richard Burton’s ex, from two extensions in my apartment, scribbling down her pronunciation phonetically so we could teach it to Linda Lavin later.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“George especially loved the new number for the Queen, “Sensitivity,” which wasn’t even supposed to be in the show until Jane White, who played the role in New York, said, “Why don’t I have a real song? I need a song!” And I loved it, too, because it’s just a waltz in the bridge but 5/4 in the A section, even though the musicians always said it was really 5/8. I don’t think Daddy ever wrote a song in 5/4 or 5/8.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“Until Oklahoma! they were, despite the money he made, always very hand-to-mouth, a situation my mother managed with great agility, a nose for bargains, and a flair for double-entry bookkeeping. I used to brag about that last one, having no idea what it meant.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

“What I still can’t hear, after all these years, is the specific tip of the hat Steve hid in a countermelody in the title song: “Hank and Mary get into town tomorrow.”
― Mary Rodgers, Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers