Gerald Sheldon Herman (July 10, 1931December 26, 2019) was an American composer and

lyricist A lyricist is a songwriter who writes lyrics (the spoken words), as opposed to a composer, who writes the song's music which may include but not limited to the melody, harmony, arrangement and accompaniment. Royalties A lyricist's incom ...

, known for his work in

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

. One of the most commercially successful Broadway songwriters of his time, Herman was the composer and lyricist for a number of hit musicals, starting in the 1960s, that were characterized by an upbeat and optimistic outlook and what Herman called "the simple, hummable showtune". His shows include '' Hello, Dolly!'' (1964), at one time the longest-running musical in Broadway history, which also produced the hit title song for Louis Armstrong; ''

Mame MAME (formerly an acronym of Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) is a free and open-source emulator designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern personal computers and other platforms. Its intention is to preserve ...

'' (1966), a vehicle for

Angela Lansbury Dame Angela Brigid Lansbury (October 16, 1925 – October 11, 2022) was an Irish-British and American film, stage, and television actress. Her career spanned eight decades, much of it in the United States, and her work received a great deal ...

; and '' La Cage aux Folles'' (1984), the first hit Broadway musical about a gay couple. In 2009, Herman received the Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. He was a recipient of the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors.

Early life

Herman was born in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and raised in Jersey City, New Jersey, the only child of musically inclined, middle-class

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents. He learned to play

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

at an early age, and the frequently attended Broadway musicals. Herman's father Harry was a gym teacher and in the summer worked in the Catskill Mountains hotels. His mother Ruth (Sachs) also worked in the hotels as a singer, pianist, and children's teacher, and eventually became an English teacher. Herman told ''People Magazine'' in 1986 that his mother, who died in 1954, long before his success on Broadway, "was glamorous like Mame and witty like Dolly." After marrying, his parents lived in Jersey City and continued to work in the summers in various camps until they became head counselors and finally ran Stissing Lake Camp in the small town of Pine Plains, New York, in the

Taconic Mountains The Taconic Mountains or Taconic Range () are a range of the Appalachian Mountains, running along the eastern border of New York State and adjacent New England from northwest Connecticut to western Massachusetts, north to central western Vermont. ...

. Herman spent all of his summers there, from age 6 to 23. It was at camp that he first became involved in theatrical productions, as director of ''

Oklahoma! ''Oklahoma!'' is the first musical written by the duo of Rodgers and Hammerstein. The musical is based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, ''Green Grow the Lilacs''. Set in farm country outside the town of Claremore, Indian Territory, in 1906, it tell ...

'', '' Finian's Rainbow'' and '' A Tree Grows in Brooklyn''. Herman graduated from Jersey City's

Henry Snyder High School Academy of the Arts at Henry Snyder High School is a four-year performing arts public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades, located in the Greenville section of Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, operating as part o ...

. At age 17, Herman was introduced to

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

who, after hearing material he had written, urged him to continue composing. He left the Parsons School of Design to attend the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

, which has one of the nation's most avant garde theater departments. While an undergraduate student at the University of Miami, Herman produced, wrote and directed a college musical called ''Sketchbook''. It was scheduled to run for three performances, but the show was so popular it ran for an additional 17 performances. Herman belonged to the

Zeta Beta Tau Zeta Beta Tau () is a Greek-letter social fraternity based in North America. It was founded on December 29, 1898. Originally a Zionist youth society, its purpose changed from Zionism in the fraternity's early years when in 1954 the fraternity be ...

fraternity. Herman graduated from the University of Miami in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama and received a

Doctor of Fine Arts Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) is a doctoral degree in fine arts, may be given as an honorary degree (a degree ''honoris causa'') or an earned professional degree (in the UK). Description Doctoral programmes leading to DFAs are of equivalent leve ...

degree in 1980.

Early career

Following his graduation from the

in 1953, Herman moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, where he produced the Off-Broadway

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

''I Feel Wonderful'', which was made up of material he had written at the university. It opened at the

Theatre de Lys The Lucille Lortel Theatre is an off-Broadway playhouse at 121 Christopher Street in Manhattan's West Village. It was built in 1926 as a 590-seat movie theater called the New Hudson, later known as Hudson Playhouse. The interior is largely unch ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

on October 18, 1954, and ran for 48 performances. It was his only show his mother saw; she died of cancer at the age of forty-four in December 1954. Herman said "I went into serious grieving." In 1957, Herman approached the owner of a West Fourth Street jazz club called the Showplace and asked to put on a revue. As well as supplying the music, Herman wrote the book and directed the one-hour revue, called ''Nightcap''. He asked his friend,

Phyllis Newman Phyllis Newman (March 19, 1933 – September 15, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She won the 1962 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role as Martha Vail in the musical ''Subways Are for Sleeping'' on Broadway, ...

, to do movement and dance and it featured

Charles Nelson Reilly Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

(who later co-starred in '' Hello, Dolly!''). The show opened in May 1958 and ran for two years. Herman next collected enough original material to put together an Off-Broadway revue called ''Parade'' in 1960. Herman directed with choreography by Richard Tone. The cast included

and

Dody Goodman Dody Goodman (October 28, 1914 – June 22, 2008) was an American character actress. She played the mother of the title character in the television series ''Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman'', her distinctive high-pitched voice announcing the s ...

. It first opened at the Showplace and, expanded, moved to the Players Theatre in January 1960.

Broadway career

In 1960, Herman made his Broadway debut with the revue ''

From A to Z ''From A to Z'' is a musical revue with a book by Woody Allen, Herbert Farjeon, and Nina Warner Hook and songs by Jerry Herman, Fred Ebb, Mary Rodgers, Everett Sloane, Jay Thompson, Dickson Hughes, Jack Holmes, Paul Klein, Norman Martin, William Dy ...

'', which featured contributions from newcomers

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

and

Fred Ebb Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004) was an American musical theatre lyricist who had many successful collaborations with composer John Kander. The Kander and Ebb team frequently wrote for such performers as Liza Minnelli and Chita Riv ...

as well. That same year producer Gerard Oestreicher approached him after seeing a performance of "Parade", and asked if he would be interested in composing the score for a show about the founding of the state of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

. The result was his first full-fledged Broadway musical, '' Milk and Honey ''in 1961. The show, about American tourists in Israel, starred

Robert Weede Robert Weede (February 22, 1903 – July 9, 1972) was an American operatic baritone. Life and career Born Robert Wiedefeld in Baltimore, Maryland, Weede studied voice at the Eastman School of Music and in Milan. He made his Metropolitan Op ...

Mimi Benzell Miriam Ruth "Mimi" Benzell (April 6, 1918 – December 23, 1970) was an American soprano who performed with the Metropolitan Opera before establishing herself as a Broadway musical theatre, television, and nightclub performer. Life and career ...

and

Molly Picon Molly Picon ( yi, מאָלי פּיקאָן; born Malka Opiekun; February 28, 1898 – April 5, 1992) was an American actress of stage, screen, radio and television, as well as a lyricist and dramatic storyteller. She began her career in Yidd ...

. It received respectable reviews, was nominated for a Tony award, and ran for 543 performances. Herman met playwright

Tad Mosel Tad Mosel (May 1, 1922 – August 24, 2008) was an American playwright and one of the leading dramatists of hour-long teleplay genre for live television during the 1950s. He received the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' All the Way H ...

in 1960 and they collaborated on an Off-Broadway musical adaptation of Mosel's 1953 television play, ''Madame Aphrodite''. The musical of the same name, which starred Nancy Andrews in the title role, opened at the Orpheum Theatre in December 1961 but closed after 13 performances. The show has never been performed since. The failure of the musical hurt Herman, who felt that the direction and casting had not worked, but described his decision to make it as a "very brave thing for me to do...It was a dark piece, something more suited to early Sondheim than me".

''Hello, Dolly!''

In 1964, producer David Merrick united Herman with musical actress

Carol Channing Carol Elaine Channing (January 31, 1921 – January 15, 2019) was an American actress, singer, dancer and comedian who starred in Broadway and film musicals. Her characters usually had a fervent expressiveness and an easily identifiable voice, ...

and

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

Michael Stewart for a project that was to become one of his more successful, '' Hello, Dolly!''. The original production ran for 2,844 performances, the longest running musical for its time, and was later revived three times. Although facing stiff competition from '' Funny Girl'', ''Hello, Dolly!'' swept the

Tony Awards The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

that season, winning 10, a record that remained unbroken for 37 years, until '' The Producers'' won 12 Tonys in 2001.

''Mame''

In 1966, Herman's next musical was the hit ''

'' starring

, which introduced a string of Herman standards, most notably the ballad "If He Walked Into My Life", the holiday favorite "We Need a Little Christmas", and the title tune. Although not commercial successes, ''

Dear World ''Dear World'' is a musical with a book by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. With its opening, Herman became the first composer-lyricist in history to have three productions running simultaneously on Broa ...

'' (1969) starring

, ''

Mack & Mabel ''Mack and Mabel'' (often stylized as Mack & Mabel) is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The plot involves the tumultuous romantic relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Nor ...

'' (1974) starring Robert Preston and

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...

, and ''The Grand Tour (musical), The Grand Tour'' (1979) starring Joel Grey are noted for their interesting concepts and their melodic, memorable scores. Herman considers ''Mack & Mabel'', also written in collaboration with Michael Stewart, his personal favorite score with later composition '' La Cage aux Folles'' in a close second. Both ''Dear World'' and ''Mack & Mabel'' have developed a cult following among Broadway aficionados.

''La Cage aux Folles''

In 1983, Herman had his third hit with '' La Cage aux Folles'' starring George Hearn and Gene Barry, a show that was notable for being one of the first hit Broadway musicals centered around a gay couple. The musical was tried out in Boston, where Herman worried: Ticket sales were strong for its Boston tryout; a two-week extension required the box office to remain open for 36 hours straight to handle the demand. Advance sales for its Broadway debut at the Palace Theatre (New York City), Palace Theatre were described as "something approximating outright pandemonium." ''La Cage aux Folles'' won the Tony Award for Best Musical (1983), later became the only musical to win the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical twice (2005 and 2010). A

, ''Jerry's Girls'', "a pastiche" of his work, featured Dorothy Loudon, Leslie Uggams and Chita Rivera and ran on Broadway from December 1985 to April 1986.

Songs

Many of Herman's show tunes have become pop standards. "Hello, Dolly! (song), Hello, Dolly!" was a #1 hit in the United States for Louis Armstrong, knocking The Beatles from #1 in 1964 after a 14-week run at the top ("I Want to Hold Your Hand", "She Loves You (song), She Loves You", and "Can't Buy Me Love."). A French recording by Petula Clark charted in the Top Ten in both Canada and France. "If He Walked into My Life" from ''

'' was recorded by Eydie Gormé, winning her a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Female in 1967. "I Am What I Am (Broadway musical song), I Am What I Am" from '' La Cage aux Folles'' was recorded by Gloria Gaynor. Other well known Herman showtunes include "Shalom" from '' Milk and Honey''; "Before the Parade Passes By", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", and "It Only Takes a Moment" from ''Hello, Dolly!''; "It's Today!", "Open a New Window", "We Need a Little Christmas," and "Bosom Buddies" from ''Mame''; and "Tap Your Troubles Away", "I Won't Send Roses" and "Time Heals Everything" from ''

''. His "I Am What I Am (Broadway musical song), I Am What I Am," written for ''La Cage aux Folles'', became a gay pride anthem.

Impact and recognition

According to ''The Washington Post'', Herman's 1983 ''La Cage aux Folles'', which centered on a gay couple whose son is about to marry the daughter of a conservative family, "arrived during the height of the AIDS epidemic and helped put gay life into the cultural mainstream at a time when many gay men were being stigmatized." Herman is the only composer/lyricist to have had three original productions open on Broadway at the same time, from February to May 1969: '' Hello, Dolly!'', ''

'' , and ''

''. He was the first (of two) composers/lyricists to have three musicals run more than 1500 consecutive performances on Broadway (the other being Stephen Schwartz (composer), Stephen Schwartz): '' Hello, Dolly!'' (2,844 performances), ''

'' (1,508), and '' La Cage aux Folles'' (1,761). Herman is honored by a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at the 7000 block of Hollywood Boulevard. The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre, the campus theater at the

, his alma mater, is named in his honor. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1982. Herman's work has been the subject of two popular musical revues, ''Jerry's Girls'' conceived by Larry Alford, and ''Showtune (musical), Showtune'' (2003) conceived by Paul Gilger. A 90-minute documentary about his life and career, ''Words and Music by Jerry Herman'', by filmmaker Amber Edwards, was screened in 2007 and then broadcast on Public Broadcasting Service, PBS. In the 2008 animated film ''WALL-E'', Herman's music from ''Hello, Dolly!'' is a theme for the character WALL-E. In 1989, American-playwright Natalie Gaupp wrote a short play titled ''The Jerry Herman Center''. The play is a comedy which portrays the lives of several patients in "The Jerry Herman Center for Musical Theatre Addiction." In 2012, Jason Graae and Faith Prince collaborated on ''The Prince and the Showboy'', a show which pays tribute to Herman; Graae worked extensively with Herman and described him as "a survivor of the highest degree [who] lives his life as an eternal optimist." In 2010, he received a Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honor. Introduced by

, there were performances by

, Matthew Morrison, Christine Baranski and Christine Ebersole, Laura Benanti, Sutton Foster, Matt Bomer, Matthew Bomer and Kelli O'Hara, Kelli O' Hara, 2002 Kennedy Center Honoree Chita Rivera, an unknown choir that included the Gay Mens Chorus of Washington, and Lansbury. Also honored were talk show host/actress Oprah Winfrey, dancer/choreographer Bill T. Jones, country singer/songwriter Merle Haggard, and singer/songwriter/musician Paul McCartney.

Personal life and death

Having a flair for decorating in the 1970s, Herman took a break from composition after the failure of ''Mack and Mabel''. ''Architectural Digest'' wrote about the firehouse he renovated:, and he also redecorated other houses and sold them. According to ''The Washington Post'', Herman decorated three dozen homes. Herman reportedly listed his West Hollywood condominium apartment for sale early in 2013. Herman was openly gay, and at the time of his death was partnered with Terry Marler, a real estate broker. Herman was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1985. As noted in the ''Words and Music'' PBS documentary, "He is one of the fortunate ones who survived to see experimental drug therapies take hold and was still, as one of his lyrics proclaims, 'alive and well and thriving' over a quarter of a century later." Herman's memoir, ''Showtune'', was published in 1996. He died at a hospital in Miami on December 26, 2019, at age 88.

Work

Theater

;Off-Broadway *''I Feel Wonderful'' (1954) *''Nightcap'' (1958) *''Parade'' (1960) *''Madame Aphrodite (musical), Madame Aphrodite'' (1961) *''Showtune (musical), Showtune'' (2003) ;Broadway musicals *''

'' (1960) *'' Milk and Honey'' (1961) *'' Hello, Dolly!'' (1964) *''Ben Franklin in Paris'' (additional music) (1964) *''

'' (1966) *''

'' (1969) *''Mack and Mabel, Mack & Mabel'' (1974) *''The Grand Tour (musical), The Grand Tour'' (1979) *''A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine'' (additional songs) (1980) *'' La Cage aux Folles'' (1983) *''Jerry's Girls'' (1985) *''An Evening with Jerry Herman'' (1998) ;Other stage *''Miss Spectacular'' (2003) recorded but unproduced

Films

Source: TCM *Hello, Dolly! (film), ''Hello, Dolly!'' (1969) *Mame (film), ''Mame'' (1974) *''Barney's Great Adventure'' (title song) (1998) *''WALL-E'' (excerpts of Hello Dolly! (film), ''Hello, Dolly!'' featured)

Television

*''Mrs. Santa Claus'' (1996)

Awards and honors

* 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, Kennedy Center Honoree * 1999 Theatre World Special Award (''An Evening with Jerry Herman'') * 1999 New York University Musical Theater Hall of Fame * 1980

, May 4, 1980, University of Miami

Grammy Awards

* 1966 Best Score From An Original Cast Show Album (''Mame'') *1964 Song of the Year (''Hello, Dolly!'')

Tony Awards

* 2009 Special Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre"Jerry Herman, 2009 Special Tony Recipient, Takes a Moment to Reflect on a Lifetime"
Playbill, August 30, 2011 * 1984 Best Original Score (''La Cage aux Folles'') * 1964 Best Composer and Lyricist (''Hello, Dolly!'')

References

External links

Jerry Herman Official Web Site

* * *
Jerry Herman
- ''Downstage Center'' audio interview at American Theatre Wing.
Jerry Herman podcast series by Sony BMG MasterworksJerry Herman Gathers His Girls for a Swinging Broadway Bash ''People Weekly'', April 21, 1986Ken Bloom collection of Jerry Herman memorabilia, 1955-2000
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:Herman, Jerry 1931 births 2019 deaths 20th-century American Jews 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century American Jews 21st-century LGBT people American memoirists American male non-fiction writers American male songwriters American musical theatre composers American musical theatre lyricists American people of Russian-Jewish descent Broadway composers and lyricists Composers from New York City American gay musicians Grammy Award winners Henry Snyder High School alumni Jewish American composers Jewish American musicians Jewish American songwriters Kennedy Center honorees LGBT composers LGBT Jews LGBT memoirists LGBT people from New York (state) LGBT songwriters Male musical theatre composers Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Musicians from New York City Parsons School of Design alumni People with HIV/AIDS Songwriters from New Jersey Songwriters from New York (state) Special Tony Award recipients Tony Award winners University of Miami alumni Writers from Manhattan