Lyrics & Lyricists: Sheldon Harnick Collectors Items

Rob Fisher and Sheldon Harnick (b. 1924) first teamed up at Lyrics & Lyricists in 2004 for a show on Ira Gershwin; they returned in 2005 for an eloquent celebration of Harnick’s own lyrics. In 2006, they explore some of the lyrics–and lyricists–that influenced Harnick and won his admiration.

In a Broadway career spanning more than half a century, Sheldon Harnick collaborated on some of musical theater’s most beloved shows, including the hits Fiorello (1959), She Loves Me (1963) and Fiddler on the Roof (1964), all of which he wrote with composer Jerry Bock. Harnick first appeared at L&L on February 14, 1971, as part of the series’ inaugural season. The multi-talented Rob Fisher is probably best known as former musical director of City Center’s Encores! and leader of the Coffee Club Orchestra (a group developed for Garrison Keillor’s “American Radio Company”); he was also artistic advisor for Carnegie Hall’s two-year Gershwin Centenary Celebration.