Pamela Briggs

The classic musical Guys & Dolls premiered on Broadway in 1950, winning five Tony awards including Best Musical. Frank Loesser wrote the music and lyrics, and Jo Swerling the book, rewritten by Abe Burrows. Swerling, among others, co-wrote It’s a Wonderful Life, as well as other screenplays. He just wasn’t fluent in Runyonese. Huh? Wildly popular journalist and short-story writer Damon Runyon infused real street dialects with polite, roundabout expressions for comic effect.

Ryan Scoble and Emily Winn in Seussical the Musical One time, near Pittsburgh, Farther than far Lived a coal-fired towboat. Her name was Omar. Through many adventures Omar found her way, And now she’s a showboat In Clinton, I - A. She’s hosted a musical More than one time. This one’s called Seussical … .

Two score and 17 years ago, a musical about America’s birth opened on Broadway: 1776, conceived by former history teacher and pop composer Sherman Edwards because, reportedly, he got tired of writing songs for Elvis.