A Ship Without A Sail: The Life of Lorenz Hart

A splendid portrait of Lorenz Hart, an exuberant yet troubled artist who so enriched the American songbook. Just think of...“Blue Moon, ” “Where or When, ” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “My Funny Valentine,” “Isn’t It Romantic?,” “My Romance,” “There’s a Small Hotel,” “Falling in Love with Love,” “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered”—and remember that lyricist Hart, together with composer Richard Rodgers, wrote some of the most memorable songs of all time. More than half a century after their collaboration ended, Rodgers and Hart songs are as popular and high regarded as ever. A Ship Without a Sail is the story of a complex man, but whose lyrics spin with brilliance and sophistication, yet at their core is an unmistakable wistfulness; and those words could be sweet, but they could also be cynical, funny, ironic, full of a unique wit and elegance. Larry Hart and Richard Rodgers wrote approximately thirty Broadway musicals and dozens of songs for Hollywood films. At least four of their musicals— 'On Your Toes', 'Babes in Arms', 'The Boys from Syracuse', and 'Pal Joey'— have become classics. Yet despite their prodigious collaboration, Rodgers and Hart were an odd couple. Rodgers was precise, punctual, heterosexual, handsome, and eager to be accepted by Society. Hart was barely five feet tall, alcoholic, homosexual, and most comfortable in a bar or restaurant. Terrified of solitude, he invariably threw the party and picked up the check. His lyrics are all the more remarkable considering that he never sustained a romantic relationship. Gary Marmorstein’s biography deserves to be widely read.