One Show Wonders

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 3:26pm

I will start it off. The following is a composer & lyricist who did one hit show & nothing after. More of a wonder that they were a great songwriting team before for some reason they never did another show

Music Burt Bacharach
Lyrics Hal David

Anyone else name any others

Updated On: 5/29/06 at 03:26 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 3:27pm

Willy Russel, BLOOD BROTHERS.

[jwsel]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 4:30pm

I don't think you can call Willy Russell a one-hit-wonder. Blood Brothers was his only big success as a musical, but he also wrote Educating Rita and Shirley Valentine.

[leefowler]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 4:47pm

True, Bacharach and David's only Broadway show was Promises Promises...but don't forget Lost Horizon!

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 5:00pm

Mitch Leigh: he has had several shows since MAN OF LA MANCHA, all of them flops.

[tophertilson]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 5:01pm

Rupert Holmes

TT

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 5:03pm

And there there are a NO-hit wonders: Frank Wildhorn (although to be fair J&H and SCARLET PIMPERNEL each ran about 3 years - still neither turned a profit) and Larry Grossman (NONE of his shows have achieved any kind of success financial or popular.)

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 6:24pm

I've read (though I can't remember where) that Bacharach wasn't happy with the experience of working on Promises, Promises, and was especially unhappy that it sounded different every night.

Another one-hit wonder the same season: Sherman Edwards.

Others include Gagni and Rado, Ervin Drake (sort of, since What Makes Sammy Run? was technically a flop), and Gene de Paul.

Sammy Fain did contribute music to a couple of very successful revues, but all the book shows for which he composed the scores were flops.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 6:33pm

Drake did Her First Roman after Sammy. Although it was not that bad & had some nice tunes, it was a fast foldo

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 6:48pm

Yeah, that's why he was a one-hit wonder. I'm sorry I wasn't clearer that I was going to mention some people who did come back but never had another hit.

I know that the original idea was to name people who wrote one show, which was a hit, but never came back. But frontrowcentre mentioned Mitch Leigh, and I think that Drake also counts as a one-hit wonder. (Although the greatest wonder is how What Makes Sammy Run? ran as long as it did.)

For that matter, several other people I mentioned came back but only had one hit. Gagni and Rado came back.
Updated On: 5/29/06 at 06:48 PM

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:26pm

Lionel Bart. He wrote several other shows, but "Oliver!" was his only hit...

And his only other show to come to Broadway was "La Strada," and it closed on opening night.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:31pm

My original attempt was to have people post names of composer/lyricist who did one show that was a hit & never attempted another

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:35pm

Roger Miller who wrote "Big River" did only that one show. He died a number of years after it opened, but I never heard of his ever writing another.

[jasonf]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:37pm

sondheimboy - you beat me to my answer on that one!

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:42pm

Well, Mr. Roxy, then they would be "One Show Wonders."

Most of the recording artists who are referred to as "One Hit Wonders" recorded more than one song in their lifetimes.

Only one was a hit, however.

So, I took it to mean the same thing as that.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:44pm

My apologies

Correction has been made

Updated On: 5/29/06 at 08:44 PM

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:45pm

"One Hit Wonders"?

Is this another thread about Mr. Roxy's honeymoon?

I ask you!

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:46pm

I don't know if this counts, but I'm going to say Jonathan Larson. It's true, no matter how unfair it is. Please, no one hurt me.

^edited for error

Updated On: 5/30/06 at 08:46 PM

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:46pm

I would not talk , Dolly

You probably look down in your nether regions & say "Damn, where is my magnifying glass"

Have fun with you pillow tonight. You obviously did not learn your lesson with the debate re Doubt/Pillowman. Quit while you are ahead old man

Updated On: 5/29/06 at 08:46 PM

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:53pm

I wouldn't really count Jonathon Larson as a "one hit wonder" since Tick Tick Boom, while not nearly as successful as Rent, did have a successful Off-Broadway run, even thought it was after his death.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 8:56pm

I would definitely count Jonathan Larson. Rent was the last show he wrote.

Tick Tick Boom was written earlier and ran Off-Broadway posthumously.

Jon counts... sadly.

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 5/29/06 at 9:01pm

You could put "The Golden Apple" team of John LaTouche and Gerome Moross in this category.

This was the only musical Moross had make it to Broadway and LaTouche's only big hit was "Cabin In The Sky".

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 1:35pm

My favorite one-hit wonder was definitely:

CLARK GESNER!

[gumbo2]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 1:41pm

Aww Clark Gesner. I wonder what else he would have come up with...

I guess this doesn't fall into your category, but I was gonna say Meredith Willson. He only wrote 3 shows, and only Music Man found any sort of success.

[CastAlbumFan]

Posted: 3/24/07 at 2:57pm

Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey from GREASE!