One-Woman Show

"Absolutely fabulous! A trip through musical history that left me enthused, informed and sky high!" Joyce Noon

"It was marvelous! We really enjoyed it -- and we learned so much, too!" Julie Exum

"Excellent! Great voice. Fabulous concept. Reminds me of what Hershey Felder did with Gershwin, Chopin and Beethoven." RosaLee Saikley

'"Excellent, informative, uplifting and, most importantly, entertaining!" Don Moore

"I LOVED it! The stories were fun, but the music made the show. 'Bewitched' was especially magical." Cindi Watkins

For one lively and informative hour, we will explore the Courage of the Creative Spirit, as shown to us by the greats of musical theater, such as Rodgers & Hammerstein. I tell their inspiring stories of overcoming failure, mistakes, lack of money and education, writer’s block, and physical pain to

go on to greatness and success. After each story, I sing a song from one of their musicals.

Learn why Stephen Sondheim is not pleased with his lyrics in West Side Story, how Richard Rodgers came within one day of quitting music altogether and selling baby clothes instead, and why Alan Jay Lerner of Lerner & Lowe had to see a psychiatrist to finish My Fair Lady. These stories and many more are interwoven with the music from the golden age of musicals.

Let these great artists inspire you to dig deep for the courage to express your own vast creativity and talents freely. Learn how they relied upon their intuition and each other to make it through the difficult times.

Also, learn more about musical theater, like the best way to deal with critics, the answer to the question, "Which comes first, the music or the words?" and the name of the composer you may not know, but who changed the face of American popular music.

The show includes these wonderful numbers:

"When the Sun Comes Out" by Harold Arlen

"Something's Coming" from West Side Story, by Bernstein, Laurents and Sondheim
"Putting It Together" from Sunday in the Park with George, by Sondheim
"A Wonderful Guy" from South Pacific, by Rodgers & Hammerstein
"Bewitched, Bothered an Bewildered" from Pal Joey, by Rodgers & Hart
"Mrs. Worthington" by Noel Coward
"If Love Were All" from Bittersweet, by Noel Coward
"My Heart Belongs to Daddy" from Leave It to Me, by Cole Porter
"Without You" from My Fair Lady, by Lerner & Lowe
"Can't Help Lovin' That Man" from Showboat, by Kern & Hammerstein
"Being Alive" from Company, by Sondheim

The show is then followed by an audience sing-along of a few favorite songs from the great golden age of musical theater.

Booking Information

The Courage of the Creative Spirit can be accompanied by a musical track and a solo piano (recommended for a formal evening program), or by musical track only. I live in the Los Angeles area, but am willing to travel.

I have a Professional Speakers license from ASCAP to perform this wonderful music.

Please call me at 310.378.1794 or email me at carrie@carriehart.com to book a show.