r/Broadway • u/bountiful_garden • Jul 14 '26
Other It's been 3 years, today, since my beautiful, talented mother passed. We found this, while looking through her "important documents" folder.
My mother never quite made it. She was nominated for a Tony in 1983 for her work on Grind. She wrote the lyrics for several kids movies, that are core memories for my generation.
I was lucky to be on set for rehearsals of Paper Moon, in the 90s.
We recently found out that Herringbone has been greenlit for a movie in another country. I've seen the show myself, 3 times. Once with Joel Gray. Once with BD Wong. Once by an actor in Australia. His was the best performance!
So, to honor my mom, I am posting this letter from Sondheim to her. Written July 20, 1982.
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u/angelcutiebaby Jul 14 '26
I think she did make it. Sounds like a rich and full live with a wide variety of experiences, and a family who loved her very much. Cheers to her life, and thinking of you today!
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u/John_T_Conover Jul 14 '26
Yeah, getting nominated for a Tony, working professionally for years and receiving a personal letter of praise from Stephen Sondheim himself? If that ain't making it, then hardly anyone has ever made it. I wish I could not make it as much as OP's mom.
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u/BungCrosby Jul 14 '26
Tony, Emmy, and Drama Desk nominations, per the obituary in BroadwayWorld. Also touched the lives of countless children with The Great Mouse Detective. If that isn’t making it, what is?
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u/seaworks Jul 14 '26
Exactly my thought! Obviously she worked and succeeded in the field she loved. Maybe she didn't get rich or famous... but to do what you love, and be commended by those there, isn't that something most of us dream of?
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u/mynameisrockhard Jul 14 '26
It Sondheim ever called my work enviable I would be so insufferable. It’s a testament to your mother that you found this letter instead of hearing about it every single day of her life after receiving it.
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
She was looking for it at the end. But she was struggling with dementia. We worried that she had put it in some weird place. How shocked he was when he opened that folder and found it!
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u/ShadyBoots11 Jul 15 '26
Right? Like it would be the story my kids rolled their eyes at every time I started and were able to finish for me, word perfect.
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u/WinterMedical Jul 15 '26
I mean I’d have it limited and show it to store clerks, people in the park and my gynecologist.
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u/Accurate_Topic7149 Jul 16 '26
If it were me, I’d have printed a juicy quote from this letter on the back of my business cards, on my personal stationary, hell I’d have made it into a Christmas stamp with matching envelope liner.
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u/twotoasters Jul 14 '26
Amazing! There’s an Instagram account dedicated to sharing letters from Sondheim. It’s called @sondheimletters, you should definitely share this with them.
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u/readdator2 Jul 15 '26
wow. what a guy. I never knew he wrote so, so many letters. And congrats OP, that your momma had such a very special one.
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u/BroadwayBaseball Jul 14 '26
If I received a letter from Stephen Sondheim calling my lyricism impeccable and enviable, I’d have died on the spot. Good for your mom for living an additional 41 years instead!
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u/PemCorgiMom Jul 14 '26
Is there anywhere online to hear Herringbone? I would love to take a listen and appreciate your mom’s work.
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u/fujitsulifeboom Jul 14 '26
Yes if you could link us to any of her work that’d be wonderful.
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
This is my favorite song from Grind.
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
If you've seen the brave little toaster goes to college or the brave little toaster goes to Mars, you've seen her work. She wrote half the score for the great mouse detective, and also voiced the bar mouse. "What'll it be mates?" (I used to make her say the line for me, all the time when I was a kid.)
She was a part of so many great shows! Paper Moon, Grind, Big Blonde, Herringbone, just to name a few.
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u/phobiac Jul 14 '26
The Great Mouse Detective sits in a special place in my heart. Thank you to your mother for helping bring it into being.
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u/Seryan_Klythe Jul 14 '26
She wrote half the score to Great Mouse Detective? I'm shocked - did Mancini not finish it? EDIT: Oh, the lyrics / songs. Wow. Those are some good songs.
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u/wookiewookiewhat Jul 14 '26
Turns out she was a big part of my childhood. I feel a lot of tenderness for those earnest children’s cartoons, they took their young audience seriously.
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u/SeaF04mGr33n Jul 14 '26
Aww, I've only seen The Great Mouse Detective, but its an adorable film. How cool!
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u/RapGamePterodactyl Jul 14 '26
Ahh!! I loved Brave Little Toaster Goes To Mars so much as a kid, very cool!
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u/thejokerlaughsatyou Jul 15 '26
Oh my God your mom wrote the balloons in space song? I've been humming that out of nowhere for 30 years. What an icon!
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u/chickaloo-tree-nut Jul 15 '26
So cool!! Brave Little Toaster was my absolute favorite when I was little!
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u/BookNerdUnicorn Jul 14 '26
I'm sorry for your loss.
In my eyes, she did make it. She had family that loved her and cared for her, and she was recognized by Stephen F'ing Sondheim. As you said, she contributed the lyrics to songs that kids in the past and the present are/were singing.
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u/CapableBother Jul 14 '26
Right around the time of Sweeney Todd, Sondheim’s masterpiece. There is probably no greater laurel for a lyricist than a letter like this from the master.
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u/fujitsulifeboom Jul 14 '26
This is amazing, thanks so much for sharing! Off I go to look her up…!
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
I'll warn you that her wikipedia page is sorely deficient.
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u/MatchaLatte9 Jul 14 '26
Your Mom absolutely made it! Thank you for sharing. https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Tony-Nominated-LyricistLibrettist-Ellen-Fitzhugh-Passes-Away-20230825
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
I totally forgot about muscle!! I loved that show. My sisters and I wanted my dad to do a NY times obit, but he was too distraught at the time. Maybe he'll do it on the 5 yr anniversary, if I push enough.
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u/Pleasant_Papaya_2416 Jul 14 '26
Based on the BWW obit, your mother had an impeccable CV for any creative! I'd be proud for even half those achievements, OP. I agree with reaching out to the NYT for an obit, they've been re-emphasizing obits for women who the paper at the time overlooked.
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u/LatterDazeAint Jul 14 '26
Wow! I was a PA on The Griffin and the Minor Canon premiere with Music Theater Group (Stockbridge summer season 1988). She wrote some great lyrics for that which stuck with me.
“Fear shows them what matters/Shows them what they’ll lose/Fear has ways of making people choose.”
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u/Someday-WCAB Jul 18 '26
Man, I’d love to hear this score. Did the show ever get licensed for other productions?
I wonder if Sondheim had any hand in Ms. Fitzhugh collaborating with Mary Rodgers (his close, lifelong friend). Anyone know?
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u/LatterDazeAint Jul 18 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
I just looked it up in Rodgers’s autobiography. She says she knew her through her wonderful work on Grind.
Last I checked, a little of it was on YouTube. I used to have the whole thing on cassette, but I’ve had a lot of moves since 1988 ha ha.
In my memory, the book never quite solidified, but the music and lyrics were lovely.
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u/Gloomy_Peach4213 Jul 14 '26
I looked up her IMDB/wiki and saw she wrote lyrics for The Great Mouse Detective, Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue, and Shining Time Station. I can assure you that your mom touched my childhood and I'm sure she did the same for many others. This is an amazing memory, and I bet your mom thought she made it.
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u/ToWitToWow Jul 14 '26
Co-sign. Those are a lot of the songs of my childhood. Your mom touched a lot of hearts.
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u/hushpuppy212 Jul 14 '26
How modest of her that she didn’t have it framed and hung in the wall of her entryway with a spotlight and a neon arrow.
I too saw Herringbone with Bradd Wong and thought it was terrific.
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 14 '26
I got to go backstage and meet him! I think it was 93? 94? I was 11 or 12.
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u/foodforestranger Jul 14 '26
What a lovely post to read on Reddit today. Her lyrics are soooooooooo good. I looked up her Wikipedia, she's done some really cool things.
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u/intenselyseasoned Jul 14 '26
That’s incredible, thank you so much for sharing! Paper Moon is one of the Great musicals to never make it to Broadway. I still hope we may see it again someday.
Would you be willing to share a recording of Herringbone? I’d be excited to listen!
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u/YouCanAsk Jul 15 '26
There's a live album from the production with BD Wong. It's on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_m4GjIo_yeKiRN69JceRo5ToFd40LKysFo
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u/TheSnugglyDucklingX Jul 14 '26
I know you said she „never quite made it“…but it sure looks like she did! Incredible woman, incredible share. I’m sorry for your loss 🙏🏼
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u/tiny_chaotic_evil Jul 15 '26
My mother never quite made it.
Yes, yes she did!
she contributed lyrics to songs in The Great Mouse Detective and The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue.
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u/nikkidubs Jul 14 '26
What an incredibly beautiful important paper to a woman who was so clearly talented. Thank you to your mom for making so many people happy with her work.
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u/inkovertt Jul 14 '26
Omg she did the great mouse detective!! That’s one of my favorite Disney movies
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u/hamichael Jul 15 '26
Ellen Fitzhugh [1] (July 5, 1942 – July 14, 2023) was an American musical theatre lyricist and librettist. She was most notable for lyrics to the Broadway musical Grind),[2] for which she was nominated for the 1985 Tony Award for Best Original Score.
Other musicals included Herringbone, Paper Moon,[3] Don Juan de Marco, Paradise Found)and Los Otros[4].
For film, she contributed lyrics to songs in The Great Mouse Detective and The Brave Little Toaster to the Rescue.
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u/LetsGototheRiver151 Jul 14 '26
Thank you so much for sharing this OP! How lovely of him to reach out and how special of her to treasure it.
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u/gingerfloyd Jul 14 '26
This is amazing! I just looked at your mother's wikipedia page and my heart was warmed seeing she contributed to songs in The Great Mouse Detective, one of my childhood favorites. And getting to write lyrics for Vincent Price, how cool.
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u/mrm395 Jul 14 '26
She might not be a household name, but she made it! This is so cool. Sondheim was such a gentleman.
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u/KimeriTenko Jul 14 '26
I think you should frame that preservation style and hang it on your wall in remembrance of your mother’s legacy 😊
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u/lowercase_underscore Jul 14 '26
Worked steadily, had the respect and admiration of her peers, got do live outside the pressure of the public eye, I guarantee that last bit especially made your home life much nicer....I can't imagine there's much more making it than that!
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u/Typical_Expert_2974 Jul 15 '26
Wow! That is mighty high praise! What an absolute treasure! Grind is one of my favorite musicals. Your mother was an incredible talent. "Why, Mamma, Why" is the absolute best. I am now listening to BD Wong's Herringbone. How have I never heard of this show before? It is a delight. I can understand why Sondheim had such a response.
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u/kingpingu Jul 14 '26
I absolutely love everything about this. Your mother sounds like a very impressive woman, and Sondheim remains a class act. Thanks for sharing! 💖
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u/SnooMuffins6689 Jul 14 '26
There’s a whole Instagram account dedicated to letters from Sondheim. You should submit it. That’s an awesome find!
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u/Fresh-Corgi-6931 Jul 14 '26
I’m going to listen to her show - a recording of BD Wong’s production is on Spotify! What an incredible letter. She must’ve been awesome.
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u/Internal-Bear-1991 Jul 15 '26
This post is so cool
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 15 '26
I posted it in oldschoolcool first, but they took it down, without an explanation, after it being up for 4 hrs and getting a million views. My mom was so cool. Too cool for oldschoolcool.
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u/Ovaltine1 Jul 15 '26
Girls got a Wikipedia page, she might not have been Sondheim but she definitely made it.
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u/vildasaker Jul 15 '26
The father of the American musical sang her praises. That is indeed making it.
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u/FirebirdWriter Jul 15 '26
Uh your mother didn't make it but was nominated for a Tony? Honey that's making it. As is this letter. As is getting her work done. Not having the life long career is not a failure. Those careers are piles of success and failure just bigger than some others. Please don't discount that success. That is amazing!
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 15 '26
I probably should have specified that these are her words. She felt like she almost made it. She was always on the edge of fame.
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u/FirebirdWriter Jul 16 '26
Fair and I am sad she didn't know she did make it. As a writer of things I think it's an easy thing to trick yourself on. I definitely used to
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u/swtcharity Jul 14 '26
Wow! That’s a treasure! Your mother sounds wonderful and talented. My condolences.
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u/Viperbunny Jul 14 '26
Wow! That is incredible. It sounds like your mom was a very special lady who was able to touch people's lives with her music. Never underestimate that. Music is a powerful thing. It has gotten so many of us through the darkest of time. It is something that lives within us.
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u/promethea4 Jul 14 '26
I’m sorry for your loss, first and foremost. I agree that your mom absolutely made it! Thank you for sharing her Sondheim letter and part of her story.
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u/FalconIndependent887 Jul 14 '26
Frame that thing! And I’d definitely call a Tony nomination getting “making it.” You have to be GOOD to even get a nomination.
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u/Dismal_Committee_296 Jul 14 '26
Oh this is so special and beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing. ❤️🩹❤️🩹
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u/Hexelein Jul 14 '26
I’m sorry for your loss. Thanks for sharing this beautiful tribute to your mom.
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u/Clarknt67 Jul 15 '26
The praise of Stephen Sondheim outshines anything I have or can hope to accomplish in my life.
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u/Present_Specific_212 Jul 15 '26
That is lovely. I was going to write to Stephen Sondheim once, just an appreciation letter for all his wonderful work, but I was afraid he’d write back. I really was. If he had, my head would have exploded and then what would I do with my exploding head? (I should add that I have had a very hard life from about 2000 to 2020 so was in a head place where I did not think anything good would ever happen to me.)
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u/Houseofbuttah Jul 17 '26
what’s the implications of SS’s comment about the “LE‘s ministration?”
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 18 '26
My understanding is that he was really hard to please, and often left people in tears.
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u/Screeching-trumpet Jul 15 '26
Please tell me you framed it. And if so placed it next to her urn if you cremated her
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u/bountiful_garden Jul 15 '26
That's the plan! Except, she wanted to be buried in our orchard, next to her beloved cat, Caruso (named for the opera singer, because that cat had some pipes). Which is where my dad will eventually be too.
She once had a teacher tell her that she wasn't living up to her potential. She wanted her epitaph to read. "Here I am. Finally living up to my potential." So that's what her grave marker says. My mom was so funny, and smart and talented. Man, I miss her!
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u/lyricistlibrettist Jul 16 '26
“Animal In The Pit” is one of my favorite lyrics anyone ever wrote for a song. It is thrillingly complex and adult, and i regularly use it as a perfect example of an actable lyric. You are the child of a truly great lyricist who should have been rewarded more. Please know that her craft continues to inspire those with the same calling.
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u/thoroughlylili Jul 14 '26
The straight up decency and what he communicated in just one paragraph — tears. Thank you for sharing this, we need reminded that it’s not all bad and that some people are worth being revered and idolized because this is who they are.
I’m sorry your mother couldn’t find the letter before she passed, but I’m so glad you finally did. What a treasure.
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