Shy

The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers

By: Mary Rodgers, Jesse Green

Narrated by: Christine Baranski, Jesse Green

Length: 15 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

The memoirs of Mary Rodgers―writer, composer, Broadway royalty, and “a woman who tried everything.”

“What am I, bologna?” Mary Rodgers (1931-2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable Broadway hits written by a woman.

Shy is the story of how it all happened: how Mary grew from an angry child, constrained by privilege and a parent’s overwhelming gift, to become not just a theater figure in her own right but also a renowned author of books for young readers (including the classic Freaky Friday) and, in a final grand turn, a doyenne of philanthropy and the chairman of the Juilliard School.

But in telling these stories―with copious annotations, contradictions, and interruptions from Jesse Green, the chief theater critic of The New York Times―Shy also tells another, about a woman liberating herself from disapproving parents and pervasive sexism to find art and romance on her own terms. Whether writing for Judy Holliday or Rin Tin Tin, dating Hal Prince or falling for Stephen Sondheim over a game of chess at thirteen, Rodgers grabbed every chance possible―and then some.

Both an eyewitness report from the golden age of American musical theater and a tale of a woman striving for a meaningful life, Shy is, above all, a chance to sit at the feet of the kind of woman they don’t make anymore―and never did. They make themselves.

©2023 Mary Rodgers,Jesse Green (P)2023 Spiegel & Grau by Spotify Audiobooks

Wonderful sauciness

This book is a unique combination of autobiography & interview. Mary was the daughter of Richard Rogers of Rogers & Hammerstein fame who was an accomplished musical author herself. You get facts about her father’s productions along with juicy sharp gossip about the era delivered by barbed tartness by Christine Baranski. I can not recommend this book enough for theatre lovers.

Insightful…a delightful cut to the chase.

Clever, interesting and honest to a fault, what a legacy Mary Rogers has left for those who value a life in the arts.

Baranski is a marvelous narrator.

Christine Baranski is perfection. Mary’s story is hilarious, heartbreaking, and admirable. One of the wittiest biographies I’ve “read.”

Christine Baranski is Amazing as Mary Rodgers

I found this excellent audiobook easier to follow than the original book. Jesse Green’s footnotes fit in easier in the audio format (especially since in the actual book they weren’t always on the same page as the passage being footnoted). Also, Baranski’s pitch perfect performance allows one to go with the flow of rather than trying to decipher the timeline of every digression—which tripped me up with the hardback.

Brilliant!

An absolutely beautiful, wonderful, and exciting journey! What an incredible life Mary lived. Highly recommend it.

full of fun and energy

Great story, awesome narration. You don't need to be a theatre expert to enjoy this.

What a fun book!

Mary Rodgers had such a non-traditional life, and it was told so well through Jesse Green and Christine Baranski’s narration. I felt like Rodgers was telling me the story, while Green’s “back to the real world” side notes punctuated the storytelling. I want more.

Most entertaining,thought-provoking and so funny and endearing

The narration was as good as it gets. The storytelling held my interest The disclosures were truly that, and I felt like I knew who Mary Rogers was. Great read

Amazing Life

I LOVED THIS BOOK AND THE READING OF IT. I didn’t know anything about Mary Rodgers other that who her father was. I was many times astounded and enlightened with her accomplishments and her relationships. What an awesome human being! And Christine Baranski was pitch perfect, as was the voice of reason and truth, Jesse Green. Thanks so much for this book and Audible.

Candor and humor

I loved it and so will you. A look behind the curtain at Broadway, the the Rodgers family and all the ups and downs of trying to be creative.

Best of all: the narrator was superb. It made the listener believe Mary Rodgers personally narrated the book.