‘The Lovers,The Dreamers & Me: The Songs of Paul Williams’

By Alix Cohen

Paul Williams (1940) is an American songwriter, composer, singer, and actor whose career spans six decades. Known for penning enduring hits such as “We’ve Only Just Begun” for the Carpenters, “Evergreen” (the Oscar-winning theme from A Star Is Born), and “The Rainbow Connection” from The Muppet Movie, Williams became one of the defining voices of 1970s pop and film music.

Beyond songwriting, he appeared in films like Phantom of the Paradise, later collaborating with Daft Punk on their Grammy-winning album Random Access Memories. His accolades include an Academy Award, multiple Grammys, and Golden Globes, and he continues to serve as President and Chairman of ASCAP, advocating for music creators in the digital age.

Those are the facts. According to Williams himself, charming and extremely humble on the stage at 92Y, his is a tale of hereditary addiction- to alcohol, cocaine, and psychedelics. Recovery and paying forward now drive the artist’s life. He calls literally climbing out of a casket onstage tonight (a nod to the film Phantom of the Paradise) “metaphorically pretty accurate.”

Williams was, he says, a failed actor who stumbled into awareness of his songwriting talent. “I hear words out of the fountain in front of my building…” He stresses that these are not his songs, but the result of valuable collaborations beginning with Roger Nichols (They worked together for years until the composer decided he’d rather be fishing.)

Co-creator/director Christian Borle (with choreographer/wife Skye Mattox) has been obsessed with the honoree since 1974’s Phantom of the Paradise. He describes it as “a combination Phantom of the Opera, Faust, Frankenstein, and The Portrait of Dorian Gray.” A failure at the box office, the film acquired a cult following and was recently honored at Cannes.

I looked up the plot: Winslow Leach has his music stolen by the sinister producer Swan (Williams) who frames him and leaves him disfigured. Seeking revenge, he haunts Swan’s rock palace, The Paradise, striking back as a masked phantom while trying to protect the singer he loves. Most of the audience, including myself, has not a clue what we’re seeing in an exhaustive series of numbers from the show.

We hear several buoyant selections from Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas, a 1977 Jim Henson television special, replete with kazoo and washboard. “In my house,” he tells us, “there’s a kazoo in a drawer with the car keys, just in case of emergency.” Unfortunately no one shares this story either.

Between songs, Williams appears either on tape or live with snippets of history and anecdotes. His younger brother Mentor wanted to follow in Paul’s footsteps. After six months of rejections, he came up with 1973’s “Drift Away”: “Give me the beat boys and free my soul/I want to get lost in your rock and roll and drift away…”

Among the many Williams contributions we collectively remember is “We’ve Only Just Begun” (music- Roger Nichols) which was a commercial for The Crocker Bank whose video is shown. In the hands of Karen and Richard Carpenter it became #2 on The Billboard Hot Picks. And the theme from Love Boat (music Charles Fox) during which we cleverly see tonight’s company members as the television show credited its cast.

“Rainy Days and Mondays” (Roger Nichols), “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, several excellent choices from the film Bugsy Malone (music & lyrics by Williams) in which children played out a gangster scenario, and “Evergreen” written with Barbra Streisand for the 1976 version of A Star is Born are old friends.

The artist describes Jim Henson as the kindest man he’s known. His relationship with the beloved Muppets began with “Rainbow Connection” (Kenny Ascher) performed by Kermit at the opening of 1979’s The Muppet Movie. The most pivotal connection he had with an “actor” was a moment with of sweet recognition with Rowlf (the dog.) Association was nurturing, creative, and worthy of legacy. The show ends two hours fifteen minutes later with the song.

Vocalists John Cariani, Amanda Clement, Nasia Thomas and Khadija Sankoh present as solos and back-up. Each has his/her moments. Sound design too often buries lyrics.

Kylee Loera’s Projection Designs illuminate the period.
Choreography is lively and cute.
There’s oddly no credit for imaginative costume design, an anomaly at Lyrics & Lyricists.

Williams is gobsmacked. Shepherded on and off stage by cast members he’s overcome with surprise and gratitude. An audience of mostly Baby Boomers could sing along with at least half a dozen songs. Other selections are nostalgic, still others simply curiosities. The celebration is deserved but overstuffed and under described except occasionally by Williams himself.

A special call out is due to Aaron Heick whose mercurial musicianship adds immeasurably.

Production Photos by Richard Termine
Opening Photo by Salvador Ochoa

The Lovers, The Dreamers & Me: The Songs of Paul Williams
A Lyrics & Lyricists Production

Christian Borle – Director, Writer, Co-creator
Skye Mattox – Choreographer, Writer, Co-creator
Nate Patten – Piano and Music Director
Gregg Jarrett – Orchestrations
Special Guest- Paul Williams

92Y- Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street https://www.92ny.org/