Starting Here, Starting Now

Starting Here, Starting Now is a musical revue with lyrics by Richard Maltby Jr. and music by David Shire. With a cast of three and three musicians, the revue explores a variety of romantic relationships.

The revue was first produced at the Manhattan Theater Club in 1976 under the title Theater Songs by Maltby and Shire. In March 1977, the show moved to the Barbarann Theater Restaurant in New York City, where it ran for 120 performances. The cast featured Loni Ackerman, Margery Cohen and George Lee Andrews. The original cast album was nominated for a Grammy Award, and the 1993 London production also produced a cast album.^[1] The revue continues to be frequently produced.

After Maltby and Shire graduated from Yale, they wrote many songs for shows that either closed out of town or were never produced. Their songs tend to be "story songs", each giving the character(s) a chance to explore a mini-drama. The two writers decided to assemble these songs into a revue, grouping them by theme.^[2]

Act I explores the humorous, joyful, melancholy and angry ups and downs of city romances. In Act II, the songs present characters who have had unlucky experiences in love and life and who have a chance at a new start.

The Original Cast recording was released in 1977 by RCA (ASIN: B000002W3D).

• Article describing the show's history and where the songs came from

• Starting Here, Starting Now at the Music Theatre International website
• Starting Here, Starting Now at guidetomusicaltheatre
• amazon.com listing
• Musical Heaven