The Ensemble (Photo: Richard Termine)
Every Kind of Light: The Love and Lyrics of Alan & Marilyn Bergman
By Deirdre Donovan
Few lyricists have captured the complexities of love with as much grace, wit, and emotional insight as Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and Every Kind of Light: The Love and Lyrics of Alan & Marilyn Bergman proved a fitting tribute to their extraordinary legacy. Presented as part of the 92nd Street Y’s “Lyrics & Lyricists” series, this richly rewarding evening celebrated not only the couple’s enduring catalog of songs but also the humanity and craftsmanship that made them among the most beloved wordsmiths of the American songbook.
While longtime admirers of Alan and Marilyn Bergman will undoubtedly recognize many of the musical landmarks celebrated throughout the evening, prior familiarity with their work is hardly a prerequisite for enjoyment. Enhanced by a visually rich collage of photographs, film clips, posters, and projected imagery, Every Kind of Light invited audiences to experience firsthand the artistry, romance, and quiet magic that have made the Bergmans’ songs resonate for generations.
The evening proved far more than a concert of Bergman standards. Rather than simply stringing together familiar songs like pearls on a necklace, co-writers Dick Scanlan and Malcolm Gets fashioned a richly textured theatrical portrait of the celebrated lyricists, weaving music together with stories and anecdotes drawn from their personal and professional lives. Ably guided by co-hosts Ann Hampton Callaway and Billy Stritch and supported by Broadway veterans Nikki Renée Daniels, Brandon Victor Dixon, and Ali Stroker, Every Kind of Light emerged not merely as a tribute to the Bergmans’ achievements but as an exploration of the emotions, relationships, and life experiences that inspired their enduring work.
While the program opened with an appealing triptych of Bergman lyrics set to music by Michel Legrand and Kenny Loggins—“Summer Me, Winter Me,” “I Believe in Love,” and “Something New in My Life”—the evening’s first truly electrifying moment arrived with “The Windmills of My Mind” from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair. Accompanied by clips from the film starring Steve McQueen, the song showcased the Bergmans at their most inventive, their lyrics spiraling forward with the same dizzying momentum as Michel Legrand’s celebrated melody. Sung with conviction by Dixon and Stritch, who also provided deft piano accompaniment, the number cast a spell over Kaufmann Concert Hall, where the audience listened in near-silence.
The music was only part of the evening’s appeal. Equally engaging were the biographical anecdotes shared by Callaway and Stritch, which transformed the program from a song recital into an affectionate portrait of the lyricists themselves. Audience members learned that Alan and Marilyn Bergman, both Brooklyn natives, were born in the same hospital before eventually meeting in Los Angeles in 1956 while working for the same composer. Introduced by their employer, they wrote a song together that very day, launching both a creative partnership and a romance that would culminate in a marriage lasting more than six decades. Particularly endearing was Stritch’s recollection of visiting the Bergmans’ home, where they proudly pointed out the couch on which much of their celebrated work was written. According to Stritch, Marilyn would sit on the couch while Alan rested his head in her lap, and from that deceptively simple ritual emerged a songwriting partnership that ultimately produced more than 500 songs.
Billy Stritch (Photo: Richard Termine)
Among the evening’s many musical highlights, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” (written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman with Neil Diamond) proved especially affecting. Tenderly performed by Ann Hampton Callaway and Billy Stritch, the 1977 ballad captured the quiet heartbreak of a relationship that has lost its spark without reducing either partner to a villain. Following the song, Stritch observed that the Bergmans rarely pointed fingers when writing about romantic disappointment, a quality that helps explain the enduring appeal of their work. Rather than assigning blame, their lyrics illuminate the shared vulnerabilities and misunderstandings that often accompany love, allowing listeners to recognize something of themselves in the story.
Nikki Renée Daniels, Ali Stroker, and Brandon Victor Dixon (Photo: Richard Termine)
A highlight late in the evening came with the company’s rendition of “The Way We Were,” the Bergmans’ celebrated collaboration with Marvin Hamlisch. Backed by the excellent—and tireless–onstage band of Aaron Heick, Michael O’Brien, Eric Halvorson, and Andy Ezrin, the performers turned the beloved standard into an affectionate salute to the lyricists whose work had touched generations of listeners.
The evening drew to a close with the Bergmans’ theme song for the socially conscious sitcom Maude (music by Dave Grusin), a simple, unadorned selection that encapsulated the warmth and humanity running throughout the program. In its quiet simplicity, it offered a graceful tribute to a songwriting partnership that earned 19 Academy Award nominations, three Oscars, and the enduring affection of generations of listeners.
Every Kind of Light: The Love and Lyrics of Alan & Marilyn Bergman in Lyrics and Lyricists
At the 92nd Street Y, New York, 1395 Lexington Avenue
Running Time: 80 minutes with no intermission
