The Mad Show (1966)
Book: Larry Siegel, Stan Hart
Music: Mary Rodgers
Lyrics: Marshall Barer, Larry Siegel, en Steven Vinaver
And I’m breathless
every time I inquire
how are things in
Tacarembo la Tumbe del Fuego Santa Malipas Zacatecas
la Junta del Sol y Cruz?
The Mad Show was a satirical revue with songs and sketches inspired by Mad magazine. Mary Rodgers asked Sondheim to contribute, as she had for Hot Spot, this time because one of the writers left the production early. Sondheim wrote a spoof of the song “The Girl from Ipanema,” a Brazilian hit at the time and the second most-covered pop song in history. Linda Lavin performed Sondheim’s parody in 1966 and again in 2020 in honor of his 90th birthday. That latter version can be seen here. The Spanish town mentioned in the song is fictitious—unlike the town at the end of the song.
