I Grew Up At The Piano, And

After I Won The Pulitzer, There Was This Sense Of, 'ok, That's Enough For You. Now Go Away.' What I Wanted Was To Keep Writing, Keep Working. But No One Would Produce Anything Of Mine They Didn't Think Would Be As Big As ''night, Mother.'

My View Is That Musicals Are Love Stories With Great Final Scenes. It's Just That Simple. Musicals Are Also Conflicts Between Two Worlds. And By Those Criteria, 'the Color Purple' Is Actually Exactly The Kind Of Story That Makes For A Great Musical. Yes, It's Got Hard Stuff In It, But So Does 'les Miserables' And 'phantom Of The Opera.'

During The Day, Our Souls Gather Their ... Impressions Of Us, How Our Lives Feel. ... Our Spirits Collect These Impressions, Keep Them Together, Like Wisps Of Smoke In A Bag. Then, When We're Asleep, Our Brains Open Up These Bags Of Smoke ... And Take A Look.

I Feel That I Speak The Musical Language.

Mama, I Know You Used To Ride The Bus. Riding The Bus, And It’s Hot And Bumpy And Crowded And Too Noisy, And More Than Anything Else In The World, You Wanna Get Off. And The Only Reason In The World You Don’t Get Off Is It’s Still Fifty Blocks From Where You’re Going. Well, I Can Get Off Right Now If I Want To. Because Even If I Ride Fifty More Years And Get Off Then, It’s Still The Same Place When I Step Down To It. Whenever I Feel Like It, I Can Get Off. Whenever I’ve Had Enough, It’s My Stop. I’ve Had Enough.