"Goodnight, Sweet Princess."

The very talented Mary Rodgers died this Thursday at 83. The lazy and ignorant news media of course cited her mainly for her successful book, Freaky Friday, which was made into two popular movies. But Ms. Rodgers, like her world-famous father Richard,  was also a very talented composer.  Her most famous show was Once Upon a Mattress, which helped catapult Carole Burnett to stardom in 1959. Continuing her family's musical legacy, she is also the mother of  composer Adam Guettel, whose successful musicals include Light in the Piazza. Mary's other shows were Hot Spot, The Madwoman of Central Park, and a revue of her songs,  From A to Z. Among her children's books are A Billion for Boris, and Summer Switch.  I don't know much about Mary Rodgers, but I certainly admired her talent and envied her life. She lived in style in Manhattan all her life, had brilliant and famous parents, was thoroughly involved in the musical theater, was successful in all her undertakings, and was fortunate enough, from early youth, to be the close and admired friend of one of America's most brilliant talents: Stephen Sondheim, who, I am guessing, is very heartbroken today.