Stephen Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein got off to a rocky start in their initial discussions about the song lyrics for the music Bernstein was going to write for West Side Story. Sondheim, at the...
Generational and cultural conflicts in San Francisco's Chinese community served as the background for Rodgers and Hammerstein's Flower Drum Song, the story of a mail-order bride arriving in America to fulfill her obligation in a pre-arranged marriage to a night club owner. Transcending the popularity of the show, which opened on December 1, 1958 for a 600-performance run, "I Enjoy Being A Girl," performed by the night club floor show's star, Pat Suzuki, became a vibrant anthem to all
things feminine.
From Flower Drum Song; (R. Rodgers/O. Hammerstein II); Produced by Goddard Lieberson; orchestra conducted by Salvatore Dell-Isola; Rec. December 7, 1958. Columbia OS 2009; Originally Released 1958