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Tony-nominated composer of ‘The Secret Garden,’ Lucy Simon dies at 82

Singer-songwriter and composer Lucy Simon, who was nominated for a Tony Award for her 1991 Broadway musical The Secret Garden, passed away on October 20 at her home in Pyrmont, New York. she was 82 years old.

Simon, the older sister of pop superstar Carly Simon, had breast cancer, according to a family spokesperson who confirmed the death to The Associated Press. died the day after her sister Joanna Simon, a cultural correspondent for “The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour” on PBS.

Looking back on her 2016 concert at Lincoln Center for her revival of “The Secret Garden,” New York Times music critic, Stephen Holden called Ms. Simon sensibilities are well suited to post-Victorian fables, surrounded by restless spirits and imbued with supernatural tranquility. “

Based on Frances Hodgson Burnett’s 1911 children’s novel, The Secret Garden focuses on Mary, an English girl who is forced to move to England from colonial India when her parents die of cholera. is guessing. She moves in with the hunchbacked Uncle Archibald, who mourns the loss of his late wife Lily and blames her death on her bedridden son.

While living at her uncle’s house, Mary discovers a hidden, neglected garden that once belonged to Lily, which she and her young gardener bring to life. At the same time, she brings her uncle and cousin back to life.

“The Secret Garden,” featuring a score by Lucy Simon and lyrics and a book by Marsha Norman, opened on Broadway in 1991 to mixed reviews. But it was nominated for six Tony Awards, including best musical and best original score, and won three, including for best book of a musical. The show ran for almost two years and developed a devoted following, with a slightly revised version opening in London’s West End and a pared-down-from-Broadway version going on tour in the United States.

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Tony-nominated composer of ‘The Secret Garden,’ Lucy Simon dies at 82 5

Songs from the musical include “The Girl I Mean to Be” and “How Could I Ever Know,” a showcase for Mary that helped actress Daisy Egan win a Tony Award for her role.

Lucy Simon was born in New York on May 5, 1940, to publisher Richard L. Simon, co-founder of Simon & Schuster, and his wife Andrea Heinemann his Simon . Her second of four siblings, she said her role in her family was “to be a gentle and kind person.”

“Butter doesn’t melt in your mouth,” Carly told The Times in 2015.

After Carly and Lucy sang and played guitar at cocktail parties and family gatherings, Carly and Lucy They performed together as the Simon Sisters and opened other acts at folk clubs in Greenwich Village. Her recording of “Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod” reached number 73 on her Billboard charts in 1964.

Lucy Simon

While Carly Simon enjoyed success with hits like “Anticipation,” “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain,” and “You’re So Vain,” Lucy attended nursing school and was introduced to the spirit through a singer. Married to Dr. David Levine. – Songwriter Judy Collins.

After leaving music to raise her two children, she released her two solo albums, Lucy Simon (1975) and Her Stolen Time (1977), for RCA. Simon and her husband also produced her two Grammy Award-winning children’s albums, In Harmony (1980) and In Harmony 2 (1981), featuring artists such as Carly Simon and then-husband James Taylor. 

Simon returned to Broadway in 2015 as composer for Dr. Zhivago, but was less successful. Based on Boris Pasternak’s novel about a love affair in late Imperial Russia, the book was critically acclaimed and was published in less than a month.

Lucy Simon is survived by a younger sister Carly and her husband, her children Julie Simon and James Levine. and four grandchildren.

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