One Minute Critic
Book Review: Never Mind The Happy By Marc Shaiman
By Ryan Leeds
Jan. 28, 2026
Marc Shaiman isn’t afraid to spill the proverbial tea in his “tell-most” memoir, Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories From a Sore Winner. The Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning artist has achieved the highest accolades and is close friends with luminaries such as Billy Crystal, Martin Short, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bette Midler. And he’s got stories.
It was Midler who gave Shaiman his first big break. Serendipitously, the budding composer and lyricist encountered one of her backup singers in the late 70s. Midler was launching a new act, and Shaiman, already a genius of composition and die-hard Midler fan, knew all of her harmonies from previous albums. Once she heard him play, she offered her blessing: “Stick around. I could use you.” Their enduring friendship has lasted to this day. As part of his book tour, she will interview him in Los Angeles on February 6. (Additional book tour dates are listed on Shaiman’s website.)
Shaiman is a naturally hilarious storyteller and regales his readers with tales about Barbara Streisand, Harry Connick Jr., producer Scott Rudin, and Theresa Rebeck (Smash television writer and “creator”—read the book to understand the quotes). He also delivers a shocking story about getting high with Broadway royalty Stephen Sondheim and speaks fondly of the numerous film scores he wrote for the late director Rob Reiner.
The heart behind the humor
Funny as he is, Shaiman can also be incredibly touching, especially as he remembers his parents and Judy Cole, the director of his childhood summer workshop. The sentimentality doesn’t linger, though, as Shaiman writes the next chapter with tongue-in-cheek acidity about those in the ‘biz who have done him wrong.
Shaiman also briefly touches on his professional and romantic life with lyricist Scott Wittman. As lovers, the pair were together for 30 years before splitting up. Still, they’ve remained great friends and collaborators, writing hit musicals like Hairspray, Some Like It Hot, and Smash.
“I certainly can’t complain. I do, but I shouldn’t… I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find something to kvetch about,” Shaiman writes near the book’s end. Lucky for us, his kvetching makes for one hell of a read.
