Dorothy Fields biography

Dorothy Fields

At Writers Theatre: Sweet Charity

Dorothy Fields has written some of the most beloved lyrics ever (“I Can’t Give You Anything but Love,” “On the Sunny Side of the Street”) and some of the most romantic (“The Way You Look Tonight,” “Don’t blame Me”). A star among lyrisits during six decades, she wrote hits in the late ‘20s and won the Oscar with Jerome Kern in ’36. During the early ‘40s with her brother, Herbert, she wrote librettos for three Cole Porter Shows, and her next score, Up in Center Park, presented dramatically mature lyrics that truly helped develop characters. Her collaborations with Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity and Seesaw) produced hit songs and reemphasized that her ear was uniquely attuned to the vernacular of the day. On the last night of her life, she had a first-run show (not a revival) running on Broadway. 

[Bio as of March 2013]