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TheWrap magazine: “When you see letters between a mother and a child, it gives you a glimpse of a small moment that can become much larger” says co-writer Lynn Ahrens
A version of this story about Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty first appeared in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
“After 35 years of writing musicals, I’m beginning to realize that I am sort of a political writer,” said lyricist Lynn Ahrens, whose work has ranged from the Broadway musicals “Ragtime” and “Once on This Island” to the animated film “Anastasia” and the TV series “Schoolhouse Rock.” “There’s sometimes a subliminal political message in what I write, and songwriting can make a difference even if it’s not what you intended.”
She first realized this, Ahrens said, when the climactic song from the 1998 musical “Ragtime,” “Make Them Hear You,” took on a life of its own outside that show, including a spectacular version by Aretha Franklin in honor of Nelson Mandela.