Mary Rodgers (1931–2014) was an American musical theatre composer, screenwriter, and children’s fiction writer from New York City. The daughter of composer Richard Rodgers, she began her career at age 16 writing for Little Golden Records, including the 1957 recording “Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves” featuring Bing Crosby.Rodgers’ first full-length musical, Once Upon a Mattress, debuted Off-Broadway in May 1959 before moving to Broadway. The production saw televised versions in 1964, 1972, and 2005, and a Broadway revival in 1996. In 1966, she composed the musical revue The Mad Show, which ran for 871 performances. Rodgers contributed to the children's album Free to Be... You and Me (1972) and authored the novel Freaky Friday (1972). She also wrote the screenplay for the 1976 film adaptation. Rodgers, mother of composer Adam Guettel, died from heart failure in Manhattan on June 26, 2014.
