To illustrate his point, he recalled how his niece would tell him about a young boy in her school who’d gush about The Little Mermaid, which Menken had scored to lyrics by his much-loved collaborator, the late Howard Ashman.
This young boy was named Lin-Manuel Miranda, and he grew up to create, among others, the award-winning Broadway musical and pop culture phenomenon Hamilton.
“But that passion in what we created was essential to the wonderful artist that (Miranda) has become. And that is universal in the work, whether it’s written for children or adults,” Menken believes.
