Marc Shaiman to Release New Career-Spanning Memoir in 2026

Tony Award-winning composer and lyricist Marc Shaiman, co-writer of such shows as Hairspray, Some Like It Hot, and Smash, will release a new memoir, diving into his five-decade career in Broadway and Hollywood.

Titled “Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories From a Sore Winner," the book will be released on January 27, 2026 from Simon & Schuster's Regalo Press. Variety was the first to officially report the news. Shaiman previously spoke about the book in an Instagram post, noting that he had recently completed the memoir as of June. 

According to the official description, the songwriter "charts the personal highs and heartbreaks that have shaped him — spending his teenage years in community theater, starting a decades-long collaboration with Bette Midler in the ’70s, surviving the AIDS crisis of the ’80s, his award-winning film music career in the Hollywood of the ’90s, right up to the peaks (and valleys) of creating Broadway musicals from 2000 on.”

In a statement, Shaiman said, “Never mind the happy,” my mother always says, but how could I not be happy about nearly 50 years in show business, where I have been blessed with startling successes (and yes, a few dire disappointments). So I figured it was time to write my memoir before I completely forget what I’ve done – or worse, before everyone else forgets! Whether movies, television, or on Broadway, I guess my longevity actually proves that…You can’t stop the beat!” Take a look at the official cover before, and pre-order the book here. 

About Marc Shaiman

Marc Shaiman is an award-winning composer and lyricist of the stage and screen. A frequent collaborator with lyricist Scott Wittman, his Broadway credits include Hairspray, Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Catch Me If You Can, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Some Like It Hot, and Smash. 

His film credits include Broadcast News, Beaches, When Harry Met Sally..., City Slickers, The Addams Family, Sister Act, Sleepless in Seattle, A Few Good Men, The American President, The First Wives Club, George of the Jungle, In & Out, Patch Adams, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Team America: World Police, Hairspray, Flipped, and original songs for Mary Poppins Returns.

Shaiman has earned seven Academy Award nominations, a Tony Award and a Grammy Award for his work on the musical Hairspray, and an Emmy Award for co-writing Billy Crystal's Academy Award performances. He also received an Emmy Award for co-writing "Which of the Pickwick Triplets Did It" for the Hulu hit Only Murders in the Building.

He and Wittman also wrote original songs for the musical TV show Smash, which ran from 2012 to 2013, and served as executive producers. For their song "Let Me Be Your Star," Shaiman and co-lyricist Wittman were nominated for both an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award, and as executive producers, they were nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical.