The way he is

Young Chang

Marvin Hamlisch talks fast and perhaps even listens fast.

He spits out thoughtful answers without taking a moment to think. The

hurriedness is born more of brilliance than of rudeness. It’s a gesture

from a genius whose thoughts race faster than his words, by a composer

who is too busy communicating universal emotions through music to dawdle

on things like newspaper interviews.

“I just get interested in something and I want to do it,” said

Hamlisch, of how he chooses his projects.

With that quick line, the composer, who will perform his famed

Broadway and pop tunes today and Saturday with the Pacific Symphony Pops,

summarized more than four decades of how he made musical history.

In the early 1950s, the composer/conductor/producer/actor (then just

7) was the first such youngster to be accepted into the Juilliard School

of Music.

He composed the scores for Broadway shows, including “They’re Playing

Our Song,” “The Goodbye Girl” and “A Chorus Line.” He’s written music for

more than 40 films, including “Frankie and Johnny,” “The Sting,” “The Way

We Were,” “Ordinary People” and “Three Men and a Baby.”

He’s won a few of everything: four Grammys, three Oscars (for “The

Sting” and “The Way We Were”), three Golden Globes, two Emmys and one

Tony.

And at 57 (the Gemini will turn 58 next week), Hamlisch is enjoying

the sweet success of his latest project, “The Sweet Smell of Success,” as

it has received seven Tony Award nominations, one for best original

score.

His most recent work, scoring “Imaginary Friends” with Craig Carnelia,

can be heard in September at the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego.

Hamlisch said his goal now is the same as it’s always been.

“To keep doing what I’m doing,” the New York native said.

Hamlisch put it succinctly: The role of music in films is to highlight

the emotion; the role of music in theatrical works is to continue to tell

the story.

“I love writing for the stage,” said the composer, when asked if he

prefers a medium. “I find it the most exciting, and also because I’m

involved in the project from the very beginning as opposed to coming in

later on, particularly with a movie.”

Damien Lorton, who is directing the Costa Mesa Civic Playhouse’s

production of “A Chorus Line,” to open Thursday, said musical scores can

make or break a piece when it comes to musical theater.

“The music is just as important as the dialogue,” Lorton said. “It

takes dance, music and acting to push the story along, and if the music

is weak then you’ve destroyed the piece.”

Lorton calls Hamlisch one of the most prolific composers -- and one

whose music stands almost as its own orchestral concert.

“When he writes music, it’s the entire arrangement of the piece,”

Lorton said. “He has his own style and his own flow with music. And

although it’s a completely different style from Stephen Sondheim, he

really cares about the singer and he cares about the instrument.”

The local director added that Hamlisch’s music never places

limitations on vocalists.

“He doesn’t write for altos or bass or tenors,” Lorton said. “He just

writes. It’s absolutely beautiful.”

FYI

WHAT: Marvin Hamlisch with the Pacific Symphony Pops

WHEN: 8 p.m. today and Saturday

WHERE: Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive,

Costa Mesa

COST: $25-$77

CALL: (714) 755-5799