This composer is best known for his innovative music for the stage. Trained in the rigorous German tradition in the early twentieth century, he branched out during his career to write music that was at once complex, melodious, and entertaining. Always controversial, this composer moved to the United States later in his career and created many works, both successes and failures, on Broadway and elsewhere. This work, though less well known than others by this composer, is typical of his output in its incorporation of fantasy, contemporary plot lines, and lively music.