Musical theater has been filled with countless talented composers. The amount of talent in the theater world is endless, but only few composers gain iconic status. The Gershwins, Rogers & Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim come to mind when thinking of the pinnacle of composing. One other man who deserves his permanent place with these others would be Cole Porter. Porter’s extensive library of songs has become classics along with a series of hit musicals that are still done in high mass today. Porter had his share of incredibly tough times, and it simply only makes his rise to the top even more impressive. Cole Porter is without a doubt one of the best composers to ever write for the stage in history. Cole Porter was born in Peru, …show more content…

Although he was always in serious pain, Porter continued writing various successful musicals including Let's Face It! in 1941, Something for the Boys in 1943, and Mexican Hayride in 1944. Although these shows were hits, some critics said that Porter’s music had become less “magical” than it was prior to his accident. Well, the critics were finally hushed when in 1948, Porter wrote what is considered his greatest score ever, Kiss Me Kate. The production won the Tony Award for Best Musical, and Porter even won for Best Composer and Lyricist. Kiss Me Kate contained blockbuster songs such as “Too Darn Hot”, “Wunderbar”, and “So In Love” that would go on to become classics of the American Song Book. Following the success of Kiss Me Kate, Porter wrote only a few more stage musicals, but continued writing for Hollywood constantly, writing for blockbusters that featured the likes of Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, and Bing Crosby. With a string of hits behind him, Porter’s long term injuries eventually caught up with him. Because of complications with ulcers in his right leg, it had to be amputated and replaced with an artificial one in 1958. One bad event followed another, and Porter’s mother and his wife died within 2 years of each other. Sinking into depression, Cole Porter never wrote another show after 1958 and spent the remainder of his life in seclusion, until his death caused by kidney failure in 1964 at the age of 73. Although his life had