In this episode of The Cabaret Room, Peter and Jessamae explore the works of creative duos Pasek & Paul and Ahrens & Flaherty.

Having first started working together at the University of Michigan, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul have gone on to write music for James and the Giant Peach, Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight, Smash, The Greatest Showman and La La Land.

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty first teamed up in 1988 and have provided the music for Broadway musicals Ragtime and Anastasia and the movie Camp (among others). Ahrens & Flaherty were inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 2015.

Music in this episode includes: Back To Before (Ahrens & Flaherty, Original Broadway cast recording of Ragtime), Go Back Up Again (Pasek & Paul, Anna Kendrick from Trolls movie), Come Alive (Pasek & Paul, Hugh Jackman from The Greatest Showman), Someone In the Crowd (Pasek & Paul, La La Land), So Big, So Small (Pasek & Paul, Original Broadway cast recording of Dear Evan Hansen), Once On This Island (Ahrens & Flaherty, Once On This Island), Ballerina (Ahrens & Flaherty, performed by Stephanie J Block on the Nice Fighting You: A 30th Anniversary Celebration Live at 54 Below), Middle of the Moment (Pasek & Paul, Elise McCann from James and the Giant Peach), Pretty Funny (Lindsay Mendez from Dogfight), Running Home to You (Pasek & Paul, Musical episode of The Flash), The Genius on Cleveland Street (Pasek & Paul, A Christmas Story Live), Caught in a Storm (Katherine McPhee from Smash) and Close But No Cigar (Ahrens & Flaherty, Annelie Ashford).