Composers Tom Mizer and Curtis Moore On Writing an Authentic Harry Belafonte Hit for ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’

The original music of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has tricked me two seasons in a row. Ever since composers Tom Mizer and Curtis Moore joined the Amy Sherman-Palladino comedy series in season three, they have created numerous songs for the character of Shy Baldwin and the world he inhabits. I could’ve sworn that this duo traveled back in time and wrote a ditty from the early 1960s. Their nominated song, ‘Maybe Monica’ works both as a jaunty wedding tease but also as giving an extra shade of character to enhance the story. It deserves Emmy gold this season.

In episode five, ‘How to Chew Quietly and Influence People,’ Midge and Susie attend Shy’s wedding after he forgot to disinvite them after they were fired from his tour. They go anyway to cause some mischief, and Midge yearns for answers and, maybe, closure. After Shy sings his latest single, ‘City Lights,’ Shy’s friend, Harry Belafonte, takes the stage to sing a song that he wrote for the newly married couple. Belafonte launches into the giddy calypso of ‘Maybe Monica,’ and you can feel the music in your body immediately. If you heard this song at a wedding, you would want to head to the dance floor.

It is difficult to pull off the duality of a song like ‘Maybe Monica.’ The guests attending Shy and Monica’s wedding simply think that Belafonte is teasing his friend, but the themes of Shy alluding marriage have a heartbreaking quality as well. So many men at this time could not love who they wanted to, and the song’s playful, razzing tone takes on adds another level of sadness to Shy’s situation.

Mizer and Moore explain explain that they have multiple versions of the songs they composed throughout this fourth season. Sherman-Palladino’s shows have a reputation for being very fast-paced both on and off camera, and these composers created more music for the fourth season than you even realize. We talk about the circumstances of what instruments can be found at the Wolford, and how this dynamic pair of artists establish and build a lush world with music. In a lot of ways, Mizer and Moore have an even more difficult job to honor authenticity of the time period and character arcs within the time period. The music would stand out for the wrong reasons if authenticity wasn’t paramount to Mizer and Moore. You never question for one second or one note that this music doesn’t belong in 1960.

Mizer and Moore’s music makes your heart yearn for something you didn’t even know you wanted. It’s always romantic and transportive, because they clearly love these characters. I cannot wait to be fooled by their originality and verve the next time I hear their cues.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is streaming now on Prime Video.