In 1966, there was an off-Broadway show called The MAD Show written by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart — two of the main writers for MAD magazine. It featured material that either had appeared in that publication or could have and its cast consisted initially of Linda Lavin, Jo Anne Worley, Paul Sand, Richard Libertini, and MacIntyre Dixon. In Act One, Ms. Lavin sang a song called "The Boy From…" which was kind of a soundalike/parody of the then-recent hit, "The Girl From Ipanema."
The music for this song was written by Mary Rodgers, daughter of the well-known composer Richard Rodgers. The lyrics were credited to "Esteban Río Nido" which, as everyone came to know, was corrupt Spanish for Stephen Sondheim. A few years ago, Ms. Lavin performed the tune for an online tribute to its lyricist…