Sondheim suggestions- Page 2

[bob8rich]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 6:48pm

FOLLIES is a masterpiece. SWEENEY TOOD follows closely. Or get PACIFIC OVERTURES - if only the astonishing SOMEONE IN A TREE. But you can't really go wrong with any Sondheim score.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 8:57pm

Ok I am not a huge Sondheim fan but here are my favorites of his:

Company
Into the Woods
Passion
Sweeney Todd (It took a LONG LONG time for me to like it the way I do now. Also, having the concert dvd helped).

And Jackson992 can not like Sondheim. That is perfectly fine. Not every theatre fan has to love him (even though people think it is the ultimate unwritten law). I like him but it took a while for me too, some for personal reasons but I like a few of his musicals (mentioned above).

[BroadwayBaby816]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:01pm

into the woods.
also bernadette peters sings a lot of his songs very will she i love the live at carnige hall cd...a ton of sondheim songs

[seasons of love]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:04pm

i agree. bernadette does a very nice job with Sondheim music. the royal festival hall cd, or the carnegie hall cd would also be good to have if you enjoy bernadette peters

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:04pm

Someone told me that the Revival CD of Merrily was MUCH better than the OBCR. I already had the OBC and thought it was brilliant, so I got the revival...
Well, I still think the OBC is better. Sure, Pawk is great, and some of the cuts were good, but the overall feeling of excitement is greater on the original.

[bjivie2]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:05pm

I would suggest Into the Woods first, just to ease you into Sondheim.

But after that I would rush and get Sweeney and Sunday in the Park.

Then Company, Follies, Passion, Merilly We Roll Along.

Save Pacific Overtures until the end. Don't forget Anyone Can Whistle, Bounce and Forum.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:08pm

I didn't think SITPWG was as great as everyone made it out to be. I went and bought the dvd on a whim, and while I kinda liked it I wish I didn't buy it. I mean the sets and acting was TOP NOTCH and some of the music was great but other times I thought it was boring. I thought the second act had great potential but it was so short.

[Plum]

Posted: 1/11/05 at 9:42pm

First rule: Always get the OBCs. The revival CDs are almost invariably disappointments.

My holy quintet:

Company- Sondheim's breakout show, this is an extremely 70's score and a witty, if cynical, look at relationships and marriage.

A Little Night Music- A really gorgeous, percussion-free score of waltzes and other 3/4 and 6/8 time signatures. The lieder singers alone make this worth getting.

Sweeney Todd- Widely considered to be Sondheim's best work, this is a sung-through masterpiece. Combine the gore of grand guignol with opera and you get this funny, scary, and tragic show, with an epic and beautiful score to match. Angela Lansbury is amazing in this one.

Follies- Combining Sondheim's own style with 1930s pastiche numbers, this show is all about the collision between past and present, nostalgia, and the distortion of memory over time. It's also the only time I'd really recommend getting another CD to suplemment the OBC- the vibrant concert recording adds whole other dimensions to the score.

Sunday in the Park With George- This one's my favorite, but I wouldn't try it first, as it's one of Sondheim's more "extreme" scores. The songs aren't really free-standing- they're pointillist "dots" that finally add up to something magnificent in the Act I finale, which is one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. Bernadette Peters blows me away every time I listen to this one.

Okay, that's the big five. Afterwards I'd go for Into the Woods, one of his most accessible scores, and Pacific Overtures and Passion, which are lovely, if more difficult. If you're still hanging on then, get Merrily We Roll Along, Anyone Can Whistle, The Frogs/Evening Primrose, etc. With Sondheim you're guaranteed something interesting at the very least. :) Have fun. Updated On: 1/11/05 at 09:42 PM

[jackson992]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 11:48am

My main problem with Follies is that it seems too disjointed. The songs don't seem to relate to each other very well.

SITPWG I thought was just not enough happening. The songs to me sound nearly all alike.

Sweeney Todd I can't stand mainly for the reason that it is too close to "rock music". Weird that I did like Rent heh. But I also abhored Tommy.

Not sure what was meant with Passion being so difficult. The songs are simple to sing.

[pab]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 1:14pm

"Sweeney Todd I can't stand mainly for the reason that it is too close to "rock music". Weird that I did like Rent heh. But I also abhored Tommy."

Excuse me? How, pray tell, is "Sweeney Todd" at all close to rock music? What rock music do you listen to?

[SamIAm]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 5:48pm

There is some exquisite music in Sweeney Todd...but then I LOVE most of Sondheim's stuff.

Now that the OCR for the Frogs is out...I'd suggest that too.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 6:49pm

Sweeny Todd = Rock Music? NOPE!!!!

[GovernorSlaton]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 6:53pm

"Not sure what was meant with Passion being so difficult. The songs are simple to sing."

It's less about being able to sing the songs and more about being able to act them.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/12/05 at 6:58pm

LOVE it!

[jackson992]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 5:41pm

heh for musical theater I could care less about the acting. It's all about the singing.

[TheGuy]

Posted: 1/13/05 at 5:45pm

Start with WEST SIDE STORY. Then GYPSY. Continue chronologically.