The Official Adam Pascal Love thread- Page 670

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:10pm

Sondheim is Jewish!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:20pm

So am I! That's good to know, I guess.

Chloe - I'm certainly going to try. I thought about writing as if I'm writing for you guys first, because then I'll put my heart into it and get everything out, and then filtering out whatever isn't necessary from there. Maybe it's best to start with what you know. The interesting thing is, I guess, that when I've written up here before, it's without more than a little bit of self-taught knowledge of technicality. I'm taking the course to learn about that stuff... or at least to begin. You'll just all have to start being harder on me!

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:21pm

He's filled with chutzpah!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:28pm

*takes notes*

Hey, I'll take what I can get.


Oh! ETA - Leno update. Wasn't Adam.

Updated On: 1/20/05 at 02:28 PM

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:51pm

Well, I'm glad that's cleared up. Now someone needs to tell those people on ATC who are setting their VCR's.

::alternates between feeling good about being right and bad about Adam not being on Leno::

Now for my Sondheim contribution - I saw Sweeney Todd both in the theater and the version that was on TV. I can't remember a whole lot of details, just a general impression of very, very impressive writing, staging and performing. Nevertheless, I felt a certain distance from the piece, which is either an indication of my shallowness or of whatever it is that keeps Sondheim from being more broadly embraced by the public.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 2:54pm

I can't decide either. I mean, I'm happy that I didn't miss anything, but it would be a neat opportunity for him. And let's let those silly ATC'ers figure it out for themselves.
Schadenfreude....


yay Sondheim tutoring! I should probably check out some recordings. Recommendations?

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 3:16pm

Oh right, I forgot that there's not a whole lot of love lost between BWW and ATC! I'll bet Adam is on a ton of talk shows in about ten or eleven months.

Can't help with recordings, but my favorite Sondheim might be "A Little Night Music." I love the Ingmar Bergman movie on which it's based, and some of Bergman's warmth suffuses the story and offsets Sondheim's acerbity.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 3:19pm

I'd better stock up on blank tapes, then.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 3:52pm

Assassins and Into the Woods.

Oh, and West Side Story!!!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 4:00pm

Didn't Bernstein do WSS?

I know I'm going to end up feeling really stupid soon.

I like the Assassins recording a lot.

[LaeloftheLakes]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 4:03pm

Bernstein and Sondheim did WSS together. One did lyrics, other did score. I have NO idea which is which.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 4:04pm

Sondheim wrote the lyrics for WSS, and Bernstein did the music. That's one of my all time favorite shows, though I've never seen it on stage, just the movie.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 4:06pm

ohmyGod I'm so confused. But I do remember hearing this before. Clearly I need to get my act together as far as non-modern theatre goes.

*gets books*

[zippyjen]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 5:49pm

hi! I thought Sondheim wrote WSS too! Hmmm... I will be on and off tonight since i have tons of work to get to.

[amasis]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:11pm

Ah. I feel bad for being busy, but it seems sum has given you all you need to know about Sondheim, Emcee .

Chloe, I love A Little Night Music. I think I heard a while back that a revival of it is being planned. Trevor Nunn is going to direct (yay!) and Glenn Close will star (*puzzlement*).

Emcee - Glad you liked Assassins. I assume you have the recent revival CD? The original off-broadway cast CD is great, too. I'm actually not sure how to introduce someone to Sondheim; the one that made me fell absolutely in love with his work a long time ago was 'Sunday in the Park with George,' but when I tried to introduce my friends to it they all walked out of the theatre scowling. But do get the recording sometimes, Emcee: Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin were incredible in it. And as you know, Raúl Esparza played George in the DC celebrations . (If only that got preserved... I will gladly sell my soul to hear him in this part!).

And Chloe's right, Sondheim wrote the lyrics to WSS. Bernstein did the music. Updated On: 1/20/05 at 06:11 PM

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:20pm

Would you recommend Sweeney Todd? I've heard such great things about it from the Sweeney fans on the main board, but I'm not sure if I'll like it. I kind of like ITW and really like Assassins, but Sondheim's other stuff never really did it for me.

Though SITPWG is VERY good. I really enjoy it.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:35pm

Hi amasis - a revival of "Night Music" on Broadway, I assume? That sounds interesting, but I also question Glenn Close. I don't think she has the warmth for Desiree. (I hope I'm remembering her name correctly.) A while back on PBS I saw a show about Judi Dench which had her singing "Send in the Clowns." It was absolutely the best version I've heard.

[amasis]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 6:57pm

Diva - Well, I kind of agree with the 'Sweeney fans on the main board' so yeah, I would recommend it. Are you not sure because of the subject? Not into the whole deranged-barber-cuts-the-throat-of-his-customers-and-has-them-served-as-meat-pies thing? There are a lot of difficult scenes in there, a part here and there that I even tend to skip when I'm listening now (like the judge's version of 'Johanna'), but on the whole I love Sweeney Todd. Brilliant music, brilliant lyrics. Have you heard at least some of it?

Chloe - I can't figure that one out (about Glenn Close as Desiree) for exactly the reason you mentioned.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 7:21pm

Thanks, amasis. Let the learning begin! And yeah, I've got the new recording of Assassins.

[N0tThatGirl213]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 8:35pm

Hi guys...I actually have some ::gasp:: free time tonight. Go figure.

[Chloe]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 8:38pm

What a dull and unrewarding day this has been! Oh well, onward.

One big advantage with Sondheim, who has prestige if not always box office, is that so much of his work has been recorded in various ways. For instance, there's a whole stage performance of Sweeney Todd with George Hearn and Angela Lansbury available on DVD.

::thinks broodingly about Aida::

Here's a link to it on amazon:
Sweeney Todd DVD Updated On: 1/20/05 at 08:38 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 9:01pm

*agrees with thoughs about AIDA*

I do think I need to check this out, though.

[broadwaystar2b]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 9:45pm

I'd also recommend the concert of Sweeny Todd with George Hearn and Patti LuPone
*nods about AIDA*

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 11:00pm

Okay, I will definitely check out Sweeney Todd. I've heard some music from it that was pretty catchy, and some clips of it. My next recording that I will purchase will be Sweeney.

[bwayballerina]

Posted: 1/20/05 at 11:38pm

Hello! Just got here... and need to go soon. (I have tech week for a dance concert next weekend, gah.) Anyways...
Sondheim:
-I read the entire liberetto for Sweeny Todd over winter break. I started at a little before midnight and finished sometime between one and two... and couldn't go to sleep for another two hours. (But that's just me... I was afraid of Beauty and the Beast when I was five). I haven't heard that much of the music, but the lyrics are very well-written. Based on what I've read, I'd love to play Mrs. Lovett (or possibly the beggar woman) someday.
-West Side Story is one of my most favorite musicals of all time. I saw the movie, a community theater production and a professional regional production. All were fantastic. Bernstein was originally going to do music and lyrics, but then decided to collaborate w/ Sondheim on lyrics. Eventually, as the task of writing music became more and more intense (is that the right word? trying to remember...), Sondheim started doing more and more of the lyrics. Bernstein and Sondheim were originally going to share credit for the lyrics, but Bernstein decided to give full credit to Sondheim.
And then there was Jerome Robbins... but that's a whole different topic...
Ah well, sorry for the long post... goodnight.