Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

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Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 8:46pm

This is pretty great. Love Beni Montresor's use of colour in his designs (he was an Italian film and opera designer, so seems fitting.)

I love DIHAW even if Sondheim and many others consider it a "why" musical. Though No Strings interests me, DIHAW is by far my fave post-Hammerstein musical by Rodgers.

http://vimeo.com/82401219

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 8:58pm

Really? You surprise me, Eric. I only know the show from a few photos and the libretto.

But even Sondheim's lyrics are shockingly banal.

(I do, however, love his original lyrics for "We're Going to be Alright"! Too bad there wasn't more of THAT in the show.)

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 9:11pm

"But even Sondheim's lyrics are shockingly banal. "

Yes, indeed.

"(I do, however, love his original lyrics for "We're Going to be Alright"! Too bad there wasn't more of THAT in the show.)"

I hate those. Thank God there were not more of those in the show, and that Rodgers had the sense to scuttle the rancid ones.

As for the show itself, it was, in the main, quite enjoyable. And Rodgers's work was lovely.

No Strings was a better show, however.

How I wish, though, that we could have either of them today! (sigh)

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 9:19pm

Really. I mean comeon Gaveston--do you have a post Hammerstein Rodgers show that you prefer? And if so, tell me why...

I've read the libretto but never seen it. But I like it fine, I agree with Sondheim in his books that 1/3 of the music sounds like Rodgers was bored, but the rest is very good, IMHO, and the same goes for the lyrics. (I agree with you about They're Going to Be Alright.) The Pasadena revisal recording is interesting which puts it back in, as well as a few cut songs. I wonder how it played.

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 11:09pm

Has this ever been done by Encores? Never listened to it, so that clip was the first time and parts of it seemed ok.

Well I didn't want to get into it, but he's a Satanist. Every full moon he sacrifices 4 puppies to the Dark Lord and smears their blood on his paino. This should help you understand the score for Wicked a little bit more. Tazber's: Reply to Is Stephen Schwartz a Practicing Christian

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/27/14 at 11:28pm

Some of that footage was shot by ballet dancer and porn director Wakefield Poole.

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 2:53am

Thanks PJ, I thought I noticed the mise-en-scene from Boys in the Sand. It all makes sense.

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 7:35am

I often feel like one of the few supporters of both the music and lyrics to this show. I listen to the OBC as much as anything else.

CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 9:06am

Did the libretto change for the Pasadena production?

#10

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 10:10am

Dorothy Collins's rendition of the title song on the "Scrabble" album, turns it into a brilliant Sondheimian dramatic monologue, with character development.

#11

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 10:24am

I love hearing what Rodgers and Sondheim being paired sounds like. I've often wondered what would happen if more lyricists and composers mixed it up.

#12

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 11:43am

I like this score a lot - music AND lyrics. I would love to see a production of this or No Strings. Thankfully we have a theater in Toronto that did both I Remember Mama and the revised version of Rex.

#13

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 12:46pm

During my MA, which was based on dramaturgy and compositional pedagogy, I assembled a near-complete digital compendium of the works of most of the major figures in musical theatre- the "final drafts" of score and libretto in their various professionally produced or licensed iterations, plus work drafts, early versions, cut materials, and so on. Strangely enough, there are successful shows with radio silence. This was one of them- everyone has the piano-conductor score to "Do I Hear A Waltz," but not a performance draft, or cut materials, or the libretto in any stage other than its final published one, and so on.

#14

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 1:00pm

As usual, Growlers you show great taste.

The stories of Rodgers and Sondheim working together are far from pleasant, and like I said I do agree with Sondheim that there are a couple of bum songs, but overall I love the cast album too.

I can't tell if the libretto was changed at all for Pasadena. Laurents was still alive, so maybe? The liner notes of the now out of print CD speak about it being revised but are frustratingly vague except for the specifics (ie the original lyrics for Be Alright, Everybody Loves Leona is restored, and the CD has brief bits like We're Going to the Lido that I think were just not recorded on the original, but it's been a long time since I've checked the published libretto from the library.) I know it got good reviews and an online friend spoke highly of it (of course the original orchestrations are missed.)

PJ, Collins' version IS great, I agree.

Home--they performed Rex and Mama but not No Strings or Waltz? I'm a little surprised Encores hasn't done Waltz--it could be a great showcase for a strong cast.

There's a fascinating interview online with Laurents and Sondheim as well as Beni Montresor but interestingly no Rodgers from when the show was created on Camera 3. Here's part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRc17BUocfs (How handsome Sondheim was...)

#15

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 1:50pm

I wonder if Sondheim could put the kibosh on an Encores production of the show?

How I wish someone had shot this much rehearsal footage for Gypsy. Or Dolly. Or Mame. Or...

#16

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 1:53pm

I don't think he would, though. He doesn't *hate* the show, he just thinks it shouldn't have been made :P And he's always been pretty willing to let people try to work out his shows and give them a chance (Merrily played chronologically and some Company gay stagings aside,) even when he didn't seem to think it was a particularly good idea.

#17

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 2:16pm

This was delightful! How beautiful was Elizabeth Allen!? And Sergio Franchi, such a hunk! The scenery is beautiful as well, I always envisioned it looking like a watercolor painting and it looks like that's how they approached it as well!

I adore Waltz. I'd love to see it performed someday.

#18

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 3:58pm

Never saw this or any version, but always enjoyed Rodger's score. I thought it was close in quality to Cinderella. Not quite there, but close. But like Cinderella the story presented a great challenge to the lyricist because of the less than strong story on which to hang those lyrics. P.S. Hammerstein won.

Updated On: 2/28/14 at 03:58 PM

#19

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 3:58pm

Dupe

Updated On: 2/28/14 at 03:58 PM

#20

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 6:23pm

I love the score of the show and the footage is beautiful.

Eric, I enjoyed the Camera 3 interview immeasurably. It takes Sondheim so long to get a word in edgewise that I wonder if this interview wasn't the inspiration for "Franklin Shepard, Inc.".

#21

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 6:46pm

"How beautiful was Elizabeth Allen!"

Very. So too in The Gay Life and Sherry!. How beautifully she sang "With This Ring " alongside Jon Cypher in the latter. What a lovely musical moment. Lovely, winsome, and rare. I can still see it now, and feel the same happiness I did in the theatre.

And Do I Hear a Waltz evokes its own store of fond memories.

Those were the days, for sure.

Updated On: 2/28/14 at 06:46 PM

#22

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 10:22pm

Really. I mean comeon Gaveston--do you have a post Hammerstein Rodgers show that you prefer? And if so, tell me why...

Not really, but that doesn't make WALTZ any better. I do appreciate the artiness of NO STRINGS and it has at least one song ("The Sweetest Sounds") where the lyrics don't seem to be treading water.

Admittedly I've never heard the entire score of WALTZ. Perhaps if I did... But I doubt it.

(Despite A8's typical reaction, I think the original "We're Gonna Be Alright" is one of the best comedy songs every written for a musical.)

#23

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 2/28/14 at 10:25pm

Dorothy Collins's rendition of the title song on the "Scrabble" album, turns it into a brilliant Sondheimian dramatic monologue, with character development.

Thanks for the reminder, PJ. I'll give it another listen...

#24

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 3/1/14 at 8:38am

I wore that album out when I was an adolescent. How can anyone not love a lilting Rodgers melody? I don't find the Sondheim lyrics "banal" at all.
"Such lovely blue Danube-y
Music how can you be
Still??"
Perfect.

#25

Do I Hear a Waltz? Colour Footage of the original production

Posted: 3/1/14 at 11:51am

What about " What Do We Do We Fly"?

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