"What a story........ everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." -- Birdie
[http://margochanning.broadwayworld.com/]
"The Devil Be Hittin' Me" -- Whitney
Yes, thanks for posting that. Mr. Lahr once again proves why he is my favorite theatre expert, as well as the most trustworthy reviewer in New York. Brilliantly written!
Fascinating! I like Lahr. I was just marveling at his Spamalot review in the New Yorker today.
This Sondheim essay is wonderful. As he ran down the shows- I thought to myself "Ah yes, Follies! That was his best show...."Company! How could I forget, THAT was his best....Sweeney! Of course, that was his best...." and so on. What a genius. Thanks again for posting!
You're right paradox, Sunday did depart from a lot of the kind of thing with which Lahr takes issue in Sondheim's work. But I don't think he fully considered some of the scores which he mentioned, or was perhaps to quick to dismiss. "Not While I'm Around" is a great example of what Sondheim is capable of when he drops his defenses and allows himself to write a song of complete emotional honesty. While one could further analyze it's placement, and what ultimatley becomes of the character who sings it, the song is still proof that irony is not the driving force of everything he does.
I'd like to hear more of what you all think about this.