Is Stephen Sondheim Overrated? — Page 2

Is Sondheim overrated? Of course not. His lyrics can be as sophisticated as those of Cole Porter or as colloquial as those of Oscar Hammerstein, as funny as Larry Hart's or as touching and true-to-character as Sheldon Harnick's.

His minimalist music is not only memorable in its own right (think of the opening theme of FOLLIES: most of us didn't even know it had lyrics until years later), it is the perfect medium for stage music, where the lyrics must be intelligible even as an orchestra plays, scenery moves, and the dancing chorus taps.

I don't know why "mass appeal" is even a criterion, Mr. Nowack. Are the paintings of the Cubists inferior to "Dogs Playing Poker"? Mass appeal is usually enjoyed by those who tell us comforting clichés (pets are like people); artists such as Sondheim confront us with truths we usually do our best to avoid.

Phantom of London,

I haven't read any of the responses to your question. I don't have to. I know they'll just parrot the same party-line guff we've been fed ad nauseam for over forty years now. Enough of that!

The truth is, it lies entirely within your own power to obtain the most accurate answer to your question. All you need do --- that is, if you have the fortitude--- is to listen to some of his work.. A small amount will suffice heartily. The sentiments of distaste, irritation, and queasiness that will course instantly through your entire being will answer your query most definitively.

Time will tell. One or two of these songs written 70-80 years ago by Rodgers and Hart ("My Funny Valentine", "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", George Gershwin ("Someone to Watch Over Me", Jerome Kern ("The Way You Look Tonight", "All the Things You Are", and Cole Porter ("I Get A Kick Out of You", "I've Got You Under my Skin" are part of the repertoire of almost every contemporary vocalist today, to be sung and/or recorded. A week does not go by without hearing at least one.

As for full musicals, since Sondheim does not write the book to his musicals, how do you compare "his" musicals to others? Should we say that a show is by "Sondheim and Lapine" as we say Rodgers and Hammerstein? Sondheim and Lapine will most likely be judged in the future by how often the properties are licensed and revived, compared to the shows of others. Some cliques will hold all Sondheim in the highest regard compared to musicals before and after, believing that those who don't "get" the musicals are just of a lower intellect.

Now I will duck and cover. I really am warming up to Sondheim, gradually..

NO!

Including Sondheim in a thread title is the forum equivalent of saying Beetlejuice three times.

This is still a stupid f*cking thread.

So opinions don't exist to you, After Eight? You seem to spend a lot of time lamenting that 90% of Musical Theatre is not up to your standards. I don't care who loves Sondheim and who doesn't. To each their own. It doesn't interfere with my love of Sondheim and how his work has tapped into and I formed much of my life. Why must anyone who doesn't share your opinion be described as parrots incapable of forming their own opinion? I discovereSondheim without any idea of what the world thought of him. I spent much of my teen years enjoying cast recordings before social media and Google. I usually ignore you but I baffle at your.l need to hold your opinions as fact.

Updated On: 10/30/16 at 02:49 PM

The original poster did not offer any of his thoughts to support why he feels Stephen Sondheim is overrated. So then what is the purpose of this thread?

This is the stupidest thread on the Internet in the history of stupidest threads on the Internet, and in the past two weeks, there have been two stupid threads that were so stupid they SEEMED to be the stupidest threads in the history of the Internet, which they couldn't have been because this thread IS.

Why have you responded three times to a thread you claim not to have read?

How odd.

Some people aren't happy unless they're unhappy.

What's up bro?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPh5w6MxFg

I can't believe people are still fussing over After Eight's reply. I thought he was fair with his response. It's called an opinion for a reason.