Of All The Sondheim Shows Not On DVD...

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:05pm

It seems that many of the shows he has composed is available on DVD: INTO THE WOODS, SWEENEY TODD, PUTTING IT TOGETHER, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, CANDIDE & PASSION (Concerts).

Why not THE FROGS, COMPANY, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, FOLLIES, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, ASSASSINS?

But especially the recent revival of ASSASSINS. I understand the financial issues with doing DVDs, but this production just seemed right for DVD.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:14pm

Well, if you're counting concerts, a video of a FOLLIES concert is available, and the cd recording session of COMPANY. There was a movie made of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC but I think it's pretty hard to find.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:20pm

Whoops, yes, Follies too.

I have yet to see the Company Making of the OBCR.

[Plum]

Posted: 4/9/05 at 11:47pm

The ALNM movie has different songs than the show, doesn't it? It's an actual movie adaptation, not a filming of the stage production like ITW, for example. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum has a movie adaptaion, too. But I don't think either has a very good reputation. Updated On: 4/9/05 at 11:47 PM

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 12:00am

Yes, that's why I said a movie. Not a DVD of the Broadway production. I think the score diminished, and didn't Liz Taylor star?

[MarkCohen]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 12:11am

Assassins definitely deserved a DVD. My thoughts exactly.

[pab]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 12:14am

Elizabeth Taylor did star and unfortunately it was not a good movie at all. She pretty much talked everything she had to sing.

It's not been released to DVD yet bit Amazon.com sells the VHS version.
A Little Night Music - VHS

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/10/05 at 12:30am

WEST SIDE STORY - movie version on DVD is fairly faithful

GYSPY - movie version (Roz Russell) is on DVD. Fairly faithful but missing "Together" which is on DVD as bonus track. Bette Midler's more faithful TV movie just got re-released on DVD.

FORUM - movie is not terribly faithful and deletes all by 5 of the songs. Missed opportunity: They should have taped the revival with Nathan Lane.

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - no film, no video.

EVENING PRIMROSE - This one-hour ABC TV musical was shown once only in 1966. You can see it at the museum of Broadcasting in New York. Rights to the short story are owned by the John Collier estate and they have so far witheld permission to release it on video.

COMPANY - the London revival of 1996 was filmed for TV but has not been shown or released here. There were hopes the kennedy Center production (with John Barrowman) would be taped for PBS and home video but it wasn't. Too bad. Barrowman was excellent in the show. The DVD of the cast album session is a fascinating documentary. There is a b&w film of the tour taht can be viewed at Lincoln Center.

FOLLIES - The 1985 Lincoln Center concert was filmed in part by BBC, along with some rehearsal scenes. Though it is a good program fans were miffed that the entire sold-out concert was not preserved. Why no one thought to preserve the Papermill or Broadway revivals is a mystery.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - the 1978 film was a quick failure and was sold off to TV without the benefit of even one netowrk showing. It was issued on VHS but a proposed DVD was cancelled when it was discovered the original film elements were missing. The film is flat and dull and retains only 6 songs (plus new versions of two others.) The NYCO production was broadcast once on Live from Lincoln center but was never cleared for home video release.

SONDHEIM: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE - This would have been the one to have preserved on film. All those stars back to recreate favourite Sondheim numbers at a time when only the theatre savy knew that he was something special. The 2 CD set is very enjoyable despite the problems or live sound recording.

PACIFIC OVERTURES - This was filmed for Japanese TV and there have been rumblings that it *may* eventually come out on DVD. It should. It is a fascinating film marred only slightly by the somewhat limited production technique.

SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM - While the show was not filmed, Sondheim was guest on Andre Previn's PBS show and some of the cast performed a few of his songs. It's a good program/interview and if it is available for viewing at the Broadcast museum it is well worth watching.

SWEENEY TODD - the national tour (Lasnbury, Hearn) is faithfully preserved on video as is the concert version (LuPone). The museum of broadcasting also has a BBC documetary on how Sondheim, Prince and company put together the 1980 London production.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG - Plans were afoot to tape the original Broadway production but in a letter to me in 1983, Sondheim said they "had hoped to raise the funds to finance the project within two weeks after the show closed, but were unable to do so."

SUNDAY, INTO THE WOODS and PASSION were all preserved in their original Broadway stages. The first two in front of theatre audiences, the final show was filmed without an audience.

BBC did a special SONDHEIM MASTER CLASS in 1984 and BRAVO! has shown it a few times. Sondheim coaches young singers on a half dozen of his songs. There is also a James Lipton episode of INSIDE THE ACTORS STUDIO with Sondheim that has been run a few times.

ASSASSINS - No video and a real shame that the 2004 revival escaped without being preserved.

BOUNCE - No commercial video but the show has not reached its final form as yet. The Washington production was (apparently)_ taped for Lincoln Center library.

Sondhem doesn't give a lot of TV interviews but one of the best was a segment on 60 MINUTES around the time INTO THE WOODS opened. There was also an interview with him on the ABC show GOOD MORNING AMERICA when PASSION opened. Also at that time Larry King had Sondheim on for 1/2 hour followed by a 1/2 hour segment with Mandy Patinkin, Donna Murphy and Paul Ford.