"Putting It Together" Questions....

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/25/05 at 11:39pm

A few random questions on Sondheim's PUTTING IT TOGETHER.


I see Kathy Lee was an alternate in this show. Um, how was she? Did any of you see her? I know Sondheim is very involved with casting in his shows, so he must've approved her - right?

Also, I was listening to samples of the 93 Cast Recording. And the "Game Sequence/ Little Priest" sounds GREAT. But I checked the song listing for the Broadway production, and didn't see that number included. Will the "Game Sequence/ Priest" be on the DVD? I hope!
Updated On: 12/25/05 at 11:39 PM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:15am

Firstly Sondheim def has casting approval. He absolutely was happy with the casting of Kathy Lee. He changed 1 lyric for her specifically in Could I Leave You. I didn't get to see her so I have no idea. She had 2 HUGE shoes to fill in that role

Secondly, no The Game Sequence won't be on the DVD. The Broadway production was rewritten. There are songs in the first one that don't appear in the DVD and vice versa.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:19am

Thank you very much, Jazzy!

I must get the cast recording now, because that Game Sequence sounds great!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:23am

The recording of Putting it Together is amazing. Especially Rupert and York.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:35am

I actually loathe Michael Rupert in this, I can't help it.

[LostLeander]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:36am

They changed a lyric in "Could I Leave You"... from "Just wait a G*d damn minute!" to "Just waiting a mother f*cking minute!".

Kathie Lee is an ardent Christian... and taking the Lord's name in vain is not acceptable. The "f" word is the lesser of two bad words.

May sound silly to you, but it's the religion.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 12:38am

The lyric was changedto just f*cking, no mothers involved here.

[LostLeander]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 1:00am

Whoops!

*Dances offstage, Ashley Simpson style".

[musicalsaregreat]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 2:38am

A reliable source told me that Kathy Lee approached Sondheim, asking to change the lyric "God Damn." Sondheim, was not happy with the request and sarcastically replied, "Sure you can change it to 'Wait a f***ing minute'" Kathy Lee surprised him by replying, "Okay." and that's how the change was made.
Updated On: 12/26/05 at 02:38 AM

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 1:06pm

Well, that is a little weird.
I was a little upset at the fact they changed other lyrics to Could I Leave You, instead of "passionless love making once a year," Burnett (and I think Julie Andrews sang the same lyrics) says "beautiful love-making once a week" which I guess was done to accomodate the "plot" but it took a lot from the sarcasm of the song and this line usually causes some laughs.
There's no A Little Priest sequence in the DVD, I can't believe they had it in the off-Broadway show, why don't they have it on the DVD? Does Julie Andrews sing this song? Julie Andrews singing A Little Priest = HEAVEN.
I loved every single performance on the Broadway show but didn't really get why George Hearn got a Tony nod. and Burnett didn't. I think Bronson Pichot's performance was very underrated too, he was so funny.
Does anyone know if this played on Broadway as a limited engagement or was it an open-ended run?

[LouW95]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 1:38pm

Amazing how Born again Christian Kathie Lee (real name is Epstein)found her way into a Sondheim show and then tried to get some lyrics changed. It is a fact that Kathie Lee is still a friend of one of history's most dangerous homophobes of the late 1970s, Anita Bryant. It seems that Kathie Lee gets close to gay people (i.e. Sondheim) when it helps her career. Her history can be documented on the web under her then married name Kathie Lee Johnson.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 1:59pm

Actually that's not how the lyric changed. She asked Sondheim to change the lyric for reasons already stated. Sondheim said in the London production they had the actress sing "wait a bloody minute". So that's what it was for a few days. She said it didn't really ring true for her character (being a New York society lady). She suggested f*cking. Sondheim said "are you sure? Fine then sing it."


And Lou I have friends who don't believe the same things I do. I have family who don't really like gay people, but they're family. It's unfair to "stone" someone for an association that you only know on paper ("documented history"). You can't really say what the nature of their friendship is unless your friends with both of them...and even if you did, it's still not cool.

[LouW95]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 2:04pm

Jazzy, the facts are clear. The events are not simply on paper. Many of us lived through those terrible Anita Bryant times. Lives were ruined by her and her supporters. There is quite a difference between differing opinions and a dangerous homophobe. A dangerous homophobe and those who enable them must never be forgotten. Being COOL at all times is not the best thing.

Updated On: 12/26/05 at 02:04 PM

[Kringas]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 2:19pm

"beautiful love-making once a week"

I believe the line was changed to "dutiful lovemaking once a week."

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 2:27pm

Bingo.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 2:39pm

"Being COOL at all times is not the best thing."

Yes and talking about this on Broadway world will def. make a difference...actually this should prob be on the off-topic board.

[LouW95]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 4:19pm

Sorry to burst your bubble about Kathie Lee but history cannot and should not be erased. An intelligent person learns from history. Have a good new year and please find a better person to idolize.

[fiatlux]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 5:12pm

"Sondheim said in the London production they had the actress sing "wait a bloody minute". So that's what it was for a few days. She said it didn't really ring true for her character (being a New York society lady). She suggested f*cking. Sondheim said "are you sure? Fine then sing it.""

There was no London production.

Diana Rigg sang the original lyric - "god damm(n)ed minute" in the Oxford version as she had done in Follies - there was no London version of PIT. Julie Andrews did the same and as it is in the script, so did Carol Burnett.

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 5:31pm

Although I totally disagree with JazzySuite82...I think Michael Rupert is amazing on this recording...His "Marry Me A Little" is amazing...But, I never once read JazzySuite saying "I idolize Kathy Lee"...He was just stated what he had heard about the production...

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 5:46pm

Fiatlux I was just repeating a version of the story I heard from Kathie Lee. I may have gotten the details of it incorrect. It actually was her story not mine. So if it's incorrect, then I apologize for that.


LouW As ws stated before I don't idolize Kathie Lee, I've actually never seen her perform and really wouldn't want to. I was simply saying that your Kathie Lee bashing is not really relevant to a Broadway thread. From the looks of it YOUR the one who seems rather obsessed about this. There was no bubble to burst LOL. I find it a little comical that you think I take this so seriously. I certainly hope you're not accusing me of being unintelligent because that would be unwise of you, since you don't know me from Francis Bacon.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 5:58pm

Hehe, I didn't realize it was "dutiful," that makes a lot more sense, thank you, I still prefer "passionless love-making once a year" though.
Anyone know the answer to my previous question whether the show was a limited engagement or an open-ended run on Broadway?

[AuditioningWaitress]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 6:01pm

Nicely said JazzySuite82...He does seem a bit hostile...

RayAndAllThatJazz86...The Manhattan Theater Club was a limited engagement...The Broadway was a open run.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 12/26/05 at 6:07pm

Thanks, AuditioningWaitress, the Broadway production only ran for about 100 performances so I guess it was a flop, especially with it's bankable stars. Oh well.