#1
Posted: 10/27/09 at 2:16pm
Just thought I'd share a few wonderful moments from last night's Frank Rich/Sondheim conversation that took place in Seattle.
Sondheim talked about Nunn's Night Music saying the director is taking a "chekhovian" approach to the material and that it works nonetheless. He did make a joke about the length of Nunn's Oklahoma! saying it was half an hour longer than the original production even with a few cuts to the music.
Great story about Hermione Gingold's audition for Night Music. They couldn't see her in the role, she had played high camp mostly, but her audition won them over. She told them she was same age as character (74) but Sondheim and Prince later found out she was 75. In trying to convince them to hire her she removed her wig to reveal a bald head (making reference to her characters' final moment in Night Music).
Sondheim said he was excited about the Paris production on Night Music (he seemed almost giddily excited) mostly due to the casting of Kristin Scott Thomas and Leslie Caron. He's also curious as to what Parisians think of his show because of the score's influences and "because they hate musicals".
Sondheim talked of Ingmar Bergman seeing Night Music. Bergman wanted to collaborate with Sondheim on a film of Merry Widow with Sondheim providing new lyrics. Berman said he like Night Music but the first 15 minutes he thought he was hallucinating because Victoria Mallory looked like the woman he based Anne on. His other comment, regarding Gingold, was "She likes the **** the audience, doesn't she?"
Sondheim said he thinks the film of Sweeney Todd is the only successful "story driven" musical movie to date. He expressed his dislike of West Side Story saying it wasn't believable.
He called Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show a trilogy.
Weidman wrote a teleplay to Assassins and they even had some interested parties last year but Weidman and Sondheim agreed that the timing was off and they both worrieD about a copy cast emerging with Obama in office.
Sondheim is writing 2 volumes discussing his lyrics. The first part comes out in the Fall and will cover his stuff until Prince and the second volume will be Lapine and after.
The rest was stuff most of you have probably heard before. Merman hearing "Rose's Turn" for the first time, writing Joanne around Stritch, Sweeney's beginnings. It was a delightful evening and if you have a chance to see this talk (not sure if they're going anywhere else) I'd jump at the chance.
Sondheim talked about Nunn's Night Music saying the director is taking a "chekhovian" approach to the material and that it works nonetheless. He did make a joke about the length of Nunn's Oklahoma! saying it was half an hour longer than the original production even with a few cuts to the music.
Great story about Hermione Gingold's audition for Night Music. They couldn't see her in the role, she had played high camp mostly, but her audition won them over. She told them she was same age as character (74) but Sondheim and Prince later found out she was 75. In trying to convince them to hire her she removed her wig to reveal a bald head (making reference to her characters' final moment in Night Music).
Sondheim said he was excited about the Paris production on Night Music (he seemed almost giddily excited) mostly due to the casting of Kristin Scott Thomas and Leslie Caron. He's also curious as to what Parisians think of his show because of the score's influences and "because they hate musicals".
Sondheim talked of Ingmar Bergman seeing Night Music. Bergman wanted to collaborate with Sondheim on a film of Merry Widow with Sondheim providing new lyrics. Berman said he like Night Music but the first 15 minutes he thought he was hallucinating because Victoria Mallory looked like the woman he based Anne on. His other comment, regarding Gingold, was "She likes the **** the audience, doesn't she?"
Sondheim said he thinks the film of Sweeney Todd is the only successful "story driven" musical movie to date. He expressed his dislike of West Side Story saying it wasn't believable.
He called Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show a trilogy.
Weidman wrote a teleplay to Assassins and they even had some interested parties last year but Weidman and Sondheim agreed that the timing was off and they both worrieD about a copy cast emerging with Obama in office.
Sondheim is writing 2 volumes discussing his lyrics. The first part comes out in the Fall and will cover his stuff until Prince and the second volume will be Lapine and after.
The rest was stuff most of you have probably heard before. Merman hearing "Rose's Turn" for the first time, writing Joanne around Stritch, Sweeney's beginnings. It was a delightful evening and if you have a chance to see this talk (not sure if they're going anywhere else) I'd jump at the chance.
Updated On: 10/27/09 at 02:16 PM
