Sondheim is Rude??- Page 2
Sondheim is Rude??
Unknown User
Joined: 12/31/69
#25re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 4:00am
We truly enjoy the work at SCR. Last season included Intimate Apparel, before it's New York run. We also saw FABULOUS interpretations of Cyrano and Antigone.
We went to the reading of Brooklyn Boy during this years playwright's festival, and were IMMEASURABLY underwhelmed. My partner had just been doing some scene-work from Sight Unseen, so we were pretty interested in Donald's new work. It left us completely flat. Of course, we'll be seeing the full staging here shortly, and will be curious what, if anything, has been changed.
#26re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 9:33am
OH wow- I am also in the Inland Empire formerly of Huntington Beach. I agree, the OCPAC and SCR are amazing venues. I love Orange County, there is so much theatre everywhere!
Robert
NightLaughs
Leading Actor Joined: 6/26/04
#27re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 12:14pmKathleen Battle? What happened with her?
jayem1968
Stand-by Joined: 6/9/04
#28re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 12:44pm
Hats off to all the L.A. theatergoers on this board. I'm in Sherman Oaks.
And - sorry, just can't take this story hook, line and sinker. There has to be more to it.
steveshack
Leading Actor Joined: 8/21/04
#29re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 1:13pm
Hey! I'm in North Hollywood!
As for the Sondheim story, I... I don't... I don't believe... I don't believe it one bit..
NYMF presents The Big Voice: God or Merman?
Updated On: 9/5/04 at 01:13 PM
#30re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 1:21pmPersonally, I do not believe one word of the original post of this thread. It sounds like someone who is not a Sondheim fan, making up something to stir up trouble. He may, in fact, be prickly and sometimes difficult to work with, (as are most artists, hell - human beings, at one time or another in their lives) but I don't think he'd fire someone for mispronouncing his name. I'd need a lot more proof before believing something like this.
MasterLcZ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/12/03
#31re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 1:27pm
Bulls-eye, NightLaughs!
Can't see SS doing that at all... but it reeks of KB.
SamIAm
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
#32re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 5:09pm
I'm not buying the original story...there has to be more to it. And as for hearing 'legends' of how difficult Sondheim is, I've heard just as many stories about how wonderful he is to work with. Methinks it depends on one's approach!
I also know that anyone who could work through Chris Kattan's unbelievably bad interpretation of Sondheim's work without killing him during rehearsal is probably more patient than you might think.
AND...as for alluding to the stories about the 'room' in his home...where are we now, DataLounge? I'd like to think that we could rise above talking about people's private lives on this board.
#33re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 5:51pm
Yeah, everything I have read about him is completely in good light. Has everyone read the biography by Meryle Secrest? It's great. There aren't any diva moments there to speak of.. well, the farthest that goes is an incident with his ex-boyfriend.
Robert
#34re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 6:18pmI heard that Sondheim hit the Popes dog and then backed up.
#35re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 7:15pm
redhotinnyc2-- you are one hundred percent correct.
that "story" about Stephen Sondheim firing someone for mispronouncing his name is simply preposterous..............BIALLY082, someone may have told you this is why they were fired from a job.......but that is not behavior Sondheim would ever engage in.........
how very silly that story is.
misterchoi
Stand-by Joined: 9/5/04
#36re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/5/04 at 8:23pm
Maurecio lied to encourage the cast and to make them work harder. 
Sticktopriest- I am a young theatre student, High school aged, and have searched long , hard, and unsuccessfully for Sondheim's mail address. If you had any way of helping me contact him, I'd appreciate it. You can e-mail me at BradBoy007@aol.com
morosco
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/10/04
rockfenris2005
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#38re: Sondheim is Rude??
Posted: 9/6/04 at 2:19am
A friend of a friend was working on a Stephen Sondheim show on Broadway. It was VERY early in the process and he was not familiar with Sondheim's work. I know that sounds rediculous, but go with it. Anyway he was not an actor, but a stagehand. He heard about how big Sondheim was and went to speek to him after a rehearsal. He misporonounced his name when addresing Mr. Sondheim. Called him SondhIEm. (Sond-heem) Stephen just responded with "It's Sondheim, you can pick up your check!"
He was fired! I realize he actually doesn't have the authority to actually fire a stagehand, but nobody was going to argue with him.
I was just a little surprised when I heard about that. Any thoughts?....
FENRIS:
I can understand why he did it. If you were working in a show and you didn't even know how to pronounce the writer's name, I would be angry too. I probably wouldn't sack him though. I'd have a word to him and find out what his motives are, how really committed he is to the whole enterprise. Perhaps S.S. didn't have time that day?
Videos