Sondheim's "Big 5"

I agree that Company, Sunday in the Park, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods would certainly fall into a hypothetical "Big 5" for Sondheim. I think the fifth spot could really go between Assassins, Follies, Night Music, Passion, maybe even Forum or Pacific Overtures.

If it were me, the fifth spot would go to Follies.

Definitely the five shows that Betty and ELM just brought up... the only question is what order?

henrikegerman said: "With R&H there seems a consensus fit between the "Big 5" shows and "Big 5" scores. That may arguably not be the case with Sondheim.

"

Exactly. Follies is definitely up there. Why Big 5? It can totally be Big 6 or even Big 7 to loop in Forum. Or more.

steve.sometime said: "henrikegerman said: "With R&H there seems a consensus fit between the "Big 5" shows and "Big 5" scores. That may arguably not be the case with Sondheim.

"

Exactly. Follies is definitely up there. Why Big 5? It can totally be Big 6 or even Big 7 to loop inForum. Or more."

I'd disagree with that notion. I think we're all starting from a position that Sondheim was a genius and all of his shows were genius, but we're trying to narrow it down here. By the time you get to "top 7," that's almost half of his shows!

It is interesting, however, that there is such a clear consensus on a Sondheim Top 4, but that 5th slot seems WIDE open.

Jeff Tupolski said: "I think if you had to narrow down a set of Sondheim’s biggest shows, it’d be a group of four rather than five. It feels like general consensus would include Sweeney, Woods, Company, and Sunday, while the fifth show would be more up for debate.

With that said, I do think Follies would be that fifth show, but the others feel solidly ahead, and there’s definitely argument for other works in its place."

Yes, I think you're correct. I had no trouble filling the first four slots, but deliberated quite a bit about the fifth. My personal favorite for #5 would be Assassins, but objectively, I think A Little Night Music is sort of perfect. Follies has a more thrilling score, but a less ironclad book in my opinion. Forum is also so well written that it's hard to mess up, but it's score is somewhat forgettable. Which is all to say, after you get past those first four, you could debate the merits of the rest for eternity.

Company

Sweeney Todd

Into The Woods

Merrily We Roll Along

Follies

Lol. I mean, I do not rate Merrily at all except that it led to Sunday and Bernadette’s ‘Not a Day Goes By’ (hoping the upcoming revival will help change that). But it seems a bit cheeky to invite people to give their thoughts and then shut them down haha.

Company

Follies

ALNM

Sweeney

Merrily



I feel bad leaving out his post-Prince work (which is also exceptional), but I'll stick to the rules. I was never a massive WOODS fan, but I've grown to appreciate it more after this revival.

When it comes to the complete works of Sondheim I find brilliant material in all his shows, but you’re either a blue-book or a pink-book person, and I’m Blue all the way.

Into the Woods, I *thnk* was my first Sondheim show through the video recording at my public library. I love that show, and as I grow older it seems to me to be his most approachable, introduction to his works. Partly because its done so often by schools, community theatres, etc. Forbidden Broadway got it right with their parody "Into the Words". You even get that with the additions he wrote for the original London Follies, which I believe he was writing around the same time as Into the Woods.

Top 5 for me are all Blue Book, except one (in no particular order)

Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Follies, Pacific Overtures, Sunday in the Park with George

Updated On: 1/12/23 at 11:12 AM

If it's to be SONDHEIM'S Big 5, then the score must be paramount to all other considerations, like a crappy book.

By that reckoning, I'd list

SWEENEY TODD

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

PACIFIC OVERTURES

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

& COMPANY as my top.



FOLLIES gets in with 6.