Sondheim's "Passion" - could it be updated?

[merriwether]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 12:59pm

I love this score and show, but was wondering if the time period could be updated to WWII? I dont think it would really detract, but it might give it a more modern dimension that might be easier for an audience to grasp.

Thoughts?

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:03pm

Why shouldn't we be able to relate to stories that take place in a historical setting? I'm not saying it can't be updated -- I don't know the show well enough to really have a stance on that -- but I don't like the idea that an audience can't grasp a story that's set in the past. It can, but it's not that simple. Connecting with the audience is about much more than that.

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:05pm

Seems plausible

[raulmark]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:05pm

I finally saw the DVD recently after having the Cast Recording and VD for a while. I enjoyed the "ideas" of thw show and some of the music, but it didn't impact me like most other Sondheim shows. My point? Although transferring the setting to WW2 would make it slightly more interesting, I don't think it would change why I could not get into the show from the beginning. Does that make sense? it's just my opinion

[merriwether]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:06pm

I was just thinking of what Matthew Bourne did with "Carmen" when he created "The Car Man".

I still love the show with it's 19th century setting, but just something I was a-thinking.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:12pm

I'm not sure it would be effective. One of the crucial elements of the story is the social custom of the period and lack of options for single women. Updating it to WWII would lower the stakes, especially for Clara and Giorgio, making their decisions and motivations far more selfish and indulgent. The idea that Clara and Giorgio's lives would potentially be permanently destroyed should they be together would be far less believable. And then there is the issue of Italy's role in WWII. Do you really want the image of Mussolini hovering over a cast of characters for which the audience should find some sympathy?

[merriwether]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:26pm

Dang it Mister Matt - you shed some light on my misguided thoughts.

I didnt think about Italy, WW2 and Mussolini.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 1:39pm

Best to think about it now rather than have a critic think about it after a performance!

But don't stop with the ideas. Even misguided thoughts show some initiative and creativity. Perhaps you can find something in the staging and design that you might feel would assist the audience much in the same way?

[Roscoe]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 2:00pm

An audience who can't handle PASSION because of the period in which it is set is too stupid to be worth the trouble of accommodating. God forbid an audience should have to think about something.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 4/1/09 at 2:29pm

I was going to say, the Mussolini thing really would complicate the storyline. And as a military man, Giorgio would likely be out fighting elsewhere in Europe, not stationed in a small Italian town where there's nothing to do but gossip.

Updated On: 4/1/09 at 02:29 PM