Sondheim's Passion

[raulmark]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 9:15pm

I'm a big Stephen Sondheim fan, but for some reason keep hitting a wall with "Passion".
Can anyone just give me a tip that might help me appreciate and look at this show in a new way?
Thanks

[ljay889]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 9:16pm

Are you having a problem with just the score, or the entire show itself?

[raulmark]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 9:21pm

I have the DVD and soundtrack. Every time I start watching the DVD or listen to the music I start losing interest haha
It might be the subject matter?...melodrama-romantic?
It doesn't speak to me as easily as "Sunday" or "Into The Woods"

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:28pm

Maybe start with the film that Passion is adapted from? It's twice as melodramatic as the Sondheim-Lapine treatment.

I'm also a big fany of Lonny Price's rather grand, operatic concert staging with Patti LuPone. Maybe it'd also help to read some of Sondheim's quotes when explaining the work. He does so on the PBS filming of the Passion concert (most of it is on YouTube I believe) and also in his authorized biography.

I was hooked from day one on this lovely, poetic, heartbreaking musical. But I also know huge Sondheim fans who can't get through this show no matter how hard they've tried.

[EugLoven]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:34pm

The way I got into PASSION was by working backward.

I watched the Live from Lincoln Center production starring Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald on DVD. Having it in video form and connecting the dots visually to the score REALLY helps with investing your emotions to certain moments/lyrics/sounds.

PASSION is a heavily romantic story with emphasis on moving slowly, fate, need, loneliness, desperation, distance, calculating... Sondheim didn't fear telling a story carefully without flimflam or fluff.

Then I started getting in the routine of listening to the London cast recording while doing the dishes... to get familiar with the score and let it get into my blood and "muscle memory"

Then I read Sondheim's biography and learned about the original production, his passion behind it and its critical reception.

Then I listened to the Donna Murphy original cast recording and it's all woven together into an appreciation.

It most certainly doesn't sit well with a lot of musical theatre fans... it takes a discipline and a respect (and patience) to enjoy it. Good luck to you.
Updated On: 11/21/08 at 10:34 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:34pm

Passion is an odd one. Even on the Sondheim forum a lot of people, to my disappointment, don't like it. I was 14 when it came out, and just entering my peak of Sondheim obsession, and I can remember how disappointed so many *fans* were with it.

I think one reason is how unabashedly romantic it is. There's, unlike nearly everything else he's done, very little irony, or hiding behind humour and clever wordplay, save for maybe a few half hearted attempts with the soldiers.

Personally--it's in my top 3 Sondheim scores. I think it's rapturous, absolutely gorgeous. I don't care much for the concert staging personally, while some see Shea as a weak link in the OBC, I think the original staging is gorgeous and nearly perfect.

My only advice, really, is to not overthink it--just try to go with it, and accept the strong emotions there. I agree with most of what Mildred has said, but I'm not sure watching the film will help much--the film is so extreme (it's all narrated to a dwarf!) though that maybe it'll allow you to accept the emotions of the piece more openly.

(I have to admit I love Douglas Sirk movies, gothic romance novels like Rebecca and Wuthering Heights, and all that so to see Sondheim in his oh so smart way delve into a bit of that genre was wonderful for me)

[PalJoey]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:35pm

You're having exactly the reaction Sondheim wanted you to have.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:38pm

Joey I'd argue that--he certainly was pretty upset at the audience reaction in previews if the article in the Sondheim Review with him at the time is to be believed. Maybe he wanted SOME of that reaction, but certainly by the end of the piece he wanted audiences to come around

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:44pm

I was hooked on Passion from the start. That opening drum cadence followed by the almost discordant chords just told me that it was something that was going to challenge the audience beyond the boundaries of "safe" musical theatre. When I finally saw the DVD, with the stark simplicity of the set, the stunning costume design, and the understated lighting that almost gave the feeling of looking at old sepia toned photographs, I was awed by the artistry on display, not to mention the talent of those performing.

I think the problem that most musical theatre fans have with Passion is that it really isn't a musical, it is a modern chamber opera, down to the extremes its plot takes. People laughed at moments onstage during the original Broadway production that were not meant to be funny. However, if you took the plot and situation of those moments and sung them in Italian with a score by Puccini it would be hailed as stunning.

I'm waiting for more opera companies to really consider Passion when they are looking for something to serve as their cross-over, draw in new audience member, type of piece, just as Sweeney has become.

[TimesSquareRegular]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 10:55pm

Add me to the list of those who found NOTHING satisfying about PASSION, and that's the only Sondheim show I found tedious to endure.

[RockabyeHamlet]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 11:14pm

Get really drunk and listen to it while IMing an unrequited lover. It worked for me. The show is now very near and dear to my heart.

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 11:15pm

You have the DVD and the cast recording.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/21/08 at 11:23pm

HAHA the drunk think works for me.

"It most certainly doesn't sit well with a lot of musical theatre fans... it takes a discipline and a respect (and patience) to enjoy it. Good luck to you. "

That's probably true for some, I don't wanna sound egotistical but for me it was almsot the opposite--just letting go completely and almsot wallowing in it. Turn off your brain. I don't think, personally, it needs any discipline and very little respect :P

I have a friend who loves opera but always complains how **** most English opera lyrics are--she said w2hat she loved about Passion was it gave her the buzz she gets from romantic opera, but with GOOD lyrics. Sondheim's genius with alyric doesn't always scan well without music, but some of the stuff--"A love that's like a knife, that cut into a life, I wanted left alone" etc I think would be proud to be in any poetry volume.

"Add me to the list of those who found NOTHING satisfying about PASSION, and that's the only Sondheim show I found tedious to endure. "

Even Bounce and Frogs?

[I do think that the best way to get into Passion is the OBCR DVD--more so than the CD.

[A Director]

Posted: 11/22/08 at 3:44am

I am a Sondheim fan and usually like his shows when I first read the original cast recording. When I first heard Passion, I wasn't sure about the show. I liked some of it, but even after playing the recording several times, I still had my doubts.

In November 1994, I saw the show on Broadway. The show made more sense live. I still remember Fosca's first entrance down the long staircase, the scene where she sings "I Wish I Could Forget You, the duel and the finale. I saw the show with a friend who had seen it before. She said she got more out of it the second time. At the time, I thought perhaps James Lapine should not have directed the show. I don't know why I had this reaction The major problem I had with the show is when does Giorgio fall in love with Fosca and why this happens. I read the script and couldn't find the answer. I seem to recall that when the show was done in London, Sondheim wrote a song for Giogrio to make it clear he has fallen in love. I've never heard the London cast recording, so I don't know if this is true.

Back in 1994, many people dismissed Jere Shea's performance. Seeing the show, I thought he was okay. However, when the video was shown on PBS, I thought he was very good. Someone who was not a Sondheim fan decided to watch the broadcast with me. I thought she would stay only a few minutes, but she stayed to the end and said she liked the show.

Of the three shows written with Lapine, Passion is the one that takes time to warm up to. The show isn't ironic and jaded. It isn't a melodrama; it very romantic. I think you have to be open and just go with the show. Let it wash over you. By the end, I find it moving and haunting. It is not a show for everyone. I agree that some Sondheim fans don't like the show. It is a five character show with many thankless roles.

I saw the Patti LuPone production when it was shown on PBS and hated it. Ms. LuPone was too old to play Fosca. Next to Michael Cerveris, she looked like his mother. She played the role like an Italian fishwife with tons of melodrama. There wasn't much scenery, but she chewed what little there was. Cerveris was okay. I run hot and cold when it comes to Audra McDonald. At times, she comes across as too studied. She was okay as Clara, but Marin Mazzie was better and wonderful in the
role.

As for The Frogs, the recording with Nathan Lane, Brian Stokes Mitchell and Davis Gaines is wonderful. The Nathan Lane version of the show is so-so with too much Lane.

[Amalia Balash]

Posted: 11/22/08 at 10:05am

I tend to buy all things Sondheim, so I bought the OBCR without having seen the show. It didn't work very well for me. But (again, the buying all things Sondheim thing) I bought a ticket for the Kennedy Center production with Michael Cerveris and seeing the show live definitely made a difference for me.

But come to think of it, I'm pretty sure RockabyeHamlet's drunk IM approach probably would have worked equally well.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/22/08 at 10:51am

I adore Passion and fell in love with it from the minute I heard the "Finale," but my advice is to really sit and listen to it. It does NOT work as background music. I am, however, an opera fan, so that might have helped. Passion is actually my favorite Sondheim show, and I find it less boring than, say, Pacific Overtures.

I actually very much disliked the Live from Lincoln Center production. Patti's Fosca annoyed me beyond all reason, and added with Audra McDonald's gorgeous and warm Clara, I could not see why Giorgio would leave Clara for Fosca. In fact, I have yet to find a Fosca I've liked after Donna Murphy.

[raulmark]

Posted: 11/23/08 at 5:10pm

thanks to everyone for their helpful comments!
I actually went on YouTube and re-watched the Charlie Rose interview with Stephen Sondheim and Lapine. I"m sure it will help. now I have to find some time to watch the DVD!

[pc1145N2]

Posted: 11/23/08 at 10:39pm

I saw the Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald version at Ravina but it wasn't until I saw Ana Gastyer and Kathy Vojko's version that I "got" it. It's now one of my top 3 favorite Sondheim shows.

[Trekkie2]

Posted: 11/23/08 at 10:42pm

I read this thread title as "Sondheim's Passing" and nearly had a heart attack.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 11/23/08 at 10:52pm

I loved the show from the start, but admit it is not an east show to crack. The more you listen (or watch) the more you get from it, like a bottomless well.

I always felt the cast album of PASSION was too incomplete. The CD could easily have held a condensed version of the full show but there are a number of gaps in the continuity...the album flows but doesn't always make sense (unless you read the synopsis.)


The London recording is much better content wise and Michael Ball is superior Giorgio but the London Fosca and Clara are not as good.

The show at Kennedy Center was astonishing. Judy Kuhn was a sensational Fosca and Michael Cerveris an unlikely but believable Giorgio. Rebecca Luker sang beautifully and looked sensational as Clara, but they did not do the nude scene. AT the performance I attended roughly half the audience was on their feet applauding madly while the other half sat there in stony silence. (The gentleman seated next to me on the aisle left during "I Wish I Could Forget You" and never returned.)

I found Patti LuPone a little to strong for the frail Fosca but Audra McDonald was a sensational Clara adding subtle nuances that brought so many layers to the role. It is for her performance alone that I enjoy watching this version over and over. With the Broadway cast DVD I prefer to listen to Sondheim, Lapine and company share their often-hilarious stories and comments on the alternate audio track.

[BroadwayBound062]

Posted: 11/23/08 at 11:44pm

Passion is one of my favorite Sondheim scores. 'Loving You" is amazing! I suggest also watching the movie its based on (I believe you can get it from Netflix)

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 12:39am

"I always felt the cast album of PASSION was too incomplete. The CD could easily have held a condensed version of the full show but there are a number of gaps in the continuity...the album flows but doesn't always make sense (unless you read the synopsis.)


The London recording is much better content wise and Michael Ball is superior Giorgio but the London Fosca and Clara are not as good. "

I find the London recording pretty disappointing--partly cuz of the live aspect I guess.

You're right that the OBC doesn't make a lot of sense narrative wise cuz of some cuts, but I think it's REALLY cleverly done myself, musically it flows really well and is a good encapsulation fo the show--if you know it plot wise already anyway.

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 4:19am

" That opening drum cadence followed by the almost discordant chords ..."

Almost discordant?

One odd thing is that even though the London cast has some material that's not on the OBCR and has a lot more dialogue, it's missing some music that's on the OBCR.

I rather prefer Friedman to Murphy, though I know most much prefer Murphy.

I think the best Clara I've seen was Rebecca Luker. She completely eschewed playing Clara as any sort of idealized woman. She was direct, down-to-earth, simple and still beautiful. You believed this woman ran a household and had daily responsibilities.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 4:46am

Some have argued though that Clara, at least till Giorgio becomes disillusioned with her, should be semi unrealistic. She mentions her family, how important they are but we don't get a major sense of this.

The UK recording does include the 'added' song for Giorgio that's also in the concert.
Updated On: 11/24/08 at 04:46 AM

[nobodyhome]

Posted: 11/24/08 at 5:36am

Yeah, that's the song which was cut early in previews of the original production. Some people think it's a mistake to include it but I think it's fine.

Yes, I know some people think that Clara should be played as idealized. I'm told that it's the way Lapine directed Mazzie to play it originally. But I gotta say I prefer it the other way.