Sondheim's Passion — Page 2

I abosulty HATE "I love Fosca." To me it's almost laughable. To me, it ruins " No One Has Ever Loved Me."

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I fell in love with it the first time I saw it and heard it. I think like every show, it is one that some will like and others won't. It you don't have a taste for unconventional musicals or understated scores, then you probably won't like it. And that is ok. Personally, it is probably my favorite Sondheim score. While I think the majority of his work is highly intelligent and clever, I think much of Passion is the most genuine raw emotion he has ever expressed in a musical. He did pretty well with others, but it felt more overworked and less organic before. To me, this score seems to take the jarring chords like a defibrillator bringing back a heart-attack victim from near death as we hear the renewed heartbeat ("I'm so happy I'm afraid I'll die here in your arms") give life to the story we know from the beginning will probably result in tragedy and death. It then sustains itself through a montage of memories and emotions until the heart is finally exhausted to the point where it can no longer repair itself and we hear its final beats ("Your love will live in me") until it reaches a calm silence. I have never stopped being fascinated with this show. I do agree with some critics that it does feel unfinished, however. I would much prefer he refine Passion than waste another minute on Gold Bounce: The Wiseguys Road Show.

PS - The first time I heard the additional "I love Fosca" material in the London score, it became my favorite moment in the entire score. I think it is glorious.

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frontrowcentre2 - I agree with your point about the scene undercutting Giorgio's scene with Fosca except the lyrics "not the way that she loves me", during which the scene sort of musically contradicts itself. I sort of wish the two could be switched and rewritten so that you have his quiet realization with the doctor and then the overwhelmingly emotional confession in the scene with Fosca, which would work beautifully with her reaction to his declaration of love. But I'm afraid it might be too melodramatically conventional for the rest of the show.

I'm sort of split 50/50 on the Broadway and London recordings. I do prefer Murphy's Fosca. She was at her peak and her performance is so understated and natural, contradictory to the film version. Friedman seems a bit too affected and forced, though probably the more accurate representation. Both Giorgios are flawless. And the richness of Mazzie's voice gives her Clara the edge. But I do wish the additional London material were on the Broadway recording.

While I have never been a fan of Follies, I hope my devotion to Passion can somewhat score a few Sondheim points.

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Roscoe - I think what balances out Fosca's creepy obsession is Giorgio's ultimately intriguing response fueled by his failed relationship with Clara. If the story were so lopsided as to focus too strongly on Giorgio or Fosca, I probably would not like it as much. But the book and score properly balance the love triangle so that it fascinates me to no end.

I recently saw the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre production starring Ana Gasteyer and it reminded me how vital a strong Clara is to the show. Gasteyer delivered a serviceable performance, but it was Kathy Voytko's Clara who ran away with the production.

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MIster Matt.....I thought Ana Gasteyer was excellent, but I was shocked to see how great she was as Clara. I had seen her as Grace O'Malley in The Pirate Queen and she was out of her league. However, as Clara she was amazing.

Someone mentioned the tiny Chicago production with Ana Gasteyer--here's the press release with clips

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wYnkJjXLRM

I do have Stephen Sondheim: A Casebook, but I don't know if I read that Passion essay.

the book I was talking about was Reading Stephen Sondheim, which is edited by Sandor Goodhart:
http://www.amazon.com/Reading-Stephen-Sondheim-Collection-Critical/dp/081533768X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1227977485&sr=8-1

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