Sondheim's best and worst act 1 closers

[Pippin]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:26pm

I was listening to "Merrily" today, and love the show, but I just think that act 1 closing with "Now you know" is pretty weak.

first off, with the unorthodox timeline of the show, the audience has no build up of a dramatic arc in the first act. they know how things end, but have no idea where they started. I think it leaves the audience underwhelmed IMO.

the Act 1 finale is supposed to get the audience excited as to what will happen next to the characters and to the story; to leave them hanging in suspense. given that definition, I say that Sweeney is his best Act 1 closer with "a little priest" being the masterpiece that it is, it does everything an Act 1 finale should do: thicken the plot, but not give too much away, leave the audience in suspense and wanting more.

I thought of "Ever after" from ITW as the best, but since all the problems get solved within the action of Act 1, it feels more like a strong ending more than an Act 1 finale. except for the "to be continued...." the audience could leave at that point satisfied at what they have seen becuase everything has been wrapped up.


so what do you think is his best, and worst Act 1 Finales?

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:26pm

Best: SUNDAY, INTO THE WOODS

Worst: BOUNCE

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:29pm

Best: Assassins

Worst: Company (when Mary Me A Little is Added)

[Aaron27]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:33pm

Um, Assassins is one act with no intermission..or at least supposed to be played in that manner.

I agree though, I think Company is the worst act 1 closer. Marry Me a LIttle would have been perfect...why add Bobby Baby

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:35pm

Best: Sunday in the Park With George.

Have to think about the worst though...

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:37pm

"Um, Assassins is one act with no intermission"

That's why it's the best. You're there, you see the show, you're out the door. No hanging around waiting to tie up loose ends.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:41pm

I completely agree about "Now You Know" being a fairly weak first act ending for Merrily We Roll Along.

Best: Sunday, A Little Priest

I quite like "Marry Me A Little" as the Act I closer for Company... it's certainly better than ending right after the scene that follows "Getting Married Today."

[Princeton78]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:41pm

Perhaps Company would end the 1st act better if after "Marry Me," they just did an instrumental "Bobby Baby." I like how it ends with the cast surrounding him with the cake and going to black out with him about to blow out the candles.

[sweetestsiren]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:46pm

That's true, Princeton. In Doyle's Company production they do the a short chorus of "Bobby Baby"s, the scene ends and then "Marry Me A Little" closes the act. I thought that worked well, and that's the only production I've seen that included that song.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:51pm

Best: A Little Night Music

Worst: Sunday in the Park With George - It is a GORGEOUS song and beautifully staged and it is a great finale....for a second act. There is nothing to compel you to return after the intermission, especially with such a weak second act that ends with the same number. Putting It Together is pretty much the only part of the second act I pay attention to.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:54pm

Mary Me A Little is a dull song. It slows down the close of the act and makes Act 1 so unbearably long, especially coming right after the frenetic "Not Getting Married".

Updated On: 5/18/06 at 12:54 PM

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:55pm

Best: Sunday in the Park with George & Sweeney (A tie for me!)

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 12:57pm

Munk - did you actually see BOUNCE? I thought by the end of Act One the show was finally on track (and most of ACt Two was brilliant, only to fall flat at the very end.) The angry reprise of "Bounce" was satisfactory as a climax of Act One.

DO I HEAR A WALTZ has a ratrher lame Act One close ("Take the Moment?") - nice tune but bland and not building much "what will happen" tension.

ANYONE CAN WHISTLE - the Act One Finale ("Simple") is fantastic but the Act II close (its in 3 acts) is a long ballet based on "Everybody Says Don't" showing the cookies being set free.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALOMG has a great song to conclude Act one :
Now you know
Life is crummy
Well now you know...
It's called flowers wilt
It's called apples rot
It's called theives get rich and saints get shot
It's called god don't answer prayers a lot
Ok Now you know!

But the original Broadway choreography was sloppy. The one cute idea with the dance arrangement was that it actually played the key tunes from Act One ... forward, segueing into "Old Friends", to "Franklin Shepard Inc" and finally "Rich and Happy" as they formed a conga line. Yes..a conga line!!!

After seeing it my friends were all making fun of it until I pointed out that the number was very much in the style that might have been seen in a Broadway musical circa 1966! You gotta think of these things.

[GYPSY1527]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 1:44pm

Best:
ITW
Sweeney
Sunday

Worst
Company(maybe...its hard to decide the worst of Sondheim for me)

Posted: 5/18/06 at 2:10pm

Best: A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC - "A Weekend in the Country" is genius. My favorite Sondheim song and one of the great first act finales of all time.

Worst: I don't have one.

[jv92]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 3:41pm

BEST: Sweeney Todd
(The best duet he's ever written)

WORST: Company- Updated Version
(I don't care for Marry Me a Little, however if you're talking about the original version with Getting Married Today in it, that's fine.)

[JBSinger]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 3:50pm

BEST:
A Weekend in the Country (ALNM) - incredible writing
Sunday (SITPWG)
A little Preist (ST)
Ever After (ITW)

Not Best:
Bring Me my Bride (A Funny..) - never crazy about this song

[little_sally]

Posted: 5/18/06 at 4:54pm

best: Sunday and Sweeney

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 5/19/06 at 6:18am

Night Music and Sweeney. I love the Act One of Sunday as well, but as someone else said, it completes the story in a way that initially makes the second act look a little bit like a tacked-on afterthought...

[tophertilson]

Posted: 5/19/06 at 6:42am

Eastwickian, I saw a fantastic production of SUNDAY in Chicago that solved that Act I/Act II problem brilliantly. Toward the end of the Act I finale, George left the stage and the actors continued their journeys to their poses. Once they reached the final tableau, Act II George, in modern dress, entered and sat down in front of the painting. Act II picked up with the same picture - Modern George watching the painting as the characters proceeded to sing "It's Hot Up Here." Without changing a word, it created a through line into the second act, even something of a cliffhanger, as we were all left wanting to find out who this fellow was and what his story in Act II would be. Brilliant!

TT

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 5/19/06 at 7:30am

I like that idea! Emotionally, I love Act 1 George running and taking the glasses off the girl before finally freezing the painting that meant so much to him (with Dot - 'there she is, there she is' etc), but I'd go for the more dramatically satisfying solution you present everytime. Very interesting...

[jasonf]

Posted: 5/19/06 at 7:58am

Best - Sweeney and Sunday
Worst - Bounce

To the person who said the only good thing in the second act of Sunday is Putting It Together -- Children and Art is quite possibly the deepest and most meaningful song Sondheim ever wrote. Not only that, but it's absolutely beautiful.

And I have to say, I LOVE It's Hot Up Here -- the idea of the song is just so clever - and funny.

I was listening to the new London recording yesterday, so it's all fresh in my mind now. Anyone else have a hard time listening to Sunday now without singing along "and cholestoral....and buns buns buns buns buns buns..."

Posted: 5/19/06 at 10:15am

JBSinger - I agree. "Bring Me My Bride" (FORUM) is not a good 1st Act finale. Updated On: 5/19/06 at 10:15 AM

Posted: 5/19/06 at 1:19pm

Yeah Jason, I too can't listen to it anymore without hearing "buns buns buns..."

[FoscasBohemianDream]

Posted: 5/19/06 at 1:25pm

Best:
1)"Sunday"-Sunday In The Park With George
2)"A Weekend In The Country"-A Little Night Music
3)"A Little Priest"-Sweeney Todd
Worst:
1)"Marry Me A Little"-Company
2)"Ever After"-Into the Woods