Stephen Sondheim on The Colbert Report- Page 2

[madbrian]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 5:47am

I am a big fan of both Stephens, and I thought the interview was terrific. Colbert was as starstruck as you'll ever see him, but he just doesn't break character. Doesn't do it for Obama, doesn't do it for Sondheim.

So, when can we expect Peters to start using Colbert's additional lyrics for Send In The Clowns?

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 8:14am

Funny people are saying they found it disrespectful, I actually found it quite the opposite. I watched it on TV (meaning I wasn't there for any pre Q and A)- I don't usually stay up late enough to watch Colbert, but have seen the show and knew what to expect. It was clear Colbert loves "Sunday" - his reference at the very end of the interview was subtle and clever - it seemed Sondheim really appreciated it.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:29am

Colbert managed to relate West Side Story to the immigration debate.

Wouldn't he make s great Tony host?

[jv92]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:43am

I found the whole thing rather awkward. Don't know why. It just was unsettling to see Sondheim on something other than Charlie Rose or GMA.

[Pippin]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 11:53am

Lord- you holier than thou types are just soooo ridiculous. You may treat Sondheim as your deity, but he is just a regular person like you and me. Even he has a sense of humour about himself, you should too. Colbert was a gracious, funny, and respectful host, and, as others have pointed out, you could tell that he has a lot of respect and admiration for him. I thought the Sunday quote was wonderful, it gave me chills, because it shows that Colbert really is an admirer, and is not just giving lip service or going through the motions.

You people might by highbrow snobs, but Colbert is not a highbrow show. It is on Comedy Central, for Christ's sake. What did you expect, Barbara Walters?

get a clue and lighten up, people.

Updated On: 12/15/10 at 11:53 AM

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 12:05pm

Not only was it a fun interview with Sondheim playing his role perfectly opposite Colbert, I was actually profoundly moved by the very last moments where Colbert quoted SUNDAY.

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 12:36pm

I just watched in online and enjoyed it. Nice to see Sondheim a bit more loose. The "I haven't talked to Aunt Claudette.." line was too funny.

[musikman]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 1:30pm

Did any of the naysayers on here watch until the end? Colbert absolutely broke character and showed his true admiration and respect for Sondheim. When compared with other "interviews" he does on his show, this was FAR more tame, respectful, and tongue-in-cheek.

I thought it was great, and Sondheim clearly seemed to be enjoying himself a great deal.

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:13pm

I don't get why anyone would expect the interview not to be humorous. It was on Comedy Central. Colbert wasn't going to bow and scrape, and I suspect Sondheim probably welcomed that attitude. Even still, the admiration was clear.

I was SO impressed with Colbert's quoting Sunday at the end -- maybe 2% of the audience had any idea what that was, but Sondheim was CLEARLY impressed and moved by it.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:15pm

Was I the only one who assumed that Sondheim wanted to do an interview because he was a fan of Colbert's? He doesn't really do TV interviews that frequently, does he?

[uncageg]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:27pm

I got the feeling that Sondheim is a Colbert fan while watching.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 2:55pm

You people are crazy. Sondheim was clearly offended with the lack of respect shown him.

[Plum]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:04pm

I thought it was hilarious. If anything, though, it was the fawning at the beginning of the interview that made me feel awkward. People call that disrespectful? Yikes.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 3:57pm

uncageg--I completely agree.

The real Stephen Sondheim probably appreciates with great delight the way that the real Stephen Colbert mind-f*cks his audience by inhabiting the arch-conservative character named Stephen Colbert.

And I think Sondheim would HOWL at the clueless posters in this thread who don't "get" that when Colbert says West Side Story is glorifying illegal immigrants, he is not putting down West Side Story; he is putting down conservatives.

I'm sure Sondheim agreed to the interview because the game-player in him wanted to see if he could score some interview points while Colbert did his shtick.

And I think both Steves did very well.

Updated On: 12/15/10 at 03:57 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 4:01pm

"Frankly, I found Colbert annoying and not particularly respectful. Sondheim handled the "interview" well but I think he deserves better than to be treated as essentially Colbert's straight man. Just not to my taste at all."

Nearly all of Colbert's guests are his straight man. Why should Colbert have become a somber talking head and ask deep, artistic questions? He was extremely respectful and starstruck, as others have said. Sondheim was clearly enjoying himself, as well. Colbert's quoting of Sunday at the end was marvelous- it's not like it's an oft-quoted line from that show, either.

And Colbert's alternate lyrics to Send in the Clowns were hysterical.

It was nice seeing Sondheim treated like a person and not Moses descending from the mountain.

[Lynnespock2]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 7:50pm

Colbert was almost gushing at times and I have never seen him be SO respectful while still being funny. I have heard Colbert do Finishing the Hat during an interview with a Broadway performer, but cannot remember who it was. Get over it people, he is a comic!!

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 8:41pm

I also somehow didn't know that the sequel to the book is going to be "Look I Made A Hat." Or if I knew it, I forgot. Great title!

[Edna Turnblad]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 9:01pm

As COMPANY would say, "I think he meant that simi-humorously."

[ghostlight2]

Posted: 12/15/10 at 9:57pm

"I have heard Colbert do Finishing the Hat during an interview with a Broadway performer, but cannot remember who it was."

Not a performer, Lynnespock - a writer who bar tended in Broadway theaters and whose college degree was in musical theater. It was Aaron Sorkin, who wrote A Few Good Men and The West Wing, amongst others. Colbert does sing a bit of Finishing the Hat.

I thought the Sondheim interview was great, and it looked as though they both had fun with it.
Colbert/Sorkin interview. Colbert sings 5 minutes in.

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 12/16/10 at 7:43pm

To those looking for the link:

http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/tue-december-14-2010-stephen-sondheim

I really enjoyed it. Yes, Colbert performs a bit too much, but you can really tell he's a huge Sondheim fan (and you can tell he's had vocal training, too). The fact that he was willing to make obscure references, particularly at the end to Sunday in the Park with George ("You and me, bud, we're the loonies") shows how he cared more about having a moment with a man he admires than making a funny joke that more than 0.1% of the viewers would get.

Heck, Sunday is my favorite show of all time, and it took me a few seconds to place the reference.