The All-Sondheim Thread- Page 6

[nystateomind04]

Posted: 8/30/04 at 11:41pm

I'll have to go out and get the revival cast recording then, but I'll keep looking for the OBCR. Thanks for the advice!

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 12:03am

I would also like to see Sunday in the Park with George. I think it's due for a revival, if they revived Into The Woods so quickly...

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:07am

And that revival of ITW was quite disastrous.

[CrowdMeWithLove]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:19am

I've heard so many people say that Into the Woods was terrible! What exactly was so bad about it? Most people have told me that it was bad, but couldn't really give me any reasons to back it up (which is one of the most annoying things on the planet, let me tell you)...so I've always been curious.

[amasis]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:22am

Well, for me, one of the lower points was Vanessa Williams as the witch. Sigh.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:25am

It was actually a pretty good production. But they tinkered tom uch with the show.

I loved the sets.

But Vanessa Williams sunk a show full of some extremely talented actors.

And I thought Stephen DeRosa was horrible.

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:25am

SITPWG may very well be my favorite Sondheim score, but I'm not sure we'll see it revived on Broadway for an open-ended run (short of getting two MAJOR names wanting to do it -- Audra and Hugh, perhaps?). The original run lost money despite a ceasless campaign on the part of Frank Rich of Times to keep it afloat (the man did a feature article on it almost every month it was open).

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:28am

You think Hugh could pull off George??

[amasis]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:30am

Margo - did you catch "Sunday..." at the Kennedy Center? As I understood, they updated the second act a bit, is that true?

[CrowdMeWithLove]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:36am

I think he actually could. I'm not sure if he has the vocals for it or not, but I think he'd definitely be able to work at it. Or they could take a different approach at it, using his unique voice? (Just babbling here, can't really explain what I mean by that one...sorry) Anyway, it'd be good too...since they'd need someone like him to pull in ticket sales. And if they have someone who's so great and is so well-liked by mainstream audiences...then it's possible that it will last long, despite the fact that you actually have to think about the show. And considering that most of the best, most thought-provoking shows have closed after much too short of runs...it would be a risky gamble for most producers finance it. Without Hugh, or someone of the like, the only hope of a revival would be Roundabout -- which is actually fairly plausible.

Oh, and you are talking about Hugh Jackman, right? If not, I feel incredibly idiotic and stupid and I'll go die...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:43am

I didn't see the Kennedy Center production of SITPWG, so I'm not sure what rewrites were done (I've heard that Sondheim has wanted to tinker with it further since the time of the original production).

I was just throwing out Hugh (yes, Jackman)'s name as an example of the kind of star power you'd probably need to get producers interested in a Broadway revival of the work. While I can't imagine he's going to be taking off another year from his movie career anytime soon, just for the sake of arguments, yeah, I think he could handle the role vocally (not sure how solid his falsetto is, but he could probably negotiate most of George's high-lying phrases well enough).

Updated On: 8/31/04 at 01:43 AM

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:56am

I am posting in defense of a legend in the hopes that people can understand the genius of Stephen Sondheim. To be a true musical theatre afficiando you cannot exclude a force so driving as Sondheim. I also hope that this post will not be deleted.

Stephen Sondheim writes with a silly notion in his head. This silly, strange and foreign notion never entered the brains of the geniuses of our time Andrew Lloyd Webber, Frank Wildhorn, Andrew Lippa or Steven Schwartz. What is this silly notion? The silly notion is that people should pay attention and listen to what the composer is saying. Take a song like "Your Fault" from Into the Woods. If you did what people do during This Is The Moment, you would be completely bewildered as to what was happening. But if you pay attention in the way that was intended, you understand the brilliance. Am I daring to suggest that people who don't like Sondheim are not as much of musical theatre fans than people who don't?

Well yes actually I am. If I told you the stove was cold when it was turned on hot would you still put your hand on it? Then why when people tell you that The Lion King is as much a Broadway show as Company even though they clearly aren't do you believe them? Oh my god! You mean to tell me that a show can actually engage you (Company, Merrily We Roll Along)? This is a revelation! A show can actually disturb you (Assassins). A show can actually move you (Into The Woods, A Little Night Music). Or a show can do all of those things (Sweeney Todd)? You mean that going to a Broadway show doesn't mean that I have to stay and just be "entertained" because it is "light hearted fun".

Stephen Sondheim through his incredible work dares to question traditional musical theatre. He searches for the darker, more intriguing and more complex side of the human mind. I have been listening to Sweeney Todd for years but I am still discovering subtle nuances and different influences from the instruments to the lyrics. I listen to Jekyll and Hyde, a mess that was processed put in a box and told me exactly what I needed to know in a score. Sondheim let's people fill in the blanks, doesn't necessarily fulfill what would be the perfect chord.

Stephen Sondheim also has the gift of insight into the human spirit. He can capture with musical notes so many different emotions and feelings. Look at "The Ballad of Guiteau" from Assassins. The insanity of Guiteau but also his inflated view of himself can be heard and the quickness of the Balladeer can also be experienced. His music relays not just a lush gorgeous melody but also the most subtle feelings of his characters.

Is Stephen Sondheim a genius? Yes. Should you feel ashamed if you don't "get him"? Yes. Should you bitch at me for this post? Sure, it'll probably get deleted anyways.

Yours in love,

Charles

[Matt_G]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 2:10am

My hands are raw from clapping so hard. Welcome back. =)

Updated On: 8/31/04 at 02:10 AM

[BT]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 2:29am

As for SITPWG at the Kennedy Center, I don't recall the tinkering, which means that if it was done, it was done well. I remember in Sondheim's opening interview for the series he said he would be on hand for each of the productions to help the directors out if they wished. The putting it together number was fantastic with large plasma screens lowering to the stage with George video carrying on his various conversations with patrons. It really made the number work like no other stage production i've seen.

To echo Charles' post, Sondheim does really give you something to think about. His scores are mainstays in my collection because they work on multiple levels. Some of his songs are great to listen to as little jewels of their own (Move On, Children Will Listen, Being Alive) but then when you have the time to listen to the whole score together they truly sparkle.

Let the "W" word bring new kids to Broadway, but once they are done with the basics, let us hope they start putting it together and take a look at some real art.

[amasis]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 2:48am

Thank you, BT, for the clarification on SITPWG. For some reason I thought I read that they changed the younger George's profession, too, from sculptor to something else. But that might be my memory playing tricks .

And thank you for that beautiful post, Sum. And welcome back. Updated On: 8/31/04 at 02:48 AM

[BT]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 2:52am

Amasis - George still did his "light sculptures" and the technology had improved significantly in the days since the OBC.

[redhotinnyc2]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 9:27am

Having been in the National Tour of Sunday in the Park, I can say that when I saw it at Kennedy Center, the way they handled the Chromolume in the second act was really wonderful, as compared with the way it was originally done (I love the original, but the way it was staged at Kennedy was really awesome and seemed to be much audience accessable). I do wish they'd revive it on Broadway, but I don't know if audiences would take to it any more today than they did in '83. When we did it on the road in the midwest, we lost about 20% of our audiences every night at intermission. Once I was in a hair salon for a haircut the day after a performance and the manicurist was telling her client that she'd seen it the night before and walked out because there were no "splashy showstopping dance numbers or great costumes" ...I wanted to slap the silly b**ch but decided against it.(we wore the original B'way costumes, by the way - which are STUNNING)

[amasis]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 10:29am

I took a bunch of my friends once to see the a local theatre production of SITPWG in Boston, and they had trouble getting into it. Granted, I think the cast wasn't very strong, but they were also critical of the score and just couldn't get into the story. Had I not been there, they probably would have walked out, but they knew it was one of my favorite musicals. I was definitely feeling some tension directed at me when we walked out of the theatre. Sigh.

Glad you didn't slap that manicurist, though, redhot. Updated On: 8/31/04 at 10:29 AM

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 11:01am

SUM! ookay, you have made my week. I loved that post, as I do all your posts.

I sooo agree with you, Sum. SONDHEIM is the best musical theatre writer in ALL HISTORY.
no question about it.

and Hugh would be the worst Georges in history.
I would kill him if he ever did it, which he won't because he can't do it.
:)
-d.b.j-

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 11:04am

An open ended run of a revival of SITPWG may not be financially feasible. I'm wondering if Roundabout could pull off such a production, given most of their productions are limited runs (which only run into trouble through multiple extensions a la Follies and Assassins)...

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 1:06pm

Roundabout could do SITPWG if it chose to. Because of its not-for-profit status, LORT contract, and huge subscriber base, they certainly could run it for a limited engagement, which is probably the best option for a revival for this particular show.

[Blonde]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 5:02pm

*bump*

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 5:19pm

Sum, I was having one helluva great day. And you just made it that much better.

[kissmycookie]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 5:30pm

Any truth to the rumour that Sondheim is working on music and lyrics to the movie "Groundhog Day" that he wants to turn into a musical?

And what is the future of Bounce? Will we get it here in NY in a full production, a la Assassins?

[NuggetMonkeys]

Posted: 8/31/04 at 5:49pm

OH MY GOD, I HOPE THAT RUMOR IS TRUE!
Groundhog Day is one of my favorite movies, and Sondheim is my favorite man ever, so...
WHEE!
it had better be true...
oooh, wishin' and hopin' and prayin'.
-d.b.j-