"Probably a third to a half of the posters here would put Sondheim over Rodgers."
You have GOT to be kidding. Truly, you have GOT to be kidding. Yes, I know that there are some brainwashed and/or brainwashing and/or hopeless and/or corrosive and/or corroded individuals here--- but surely nowhere near THAT many! If that sentence was the ravings of a madman, then I'm at least encouraged that the people who post on this board, who have so much knowledge and love of the Broadway musical (although not so much love for each other) have also a love and respect for Broadway's history. When an outsider stops by, he can't help but notice the love for Sondheim just in the number of topics devoted to him.
More specifically, check out this 10 Greatest Scores topic. Of the 50 or 60 who listed ten or about ten scores, I didn't do the tedious math, but I say fully half of them included two, three or four Sondheim scores.
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.php?thread=931254&dt=123 I can't help but think this that the above comment is a pretty pointed criticism against another person who is also a strong contender for a Tony this year. Not meant as a criticism of Kristin or Audra, but as an expression of gratitude for Kelli. Who am I to tell Kristin or Audra that they should be enduring eight shows a week on Broadway when they could take a break on the other coast, do work which they enjoyed and for which they were well-paid, and find time for a lot of concert appearances? (Having said that, did KC really think that GCB was a good project for her to be a part of? How many actresses could have played her role on GCB? How many actresses could play Lily Garland on Broadway?)
Also, isn't Anna always suppose to be the star of the show, and then it wasn't until many of the later revivals, that it made The King the star because it was Yul Brynner? From what I've read,
The King and I was specifically written for Gertrude Lawrence, who was a British star of Julie Andrews magnitude, although without Julie's voice. She became ill not long after the show started its run, was ill through most of the first year and a half, and died suddenly of undiagnosed liver cancer.
Yul Brynner, a smoker for most of his life, died of lung cancer in 1985 after 4,625 performances as the King of Siam. (He still found time for a major film career.) He recorded a public service announcement that was broadcast after his death, warning the public from beyond the grave of the consequences of smoking.
I heard an interview of him not long before his death when he described a conversation with Gertrude Lawrence after a show in New Haven where it was trying out. They went out together for coffee or something. The reaction of the audiences in New Haven had been disappointing. The two of them decided that, to save the show, they had to add the erotic element to their relationship, which had not been part of Hammerstein's intention.
Nice story, although its truth can probably never be verified.
