Uh Oh... Arthur Laurents' OUT Magazine Interview — Page 2

Sondheim's comments from that article:

Sondheim held on until a few years ago, when yet another Laurents jab appeared in an article. Sondheim declined to “stir up any goblins” by discussing specifics but said, “It’s not that I don’t talk to him—we have a working relationship. But the friendship is kaput, and we once were really close. I was the last long-term friend of his to say ‘enough already.’ The best part of our relationship was wonderful. He was a joy to write with. It was only when rehearsals started that the trouble began, especially if another director was involved. And he was always a great foul-weather friend: comforting, smart, a good guidance counselor. When I had my first serious love affair and it broke up, I was destroyed, and Arthur was one of the two people who steered me through the shoals. It’s when you’re miserable that he’s at his best. If you’re happy or, especially, successful—watch out. Arthur is the master of the imagined slight. I had the temerity to question some of the things he did to Gypsy when it transferred from City Center to Broadway—oy, was that a mistake. The screaming hasn’t stopped since.”

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I also like that he creates the expression "foul-weather friend" out of the existing expression "fair-weather friend," which is someone who is there for you when the going is good but not when you need him.

Arthur is the opposite: what Sondheim calls a "foul-weather friend": He is there ONLY when he can be superior to your misery or anxiety or failure. He is never able to be happy for a friend's happiness or success.

Only Sondheim could say so much in a quick turn-of-phrase.

And, yes, "Oy."

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What exactly has Harvey been saying about Arthur?

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Three cheers to Ethel Merman!

She owns Rose and I would love to have been a fly on the wall for the number of times she told Arthur to go f**k himself when he would lose his temper.

I would rather see Patti Deutsch play Mamma Rose than LuPone. No one in London knows who she is except for 35 gay men.

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