at the world you've left / and the things you know
November 26, 2021 2:11 PM Subscribe
I've been following hippybear's Sondheim retrospective posts with pleasure. Highly recommend going back through them to rediscover his work.
posted by fight or flight at 2:16 PM on November 26, 2021 [79 favorites]
posted by fight or flight at 2:16 PM on November 26, 2021 [79 favorites]
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posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 2:17 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 2:17 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by parmanparman at 2:23 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by parmanparman at 2:23 PM on November 26, 2021
nthing hippybear's marvelous walk through Sondheim's life & work
this needs to be a celebration, not a dirge
posted by chavenet at 2:28 PM on November 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
this needs to be a celebration, not a dirge
posted by chavenet at 2:28 PM on November 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
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posted by Going To Maine at 2:32 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by Going To Maine at 2:32 PM on November 26, 2021
this needs to be a celebration, not a dirge
Quite. Perhaps we can share our favourite songs or musicals of his?
I'll be spending the evening watching the 1987 original Broadway cast recording of Into The Woods.
posted by fight or flight at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [14 favorites]
Quite. Perhaps we can share our favourite songs or musicals of his?
I'll be spending the evening watching the 1987 original Broadway cast recording of Into The Woods.
posted by fight or flight at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [14 favorites]
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Happy that he was recognized as a master of his craft when he was alive, and that he left us the legacy of his work.
If sharing favorites, here's the "Girl from Ipanema" parody that Sondheim wrote for a short-lived Mad Magazine-themed revue musical in 1966, The Boy From..., originated by Linda Lavin.
Here she is singing it at Sondheim's 90th birthday celebration over Zoom last year.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
Happy that he was recognized as a master of his craft when he was alive, and that he left us the legacy of his work.
If sharing favorites, here's the "Girl from Ipanema" parody that Sondheim wrote for a short-lived Mad Magazine-themed revue musical in 1966, The Boy From..., originated by Linda Lavin.
Here she is singing it at Sondheim's 90th birthday celebration over Zoom last year.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [13 favorites]
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I figured something was up with all the Sondheim posts here. My wife (especially) and I mourn
posted by JoeXIII007 at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021
I figured something was up with all the Sondheim posts here. My wife (especially) and I mourn
posted by JoeXIII007 at 2:34 PM on November 26, 2021
If anyone could have written about Being Alive, it was he. Godspeed, sir.
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:35 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 2:35 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Wishes come true, not free.
Thank you, Mr. Sondheim, for all your work.
posted by epj at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Thank you, Mr. Sondheim, for all your work.
posted by epj at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
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I recommend the underrated "A Bowler Hat" from Pacific Overtures.
posted by wittgenstein at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021
I recommend the underrated "A Bowler Hat" from Pacific Overtures.
posted by wittgenstein at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by Silvery Fish at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by Silvery Fish at 2:37 PM on November 26, 2021
A few days ago Lin-Manuel Miranda talked about a touching interaction with Sondheim on Seth Meyers. Here's the clip. Possibly Sondheim's final acting credit.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 2:39 PM on November 26, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 2:39 PM on November 26, 2021 [10 favorites]
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(and *hugs* to an old college roommate, wherever she is, who was a huge fan of his work [she especially loved Sweeney Todd])
posted by May Kasahara at 2:45 PM on November 26, 2021
(and *hugs* to an old college roommate, wherever she is, who was a huge fan of his work [she especially loved Sweeney Todd])
posted by May Kasahara at 2:45 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:52 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:52 PM on November 26, 2021
I just shouted "Oh no!" when I saw, and came right over here. I knew he was 91, but I'm still gutted by the news.
His was a long, brilliant, creative, successful life and career, and all of the overused superlatives like "genius" do in fact apply to the man.
However many dots it took Seurat to paint that painting, that is how many dots I would leave for Mr. Sondheim. Bravo, sir. Your hats have been worn by countless people, and as long as humanity survives, they will be worn by more.
posted by tzikeh at 2:52 PM on November 26, 2021 [30 favorites]
His was a long, brilliant, creative, successful life and career, and all of the overused superlatives like "genius" do in fact apply to the man.
However many dots it took Seurat to paint that painting, that is how many dots I would leave for Mr. Sondheim. Bravo, sir. Your hats have been worn by countless people, and as long as humanity survives, they will be worn by more.
posted by tzikeh at 2:52 PM on November 26, 2021 [30 favorites]
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posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:56 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 2:56 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by PhineasGage at 2:57 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by PhineasGage at 2:57 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 2:57 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 2:57 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by njohnson23 at 3:04 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by njohnson23 at 3:04 PM on November 26, 2021
With her mitts
on a Schlitz
down in Fitz-
roy's bar,
she thinks of the Ritz -- oh!
It's so
schizo!
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
on a Schlitz
down in Fitz-
roy's bar,
she thinks of the Ritz -- oh!
It's so
schizo!
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
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posted by HandfulOfDust at 3:14 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by HandfulOfDust at 3:14 PM on November 26, 2021
This is hitting me hard. Sondheim wrote the score to my life.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:19 PM on November 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 3:19 PM on November 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
Wow. This morning I woke up from a dream that featured "Comedy Tonight" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
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posted by jquinby at 3:22 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by jquinby at 3:22 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
tzikeh, that's a really lovely way to put it. All the dots from me as well.
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:22 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 3:22 PM on November 26, 2021
The Pennebaker doc Original Cast Album: “Company” was recently released by Criterion and it's so good! I love Being Alive.
posted by oulipian at 3:26 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by oulipian at 3:26 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
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posted by hydropsyche at 3:28 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by hydropsyche at 3:28 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by nightcoast at 3:38 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by nightcoast at 3:38 PM on November 26, 2021
This, from a birthday concert, is amazing.
posted by Mavri at 3:44 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Mavri at 3:44 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Stephen Sondheim was one of the biggest lights in American theatre. Others will speak to his enormous talent and legacy, but I can talk a little about his huge influence on me; he's a major reason why I went into theatre in the first place.
When I was a child, my friends and I used to put on the record of West Side Story and dance; as a teenager, I devoured every album and production I could, performing his songs at every opportunity. I wanted to be a lyricist as sharp and witty as he. I imagine I have seen almost every show he wrote at least once, from tiny campus stages to movie theatres to the Shaw Festival to Broadway, adapted every which way. Some of my favourite memories involve belting Sondheim with my best friends, laughing, yearning, crying; singing "Our Time" as we graduated high school.
I remember seeing Road Show in previews at The Public in 2008. I was a couple of rows behind the creator of my favourite TV show of all time, and we shared a goofy smile because we were both so excited to be there and to be seeing something in development from our shared hero. It was a great equalizer - we were both in awe.
I was very lucky to get to meet Sondheim briefly when he came to Columbia as part of my musical theatre course. He was acerbic and hilarious and wise and deeply, deeply human. It meant everything to me and I barely remember any of it, because, again, I was so excited to be there.
In 2009-2010, I worked for actress Phyllis Newman, wife of musical theatre legend Adolph Green and a legend in her own right, as an archivist. It was then that Sondheim became truly real for me as a person. He was a dear friend of her family, and I got to see a lot of correspondence between them. I helped her find material on a post she wrote for Playbill about their history together. Now they're both gone.
My favourite things he sent were tiny notes and letters, thank-yous and critiques. He sent one, noting that his name had been misspelled in a previous correspondence, to "Fillis and Adolf." He sent a birthday card with Snoopy on his doghouse. The original message: "Happy Birthday!", was crossed out. In his neat block lettering underneath, he had substituted "FUCK OFF!" "Happy Fucking New Year," he wrote in another. It was a word he appeared to like a great deal. I have a whole file of my favourite quips in my apartment; I noted them down rabidly, hungry for anything from my idol.
When James Lapine was doing Sondheim on Sondheim, he needed images, so I corresponded with him a couple of times via email, selecting and sending him pictures from Phyllis' treasure trove. I was a glorified admin assistant at best, really, but for a brief moment I was "working" with James Lapine, book writer for Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George, on a musical about Sondheim. It took my breath away.
Just this week on Metafilter, one of hippybear's great posts about Sondheim accidentally referred to him in the past tense; it nearly gave me a heart attack, so I swiftly jumped in to protest, "not yet!" I followed that up by watching the recording of the OBC of Into the Woods with a friend online, realizing that I still knew all the words from my high school days.
Now the past tense is real. This is a tough one. Ninety-one is a good run, but I was hoping it'd be a while longer. Farewell to a genius; or, perhaps, I should say, to a fucking genius.
posted by ilana at 3:44 PM on November 26, 2021 [56 favorites]
When I was a child, my friends and I used to put on the record of West Side Story and dance; as a teenager, I devoured every album and production I could, performing his songs at every opportunity. I wanted to be a lyricist as sharp and witty as he. I imagine I have seen almost every show he wrote at least once, from tiny campus stages to movie theatres to the Shaw Festival to Broadway, adapted every which way. Some of my favourite memories involve belting Sondheim with my best friends, laughing, yearning, crying; singing "Our Time" as we graduated high school.
I remember seeing Road Show in previews at The Public in 2008. I was a couple of rows behind the creator of my favourite TV show of all time, and we shared a goofy smile because we were both so excited to be there and to be seeing something in development from our shared hero. It was a great equalizer - we were both in awe.
I was very lucky to get to meet Sondheim briefly when he came to Columbia as part of my musical theatre course. He was acerbic and hilarious and wise and deeply, deeply human. It meant everything to me and I barely remember any of it, because, again, I was so excited to be there.
In 2009-2010, I worked for actress Phyllis Newman, wife of musical theatre legend Adolph Green and a legend in her own right, as an archivist. It was then that Sondheim became truly real for me as a person. He was a dear friend of her family, and I got to see a lot of correspondence between them. I helped her find material on a post she wrote for Playbill about their history together. Now they're both gone.
My favourite things he sent were tiny notes and letters, thank-yous and critiques. He sent one, noting that his name had been misspelled in a previous correspondence, to "Fillis and Adolf." He sent a birthday card with Snoopy on his doghouse. The original message: "Happy Birthday!", was crossed out. In his neat block lettering underneath, he had substituted "FUCK OFF!" "Happy Fucking New Year," he wrote in another. It was a word he appeared to like a great deal. I have a whole file of my favourite quips in my apartment; I noted them down rabidly, hungry for anything from my idol.
When James Lapine was doing Sondheim on Sondheim, he needed images, so I corresponded with him a couple of times via email, selecting and sending him pictures from Phyllis' treasure trove. I was a glorified admin assistant at best, really, but for a brief moment I was "working" with James Lapine, book writer for Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George, on a musical about Sondheim. It took my breath away.
Just this week on Metafilter, one of hippybear's great posts about Sondheim accidentally referred to him in the past tense; it nearly gave me a heart attack, so I swiftly jumped in to protest, "not yet!" I followed that up by watching the recording of the OBC of Into the Woods with a friend online, realizing that I still knew all the words from my high school days.
Now the past tense is real. This is a tough one. Ninety-one is a good run, but I was hoping it'd be a while longer. Farewell to a genius; or, perhaps, I should say, to a fucking genius.
posted by ilana at 3:44 PM on November 26, 2021 [56 favorites]
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I had the great pleasure to direct a Sondheim show once, albeit only at a school level. I've listened to or watched many more of them, but not all. Someday.
posted by one for the books at 3:47 PM on November 26, 2021
I had the great pleasure to direct a Sondheim show once, albeit only at a school level. I've listened to or watched many more of them, but not all. Someday.
posted by one for the books at 3:47 PM on November 26, 2021
My second thought - after how in world do I tell my very old dad, who played Sondheim records while cooking dinner when I was growing up - was: how is hippybear?
Perhaps we can share our favourite songs or musicals of his?
Oh my. First favorite: The Miller's Son, from A Little Night Music.
posted by goofyfoot at 3:51 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Perhaps we can share our favourite songs or musicals of his?
Oh my. First favorite: The Miller's Son, from A Little Night Music.
posted by goofyfoot at 3:51 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
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posted by skye.dancer at 3:52 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by skye.dancer at 3:52 PM on November 26, 2021
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Mrs. Example and I saw the Michael Ball/Imelda Staunton Sweeney Todd in London for our anniversary, and it was one of the greatest nights out we've ever had. (The complete lack of legroom in the Adelphi Theatre notwithstanding.)
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:53 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Mrs. Example and I saw the Michael Ball/Imelda Staunton Sweeney Todd in London for our anniversary, and it was one of the greatest nights out we've ever had. (The complete lack of legroom in the Adelphi Theatre notwithstanding.)
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 3:53 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
and just to add to the celebration ... a really great and intimate elaine stritch performance of ladies who lunch. so much gratitude to this person who gave musical voice to such a range of human emotion, not just the easy or superficially beautiful ones - toxic love, vacillation and uncertainty, the responsibility of storytelling, deep and utter panic, sweet nostalgia... i wonder how many people felt less alone for having his songs to turn to.
posted by nightcoast at 3:54 PM on November 26, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by nightcoast at 3:54 PM on November 26, 2021 [9 favorites]
"If you doubt it, take a bite."
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:57 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 3:57 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Look, he made a hat
Where there never was a hat
.
posted by dannyboybell at 3:57 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Where there never was a hat
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posted by dannyboybell at 3:57 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
This feels inadequate.
posted by chasles at 3:58 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by chasles at 3:58 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
My favorite is Sweeney Todd, and I was lucky to play Mrs. Lovett. Assistant-directed a production of Merrily We Roll Along in the mid-80s, when it was not exactly a popular piece. Nearly got The Witch and nearly got Fosca (lost both roles to the same woman, two years apart).
He was the Shakespeare of musical theater. Sui generis. I never met him or spoke with him and he had no idea I live at all, but I am mourning as if he were family.
I expect they will edit in a dedication card in at the end of Speilberg's West Side Story before its premiere in two weeks.
posted by tzikeh at 3:59 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
He was the Shakespeare of musical theater. Sui generis. I never met him or spoke with him and he had no idea I live at all, but I am mourning as if he were family.
I expect they will edit in a dedication card in at the end of Speilberg's West Side Story before its premiere in two weeks.
posted by tzikeh at 3:59 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
Assassins is brilliant, and hippybear's post on it has tons to dig into. PSA: if you're not a fan of the Broadway musical per se, Assassins is the kind of musical that might change your outlook a bit.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [6 favorites]
This one hurts. The NYT article said he got to see the new revivals of both Company and Assassins, and I am glad of that.
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posted by mersen at 4:08 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
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posted by mersen at 4:08 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Second favorite: Company! Aside from the original company, the Raul Esparza as Bobby version.
Third: Donna Murphy singing Could I leave you? at Sondheim's 80th bday concert.
posted by goofyfoot at 4:09 PM on November 26, 2021
Third: Donna Murphy singing Could I leave you? at Sondheim's 80th bday concert.
posted by goofyfoot at 4:09 PM on November 26, 2021
I saw the news alert and my first thought was for hippybear.
posted by nickmark at 4:11 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by nickmark at 4:11 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
The first Sondheim I was aware of as being by him (I knew Send In the Clowns and Comedy Tonight from their cultural ubiquity) was the cast album of the revue Side By Side By Sondheim, a compilation of his greatest hits up to Pacific Overtures. I moved on to a lot of the original cast recordings of the shows they came from. I think my favourite as an album was Pacific Overtures, and then Company - just great albums of great songs. And then Sweeney Todd came out and it was enormous. Probably the first songwriter I paid attention to as a songwriter. Whenever there's a production of one of his shows, I try to make sure I go, sometimes more than once.
posted by Grangousier at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Grangousier at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Another long, exhausting day
Another thousand dollars
A matinee, a Pinter play
Perhaps a piece of Mahler's
nightcoast, thanks for that wonderful clip of Stritch doing "Ladies Who Lunch." The first time I heard the song was back in the 90s when I was in San Francisco for the first time. Of course I hit up all the queer spots I could find and stumbled high into a bar where I watched a drag queen totally nail "Ladies Who Lunch," brilliantly capturing the world-weariness and too-fucking-tired-to-even-be-cynical-anymore vibe. I was in heaven, and later absolutely had to find out where that song came from.
Another chance to disapprove
Another brilliant zinger
Another reason not to move
Another vodka stinger
Yeah, I'll drink to that.
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The Pennebaker doc Original Cast Album: “Company” was recently released by Criterion and it's so good!
It's also currently streaming right now on the Criterion Channel.
posted by mediareport at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
Another thousand dollars
A matinee, a Pinter play
Perhaps a piece of Mahler's
nightcoast, thanks for that wonderful clip of Stritch doing "Ladies Who Lunch." The first time I heard the song was back in the 90s when I was in San Francisco for the first time. Of course I hit up all the queer spots I could find and stumbled high into a bar where I watched a drag queen totally nail "Ladies Who Lunch," brilliantly capturing the world-weariness and too-fucking-tired-to-even-be-cynical-anymore vibe. I was in heaven, and later absolutely had to find out where that song came from.
Another chance to disapprove
Another brilliant zinger
Another reason not to move
Another vodka stinger
Yeah, I'll drink to that.
.
The Pennebaker doc Original Cast Album: “Company” was recently released by Criterion and it's so good!
It's also currently streaming right now on the Criterion Channel.
posted by mediareport at 4:14 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
mersen: The NYT article said he got to see the new revivals of both Company and Assassins
Here he is just ten days ago, receiving an ovation as he arrives for the first preview of the current Broadway production of Company.
And here he is receiving an ovation after the curtain call.
Whenever I see a cast acknowledge the creative mind behind the piece I can't help but think of the finale to Sunday, when all of the people in the painting bow to George. This one in particular, of course.
Entrance and exit.
posted by tzikeh at 4:18 PM on November 26, 2021 [8 favorites]
Here he is just ten days ago, receiving an ovation as he arrives for the first preview of the current Broadway production of Company.
And here he is receiving an ovation after the curtain call.
Whenever I see a cast acknowledge the creative mind behind the piece I can't help but think of the finale to Sunday, when all of the people in the painting bow to George. This one in particular, of course.
Entrance and exit.
posted by tzikeh at 4:18 PM on November 26, 2021 [8 favorites]
I haven't cried this hard admit an artist's death since Alan Rickman. Into The Woods showed me how much I wanted to be an actor. I never performed his works, but I hear Children Will Listen in my heart every time I start to shout at my kids.
posted by gwydapllew at 4:18 PM on November 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
posted by gwydapllew at 4:18 PM on November 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
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posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 4:22 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by ivanthenotsoterrible at 4:22 PM on November 26, 2021
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This is just so difficult.
I am grateful to have been alive during his heyday.
posted by blurker at 4:27 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
This is just so difficult.
I am grateful to have been alive during his heyday.
posted by blurker at 4:27 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
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The news came in just as my spouse was - literally - in the middle of singing “Anyone Can Whistle” for a recorded recital project, with her mother accompanying. The NYT obituary actually has that song’s lyrics in it, so I ended up reading along with her words as she sang, which was a shocking and eerie feeling! After the song I broke the news and we commiserated; tears were shed all around. Sondheim’s music - and lyrics - have meant so much to our family over three generations.
This week we’re going to our first theater shows since the pandemic, including Company - it will be quite bittersweet that our first post-vaccination visit to Broadway will be in the wake of his passing.
posted by purple_frogs at 4:27 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
The news came in just as my spouse was - literally - in the middle of singing “Anyone Can Whistle” for a recorded recital project, with her mother accompanying. The NYT obituary actually has that song’s lyrics in it, so I ended up reading along with her words as she sang, which was a shocking and eerie feeling! After the song I broke the news and we commiserated; tears were shed all around. Sondheim’s music - and lyrics - have meant so much to our family over three generations.
This week we’re going to our first theater shows since the pandemic, including Company - it will be quite bittersweet that our first post-vaccination visit to Broadway will be in the wake of his passing.
posted by purple_frogs at 4:27 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Such a career, and he extended the boundaries of the art form. One of the giants whose shoulders all of newer musical theater stands upon.
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posted by rmd1023 at 4:29 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by rmd1023 at 4:29 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
A woman whose hand I was lucky to hold for way too short a time took me to see West Side Story a few years ago, I was astounded to find myself crying, I'd gotten totally caught in it, caught by it.
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posted by dancestoblue at 4:46 PM on November 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
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posted by dancestoblue at 4:46 PM on November 26, 2021 [3 favorites]
I still cry at the end of West Side Story, the movie. As Rita Moreno said, Natalie Wood was no Puerto Rican but she nailed the finish.
Spielberg has a new West Side Story coming out this Christmas. That is the gutsiest thing he has ever attempted.
I listened to "We Do Not Belong Together" from Sunday in the Park with George, over and over after a break-up. It helped heal me.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:54 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Spielberg has a new West Side Story coming out this Christmas. That is the gutsiest thing he has ever attempted.
I listened to "We Do Not Belong Together" from Sunday in the Park with George, over and over after a break-up. It helped heal me.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 4:54 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
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posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 5:09 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by Rufous-headed Towhee heehee at 5:09 PM on November 26, 2021
Sunday.
From Sondheim's 80th birthday concert.
posted by goofyfoot at 5:12 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
From Sondheim's 80th birthday concert.
posted by goofyfoot at 5:12 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
I haven't participated in theater in any form except audience member in a while, but the first show I ever teched was a high school production of Into the Woods. The girl playing the Baker's Wife tripped and fell, breaking the glass lantern prop, and scattering broken glass all throughout the leaves we had scattered all over the stage to set the scene. We spent the intermission sweeping and mopping to make sure no one would cut themselves. That show taught me how much fun being on the tech side could be (I'd been in a few plays during middle school). And just how clever a musical could be.
My favorite of his works is Assassins. My spouse's is Sunday in the Park with George. I got her the complete Hatbox set (think the annotate Hamilton, except for most of his plays) for her birthday a couple of years ago.
There isn't another like him and there probably won't be again.
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posted by Hactar at 6:04 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
My favorite of his works is Assassins. My spouse's is Sunday in the Park with George. I got her the complete Hatbox set (think the annotate Hamilton, except for most of his plays) for her birthday a couple of years ago.
There isn't another like him and there probably won't be again.
.
posted by Hactar at 6:04 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
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posted by How the runs scored at 6:06 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by How the runs scored at 6:06 PM on November 26, 2021
I directed a production of Sweeney Todd once, years ago. He was a remarkable artist. I think Finishing the Hat is my favorite song, but there are just so many. He will be missed. I'm definitely a fan.
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posted by MythMaker at 6:10 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by MythMaker at 6:10 PM on November 26, 2021
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posted by Navelgazer at 6:21 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by Navelgazer at 6:21 PM on November 26, 2021
Lin-Manuel Miranda's online eulogy for Sondheim is lovely.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:28 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:28 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
My first professional job as an actor was a production Side by Side by Sondheim. I had fallen for him at 12 with Into the Woods, and in high school played my bootleg VHS copy of the Great Performances Sondheim Celebration at Carnegie Hall until it wore out, and then, at 20, I had the man’s actual work as my job. I was smart enough to be terrified, but young enough to think I had something to give. Instead, he gave me everything. My career. My taste. My sense of what I might be capable of if I am brave enough to try.
I am so grateful. What a giant. What a beautiful person. I loved him.
posted by minervous at 7:00 PM on November 26, 2021 [9 favorites]
I am so grateful. What a giant. What a beautiful person. I loved him.
posted by minervous at 7:00 PM on November 26, 2021 [9 favorites]
Oh, and I can’t say it’s my favorite because that’s Sophie’s fucking choice, but here’s one from that Carnegie Hall concert that has always cracked me right up. The direction is very Susan Stroman, very of its moment, but god knows Sondheim had a gleefully, seriously silly streak in him, and a deep love of genre songs, so:
Sooner or Later with Karen Ziemba and Bill Irwin
posted by minervous at 7:11 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Sooner or Later with Karen Ziemba and Bill Irwin
posted by minervous at 7:11 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Sooner or Later with Karen Ziemba and Bill Irwin
Oh THANK YOU for reminding me that this exists.
posted by tzikeh at 7:21 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Oh THANK YOU for reminding me that this exists.
posted by tzikeh at 7:21 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:02 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by mstokes650 at 8:02 PM on November 26, 2021
.
posted by profreader at 8:04 PM on November 26, 2021
posted by profreader at 8:04 PM on November 26, 2021
.
It's hard to believe that the man who wrote "There's a Place for Us" was still around until just now, and that he was the same one who wrote Assassins. Absolutely unparalleled range.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
It's hard to believe that the man who wrote "There's a Place for Us" was still around until just now, and that he was the same one who wrote Assassins. Absolutely unparalleled range.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:05 PM on November 26, 2021 [5 favorites]
From now on, he can only sing "I'm Still Here" ironically.
.
posted by zaixfeep at 8:29 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by zaixfeep at 8:29 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'll drink to that.
And one for Sondheim.
.
posted by merriment at 8:47 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
And one for Sondheim.
.
posted by merriment at 8:47 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
It’s hard to put into words what Sondheim has meant in my life. I’ve been bracing for this day for some time. An incredible life and work. It’s a very sad day.
.
posted by Lutoslawski at 8:51 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
.
posted by Lutoslawski at 8:51 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Sooner or Later yt with Karen Ziemba and Bill Irwin
posted by minervous at 7:11 PM on November 26
I had no idea this was by him, but it is a song that I've had stuck in my head as an earworm for the past three or four months. I thought it was finally gone, but now I'm guessing it will make a return appearance. Thanks, I guess, for sharing the link.
posted by sardonyx at 9:08 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by minervous at 7:11 PM on November 26
I had no idea this was by him, but it is a song that I've had stuck in my head as an earworm for the past three or four months. I thought it was finally gone, but now I'm guessing it will make a return appearance. Thanks, I guess, for sharing the link.
posted by sardonyx at 9:08 PM on November 26, 2021 [1 favorite]
Can't think of a composer/lyricist, solo or duo, whose work I've seen more often, listened to more often. Briefly met him once. Just a giant. Weird to meet a giant. I've seen quotes from "Giants in the Sky" today. I had one in front of me.
For all the shows and all the revues and all the songs. Thank you.
.
posted by the sobsister at 9:24 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
For all the shows and all the revues and all the songs. Thank you.
.
posted by the sobsister at 9:24 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
, and then, at 20, I had the man’s actual work as my job. I was smart enough to be terrified, but young enough to think I had something to give. Instead, he gave me everything. My career. My taste. My sense of what I might be capable of if I am brave enough to try.
I am so grateful. What a giant. What a beautiful person. I loved him.
posted by minervous at 9:00 PM on November 26
This is a beautiful tribute. I'm truly glad you got these gifts. I'm betting Sondheim would be glad also.
posted by dancestoblue at 9:32 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
I am so grateful. What a giant. What a beautiful person. I loved him.
posted by minervous at 9:00 PM on November 26
This is a beautiful tribute. I'm truly glad you got these gifts. I'm betting Sondheim would be glad also.
posted by dancestoblue at 9:32 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
Okay. So wait. Stephen Sondheim adapted H. P. Lovecraft's story The Rats In The Walls for radio? With Lovecraft's permission?
What a life.
posted by MrVisible at 9:39 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
What a life.
posted by MrVisible at 9:39 PM on November 26, 2021 [4 favorites]
Shocking loss, and remarkable contribution to theatre and culture. Sad day.
.
posted by glaucon at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2021
.
posted by glaucon at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2021
Two losses I knew were coming someday, but that I couldn't ever imagine.
One was my mother, who fostered the love of the performing arts in me. She (and my dad) took me to NYC when I was a teen, where I saw "A Little Night Music."
Another was my arts icon, Stephen Sondheim.
I lost them both this year.
I spent all evening on social, sharing lyric excerpts and YouTube links with virtual mourners there.
As someone said: "Incredible that Sondheim himself gave us the very lexicon of expressions through which to grieve him."
Sondheim saw what the world was, and felt it so deeply. It's why he wrote cynical and vulnerable so well.
He was ultimately this person:
"What's hard is simple
What's natural comes hard
Maybe you could show me
How to let go, lower my guard, learn to be free
Maybe if you whistle, whistle for... me"
posted by NorthernLite at 10:03 PM on November 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
One was my mother, who fostered the love of the performing arts in me. She (and my dad) took me to NYC when I was a teen, where I saw "A Little Night Music."
Another was my arts icon, Stephen Sondheim.
I lost them both this year.
I spent all evening on social, sharing lyric excerpts and YouTube links with virtual mourners there.
As someone said: "Incredible that Sondheim himself gave us the very lexicon of expressions through which to grieve him."
Sondheim saw what the world was, and felt it so deeply. It's why he wrote cynical and vulnerable so well.
He was ultimately this person:
"What's hard is simple
What's natural comes hard
Maybe you could show me
How to let go, lower my guard, learn to be free
Maybe if you whistle, whistle for... me"
posted by NorthernLite at 10:03 PM on November 26, 2021 [11 favorites]
.
He finished quite a lot of excellent hats.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 10:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
He finished quite a lot of excellent hats.
posted by The Wrong Kind of Cheese at 10:34 PM on November 26, 2021 [2 favorites]
A genuine honest-to-God genius. Here's his Desert Island Discs.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:05 AM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Paul Slade at 12:05 AM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
Either the music or the lyrics alone would have been enough to leave a giant legacy.
But to be a sustained master of both took it to a whole new level.
RIP
posted by Pouteria at 1:27 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
But to be a sustained master of both took it to a whole new level.
RIP
posted by Pouteria at 1:27 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on November 27, 2021
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:35 AM on November 27, 2021
Sondheim reportedly died at his Connecticut home on Friday, Nov. 26 after celebrating Thanksgiving with friends a day earlier.It doesn't seem like the worst way to go. RIP.
(Source)
posted by WalkingAround at 5:18 AM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
♪
(He got rid of his rests no matter the meter --
no symbol of silence; the bang of a beat or
a moment of music seems stronger and sweeter.)
posted by kyrademon at 5:51 AM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
(He got rid of his rests no matter the meter --
no symbol of silence; the bang of a beat or
a moment of music seems stronger and sweeter.)
posted by kyrademon at 5:51 AM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
My favorite obituary: George Gershwin died July 11, 1937, but I don’t have to believe it if I don’t want to.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:26 AM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:26 AM on November 27, 2021 [8 favorites]
.
Joining the chorus of praise for hippybear’s excellent post series in Sondheim. Truth be told, I always thought he was in the Rodgers & Hammerstein age cohort and was gone for years.
posted by dr_dank at 6:28 AM on November 27, 2021
Joining the chorus of praise for hippybear’s excellent post series in Sondheim. Truth be told, I always thought he was in the Rodgers & Hammerstein age cohort and was gone for years.
posted by dr_dank at 6:28 AM on November 27, 2021
dances_with_sneetches I was thinking of that very comment about another icon's death last night. (It's attributed to John O'Hara.)
posted by NorthernLite at 6:44 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by NorthernLite at 6:44 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
Michael Chabon remembering Stephen Sondheim:
I’d been expecting acerbic and judgmental, and hoping for charming; and I got all that, though mostly the last. But I had not been expecting so much sweetness, and warmth, and tenderness of expression about people he had known, cared for, worked with. And I had not expected him to be quite so very kind, so generous with his time and attention. When I invited him, in 2014, to join me for an onstage conversation with Paul Simon, as a benefit for MacDowell, Steve said yes instantly. He always replied immediately to every email I ever sent him — on his birthday every year, when I finally saw the film he wrote, the (kind of awesome) meta-whodunit, The Last of Sheila, or when I woke up one morning, this past September, and inexplicably began stomping around the house singing “Four black dragons! Spitting fire!”posted by fight or flight at 7:20 AM on November 27, 2021 [15 favorites]
Tonight when I asked my younger daughter, now 20, what she remembered about having met him that summer in Peterborough, she said immediately, “I remember that he actually seemed like he wanted to know the answers to the questions he asked me.” Right away, I remembered that, too: the sweetness, the radiance of his attention, lavished on a being who had come into the world when he was already in his seventies. The evident curiosity in his questions to her. His taking the time to be kind.
It’s that kindness — the generosity of his willingness to share with you the thrilling gift of his attention — that I keep thinking about, as I remember him. It was really another form, I think, of the epic capacity for taking pains that made his lyrics matchless and imbued the beauty of his music with such rigor, and which rendered him one of the greatest American artists of the 20th century.
There's not a tune you can hum
There's not a tune you can bum bum bum de dum.
Yeah, right.
.
posted by Pentickle at 7:31 AM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
There's not a tune you can bum bum bum de dum.
Yeah, right.
.
posted by Pentickle at 7:31 AM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
.
posted by youarenothere at 7:42 AM on November 27, 2021
posted by youarenothere at 7:42 AM on November 27, 2021
Perhaps the most cursed production I've ever been a part of was for Merrily We Roll Along, but in that way that sometimes happens, that just makes me that much more fiercely protective of it. If you're doing a dive into Sondheim's stuff today, take some time for "Good Thing Going," "Opening Doors," "Franklin Shepard, Inc." or "Our Time."
posted by Navelgazer at 7:54 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Navelgazer at 7:54 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
.
"'Nice' is different from 'good'" is something I quoted about once a month at my old job. Not gonna stop now.
posted by allthinky at 8:18 AM on November 27, 2021 [11 favorites]
"'Nice' is different from 'good'" is something I quoted about once a month at my old job. Not gonna stop now.
posted by allthinky at 8:18 AM on November 27, 2021 [11 favorites]
Until a few years ago I didn't know much Sondheim beyond the obvious hits. But thanks to hippybear and the other theater kids here I'm bit better informed and thus, this morning, a bit more upset by this news.
As a relative newbie I have nothing insightful to add about the work, but having watched a few documentaries what comes across again and again is his generosity in explaining his creative process and encouraging others to keep on with theirs. He was happy sharing all his secrets and wanting others to use what he knew. I guess it's a legacy of the people he got to work with and learn from as a young man, but unlike some who can't or won't explain their work, he did, patiently, kindly and helpfully.
.
posted by YoungStencil at 8:21 AM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
As a relative newbie I have nothing insightful to add about the work, but having watched a few documentaries what comes across again and again is his generosity in explaining his creative process and encouraging others to keep on with theirs. He was happy sharing all his secrets and wanting others to use what he knew. I guess it's a legacy of the people he got to work with and learn from as a young man, but unlike some who can't or won't explain their work, he did, patiently, kindly and helpfully.
.
posted by YoungStencil at 8:21 AM on November 27, 2021 [7 favorites]
Streaming "Six by Sondheim" on HBO Max today.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:39 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:39 AM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
In the past few weeks, Sondheim attended his two shows currently on Broadway. In the last week of his life, he gave an interview where he was as sharp as ever. Then on Wednesday, he reportedly made a day of attending "Dana H" and "Is This a Room?" (quite challenging dramas).
Forget a life well lived. That was a month well lived.
posted by NorthernLite at 12:10 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
Forget a life well lived. That was a month well lived.
posted by NorthernLite at 12:10 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
Ronan Farrow, on Steven Sondheim's suggestion in 1981 that he might quit theater to make video games
This was real. Steve loved video games and took them seriously as an art form. Especially adventure games—an extension of his love of math and puzzles and, later on, escape rooms, which he and his partner Jeff really crushed. We talked about his love of Myst a lot over the years.posted by Nelson at 12:37 PM on November 27, 2021 [9 favorites]
I forgot about "The Last of Sheila"! In which Dyan Cannon incarnates Sue Mengers - or so they say.
"Giants in the Sky" was the song we figured our first old rescue Chihuahua, Ace, would choose as his theme song when he arrived. It just seemed the way he'd see his new humans. Big tall terrible, awesome scary wonderful.
posted by goofyfoot at 12:48 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
"Giants in the Sky" was the song we figured our first old rescue Chihuahua, Ace, would choose as his theme song when he arrived. It just seemed the way he'd see his new humans. Big tall terrible, awesome scary wonderful.
posted by goofyfoot at 12:48 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
I haven't seen this mentioned previously, but here's "Into The Words" from Forbidden Broadway (SLYT)
posted by DanSachs at 1:10 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by DanSachs at 1:10 PM on November 27, 2021 [3 favorites]
Let's take a moment to luxuriate in dozens of cannibalism puns as sung by Patti LuPone and George Hearn from Sweeney Todd. For my money, so many of the things that are great about Sondheim - the music, the playfulness, the using language and rhythm to reveal character - are encapsulated in this duet. And LuPone and Hearn knock it out of the woods (sic).
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:36 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:36 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
Speaking of Sweeney Todd, here's Len Cariou scaring me with Pretty Women
posted by goofyfoot at 1:55 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by goofyfoot at 1:55 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
[As Todd and the judge sing "Pretty women," in the musical, Todd's prepping the judge for death. A homonym in the song is "There there," an old saying meant to soothe.]
posted by goofyfoot at 2:09 PM on November 27, 2021
posted by goofyfoot at 2:09 PM on November 27, 2021
"Sunday in the Park With George" completely flipped my concept of what musical theatre could be and achieve.
posted by vverse23 at 5:12 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by vverse23 at 5:12 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
At four minutes into this video clip from Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration, he is given a very rare gift. When this gift is given, it's usually given posthumously. You can hear him shout out when he realizes what is happening, and watch his face change in awe, gratitude, and deeply heartfelt sentiment. It's a marvelous thing.
posted by tzikeh at 5:15 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by tzikeh at 5:15 PM on November 27, 2021 [6 favorites]
BTW Elaine Stritch performing Ladies who Lunch straight to the camera, didn't see a link above:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virv-1o2KjE
posted by dougfelt at 5:55 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=virv-1o2KjE
posted by dougfelt at 5:55 PM on November 27, 2021 [1 favorite]
(oh sorry there was one, I have been reading so much on the blue about sondheim recently)
posted by dougfelt at 6:11 PM on November 27, 2021
posted by dougfelt at 6:11 PM on November 27, 2021
I'm more familiar with the name than his work, but by god I've seen both West Side Story (1957) and Into the Woods (1987). Ave atque vale, Maestro.
posted by whuppy at 7:54 PM on November 27, 2021
posted by whuppy at 7:54 PM on November 27, 2021
What can you say about someone who’s touched your life so deeply?
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:47 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:47 PM on November 27, 2021 [2 favorites]
.
posted by of strange foe at 5:27 AM on November 28, 2021
posted by of strange foe at 5:27 AM on November 28, 2021
I can't make this comment in hippybear's post about Company, as comments are closed, but it will hopefully find its audience here. This is sort of about Company, but it's Sondheim-adjacent rather than specifically about Sondheim. It is, however, about the power of theater, and what happens in a theater when the performers and the audience are together in ways that only happen once in a while.
This is a Raúl Esparza Q&A in the "Ask a Star" series from Broadway.com. At 5m40s, he is asked "If you could go back and relive a performance of any Broadway show you've been in, what would you choose and why?" He talks about a very particular night during Company. It's about one song, one moment in time, but it's really about the power of live theater as a shared experience, as symbiosis. Just listening to him tell a story about a night at the theater that I didn't attend makes me cry as if I had. As Sondheim has said, live theater engages and requires a live audience, and that is something you can't get on TV or in the movies, and that is why it will never die.
posted by tzikeh at 7:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
This is a Raúl Esparza Q&A in the "Ask a Star" series from Broadway.com. At 5m40s, he is asked "If you could go back and relive a performance of any Broadway show you've been in, what would you choose and why?" He talks about a very particular night during Company. It's about one song, one moment in time, but it's really about the power of live theater as a shared experience, as symbiosis. Just listening to him tell a story about a night at the theater that I didn't attend makes me cry as if I had. As Sondheim has said, live theater engages and requires a live audience, and that is something you can't get on TV or in the movies, and that is why it will never die.
posted by tzikeh at 7:12 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
I should embellish my Raúl Esparza comment above, for those who don't know the story of what happened to the 2006 revival of Company.
It was nominated for three Tony awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Esparza), Best Director of a Musical (John Doyle). It won best Revival. Director went to Michael Mayer for Spring Awakening, but in a massive upset, Actor went to David Hyde Pierce in Curtains -- Hyde Pierce himself was on record as expecting it to go to Esparza, and his face when his name is called reflects true shock.
(This is not a slam on David Hyde Pierce. While Curtains is a middling piece at best, Lieutenant Cioffi is a spectacular creation and DHP played him to perfection.)
Esparza's answer to "what would you choose and why" is about the performance of Company that took place the night after the Tony Awards.
posted by tzikeh at 7:45 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
It was nominated for three Tony awards: Best Revival of a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Esparza), Best Director of a Musical (John Doyle). It won best Revival. Director went to Michael Mayer for Spring Awakening, but in a massive upset, Actor went to David Hyde Pierce in Curtains -- Hyde Pierce himself was on record as expecting it to go to Esparza, and his face when his name is called reflects true shock.
(This is not a slam on David Hyde Pierce. While Curtains is a middling piece at best, Lieutenant Cioffi is a spectacular creation and DHP played him to perfection.)
Esparza's answer to "what would you choose and why" is about the performance of Company that took place the night after the Tony Awards.
posted by tzikeh at 7:45 AM on November 28, 2021 [2 favorites]
I promise to stop posting random pieces of info, but --
I was just browsing Amazon U.S. (no link because no thank you, but a good place to research release dates) and I was looking at the original Off-Broadway Cast recording of Assassins (1991), and noticed something odd - it's at #30 in Musical Soundtracks and Scores. Pretty high for that show, but then I remembered there's a current revival on. Still, this puts it in the 2200 range of All CDs and Vinyl.
Wandered over to the original cast recording of Company. #11 in Musical Soundtracks and Scores, and in the 700 range of All CDs and Vinyl. But again, there is a revival on.
But Into the Woods is #31. No national tour or revival at the moment.
And Sunday in the Park With George is #37. No national tour or revival at the moment.
A quick check of the top 100 Musical Soundtracks -- Sondheim Unplugged: The New York City Sessions Volume 1 at #5, Original Broadway Cast of West Side Story at #10 (yes there's a movie coming, I know), Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall at #18, Anyone Can Whistle at #29, and so on.
I know this happens when an artist dies, but I hope that this isn't just people who suddenly remembered how much they loved Sondheim when they heard he died. I hope this is curious people who have no idea what they're in for, or are gifts for people who have no idea what they're in for. I hope there is going to be a massive influx of new Sondheim devotees this holiday season.
GNU Stephen Sondheim.
posted by tzikeh at 8:06 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
I was just browsing Amazon U.S. (no link because no thank you, but a good place to research release dates) and I was looking at the original Off-Broadway Cast recording of Assassins (1991), and noticed something odd - it's at #30 in Musical Soundtracks and Scores. Pretty high for that show, but then I remembered there's a current revival on. Still, this puts it in the 2200 range of All CDs and Vinyl.
Wandered over to the original cast recording of Company. #11 in Musical Soundtracks and Scores, and in the 700 range of All CDs and Vinyl. But again, there is a revival on.
But Into the Woods is #31. No national tour or revival at the moment.
And Sunday in the Park With George is #37. No national tour or revival at the moment.
A quick check of the top 100 Musical Soundtracks -- Sondheim Unplugged: The New York City Sessions Volume 1 at #5, Original Broadway Cast of West Side Story at #10 (yes there's a movie coming, I know), Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall at #18, Anyone Can Whistle at #29, and so on.
I know this happens when an artist dies, but I hope that this isn't just people who suddenly remembered how much they loved Sondheim when they heard he died. I hope this is curious people who have no idea what they're in for, or are gifts for people who have no idea what they're in for. I hope there is going to be a massive influx of new Sondheim devotees this holiday season.
GNU Stephen Sondheim.
posted by tzikeh at 8:06 AM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
Broadway Honors Sondheim 'Sunday' From Sunday In The Park With George in Times Square 11/28/21 (alternate recording.)
Broadway artists representing all Broadway Shows, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles and a hundred more [gathered in tribute]posted by ZeusHumms at 7:04 PM on November 28, 2021 [4 favorites]
When i was a wee queer kid on the praries, all i wanted to do was know how to live in cities. You want nothing more than to be jaded at 17. This started with a VHS copy of Cabaret, bought in the bargain basket at Safeways. Every day before I went to school (on the days I went), I would watch the last five minutes of Liza in Cabaret. This catnip for sudicial teenagers I am embarassed by. But I moved to the city and I became an adult, and I needed ways that were not destructive Liza. I needed to find a way to be a cosmpolitian, to commit to pleasure, to double down on materality, and be all of the ways that it is possible to live in cities--rueful, funny, angry, devoted, jaded, manic, louche, anhedonic, broken hopeful. Cosmopolitian, that great contribution of Jews and Homosexuals and Jewish Homsexuals, I found in all sorts of places, in Baldwin, in O'Hara, in Hollinghurst, in Essex Hemphill, and Langston Hughes and Samuel Delaney and White and Hanisbury and etc etc, but I think that the person who was the best teacher was Sondheim. I took the initial lessons of Liza, widened, deepened, and let it split me open.
posted by PinkMoose at 8:22 PM on November 28, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by PinkMoose at 8:22 PM on November 28, 2021 [9 favorites]
♪
My wife and I made a point of watching Take Me to the World, the 90th birthday tribute compiled of various performances recorded separately due to the pandemic.
One of the things that struck me about the birthday messages added by several of the performers was how affectionate they seemed.
There are so many great moments from that show, but for me a personal favorite is the performance of Someone in a Tree, which I believe Sondheim cited as a personal favorite among the songs he's written.
posted by Gelatin at 6:03 AM on November 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
My wife and I made a point of watching Take Me to the World, the 90th birthday tribute compiled of various performances recorded separately due to the pandemic.
One of the things that struck me about the birthday messages added by several of the performers was how affectionate they seemed.
There are so many great moments from that show, but for me a personal favorite is the performance of Someone in a Tree, which I believe Sondheim cited as a personal favorite among the songs he's written.
posted by Gelatin at 6:03 AM on November 29, 2021 [3 favorites]
There are so many great moments from that show, but for me a personal favorite is the performance of Someone in a Tree, which I believe Sondheim cited as a personal favorite among the songs he's written.
I actually quite liked the 3-way "Ladies Who Lunch" with Christine Beranski, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald in bathrobes and mixing themselves drinks.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:41 AM on November 29, 2021 [8 favorites]
I actually quite liked the 3-way "Ladies Who Lunch" with Christine Beranski, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald in bathrobes and mixing themselves drinks.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:41 AM on November 29, 2021 [8 favorites]
.
posted by exlotuseater at 12:28 PM on November 29, 2021
posted by exlotuseater at 12:28 PM on November 29, 2021
“Why Sondheim's Music is So Addictive”—Listening In, 08 December 2021
posted by ob1quixote at 8:24 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by ob1quixote at 8:24 AM on December 8, 2021 [1 favorite]
How Sondheim Made Space for Queer and Trans People
posted by chavenet at 7:30 AM on December 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 7:30 AM on December 16, 2021 [2 favorites]
How Williams College sparked Stephen Sondheim's career
posted by chavenet at 2:12 PM on December 16, 2021
posted by chavenet at 2:12 PM on December 16, 2021
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posted by humbug at 2:13 PM on November 26, 2021