RIP Stephen Sondheim

[Blinder Data]

this guy deserves a proper thread, not just an excuse to make puns of his song titles

v few in the musical theatre business write the music AND lyrics. even fewer can claim to be one of the 20th century's finest like our Steve

musicals tend not to get much traction on here or in music journalism more broadly. if you think musicals are naff, you've probably watched too much Lloyd-Webber

Sondheim's lyrics are astoundingly clever and moving. genius is the only word, really

here are some examples of his talent:

A little priest - Sweeney Todd
https://youtu.be/ryF2rt0hQiM

Sorry-grateful - Company
https://youtu.be/1mTserEvXWQ

Finishing the hat - Sunday in the park with George
https://youtu.be/ducG55pfCMQ

I'll post more later but I just wanted to see if there any other MT fans out there willing to discuss the great man

RIP Sondheim - the best there ever was

[Glebe]

Weirdly, I was just watching a clip of 'America' and trailers for the Spielberg West Side Story remake before I saw that he'd died yesterday. RIP mate.

[Brundle-Fly]

I was once in a school production of Sweeney Todd. Played the judge. I loved doing that show. Pretty Women is beautiful so I'll always have a soft spot for Sondheim. R.I.P.

If Bowie had performed it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omD3m-xwBWk

[Johnny Textface]

Yeah just came in to say Pretty Women is a beauty - such a lovely melody. RIP.

[Blinder Data]

If Bowie had performed it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omD3m-xwBWk

I'm afraid I couldn't finish that clip. I don't want to be Partridge about this but Tim Burton got Sweeney Todd wrong! He made it like all his other films, so overblown, gothic and dark. "Ooh, look at sexy Johnny Depp with the streak of white running through his hair!" The audience is not supposed to fancy Sweeney but be fascinated, compelled and repulsed by him. The same applies to Mrs Lovett, who is meant to be much older - Angela Lansbury played her originally...!

Here's a better version from a 1982 production (apologies for the poor quality). There is a tension and grimness that the 2007 film lacks: https://youtu.be/kFeRL0e7PD8

'Pretty Women' is definitely one of my favourites though. It's a quintessential Sondheim song in that it's paradoxical and full of duality of meaning. It's a lovely melody with pleasant images, but the context is unbearably grim: it's sung by a vengeance-driven murderer and a paedophile. It describes women as viewed in the male gaze, a shallow and unrealistic vision of innocence and beauty. And yet the song does capture something about women that is beautiful and you can't help but get swept up in it when listening. I don't know how he did it.

[SweetPomPom]

https://youtu.be/lWengrlMpok
Saw Jim Bob last week and this was his intro tape, had no idea it was Driver singing but great take on a classic.

Gyllenhaal was all set to do Sunday In The Park with George over here but the 2020 shitfest put paid to that and it got cancelled.

[Brundle-Fly]

I'm afraid I couldn't finish that clip. I don't want to be Partridge about this but Tim Burton got Sweeney Todd wrong! He made it like all his other films, so overblown, gothic and dark. "Ooh, look at sexy Johnny Depp with the streak of white running through his hair!" The audience is not supposed to fancy Sweeney but be fascinated, compelled and repulsed by him. The same applies to Mrs Lovett, who is meant to be much older - Angela Lansbury played her originally...!

Here's a better version from a 1982 production (apologies for the poor quality). There is a tension and grimness that the 2007 film lacks: https://youtu.be/kFeRL0e7PD8

'Pretty Women' is definitely one of my favourites though. It's a quintessential Sondheim song in that it's paradoxical and full of duality of meaning. It's a lovely melody with pleasant images, but the context is unbearably grim: it's sung by a vengeance-driven murderer and a paedophile. It describes women as viewed in the male gaze, a shallow and unrealistic vision of innocence and beauty. And yet the song does capture something about women that is beautiful and you can't help but get swept up in it when listening. I don't know how he did it.

I agree entirely. I actually wanted to find a non-Tim Burton clean audio version on YouTube to post.

[Keebleman]

Here's an excellent New York Times tribute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-T4-g_x4NA