As I mentioned, Sondheim and Lapine used the Grimm Brothers’ versions of the tales (except for Jack and the Beanstalk which is an English folk tale) when they were developing Into the Woods. Now The Brothers Grimm, Jacob und Wilhelm, did not write the tales for which they became famous themselves; they spent years collecting those … Continue reading The Grimm Brothers
Sondheim
Going Deeper Into the Woods
If you’ve enjoyed Into the Woods, either via the video that I linked to yesterday or having seen it in some other way, you might wish to go a little deeper into the creation of the show with Lapine and Sondheim. There are lots of YouTube videos to help. For example, here is a conversation that … Continue reading Going Deeper Into the Woods
Everyone tells tiny lies
“What's important, really, is the size.” Continuing with the Sondheim birthday theme, I just discovered a wonderful free way to watch the Original Broadway Cast in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s fairy tale musical Into the Woods. It’s generally considered the most accessible of the Sondheim shows and is the only one that is really family-friendly. … Continue reading Everyone tells tiny lies
Getting Away With Murder
I was excited on Sunday March 31, 1996, as I boarded an Amtrak train to take me to New York City for I had a ticket to see the matinee performance of a mystery play entitled Getting Away With Murder that had just opened a couple weeks earlier at the Broadhurst Theatre on Broadway. I had … Continue reading Getting Away With Murder
Old Friends Video
Here’s a music video of the song “Old Friends” for the cast recording of the current Broadway revival of George Furth and Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along. This song has been among my top ten favorite Sondheim songs ever since I saw it performed in the original Broadway production; you know, the one that … Continue reading Old Friends Video
Law & Order Humor
I recently bought the DVD set of the first 20 seasons of Law & Order and added them to my Plex library. Law & Order, while I liked the show a lot, is not one of my top ten favorite shows of the 20th century. It generally took a ripped-from-the-headlines approach to picking stories to … Continue reading Law & Order Humor
The Coffee Cup…I Think About You
My new coffee mug has arrived!
“Mr. Sondheim, can I meet you?”
I’ve been reading the new book Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy by Stephen M. Silverman, and I’m finding it by turns fun, fascinating, and frustrating. It has occasional errors, such as referring to Lonny Price, who played Charley in the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along, as Lonny Prince. It covers mostly well known territory … Continue reading “Mr. Sondheim, can I meet you?”
I’m Number One! I’m Number One!
Another catchall post. I managed to fool the Apple Watch to get credit for 24 hours of Standing yesterday. This morning I received the email to let me know that the $800.00 has been direct deposited into my checking account, though I shouldn’t expect to see it there for a couple days. I presume they … Continue reading I’m Number One! I’m Number One!
Sondheim in 2010
Almost exactly forty-nine years after the interview that I embedded a few days ago, on October 13, 2010, Stephen Sondheim spoke to Matthew Cain in Great Britain for a wide ranging chat. He discussed many topics including the difference between the theater scenes in New York and London and his disappointment that musicals now vastly … Continue reading Sondheim in 2010