Finally! A Sondheim TextbookStephen M. Silverman adds “color and light” to any library about The Master and his works
Shalom, Broadway lovers!Today’s monthly FREE Premium edition of the Broadway Maven’s Weekly Blast reviews a new Sondheim biography that’s really more like a textbook; presents a Peter Filichia’s Broadway video on The Producers; analyzes a filmed version of Titanic appearing in cinemas tomorrow; welcomes a “Piano Talk” video about the structure of Sweeney Todd; includes a Broadway Blast about silent characters in musicals; and comments in a LAST BLAST about The Music Man. Note that the Sweeney “Piano Talk” below is well-timed, since tomorrow (Tuesday, November 7) Gail Leondar-Wright will be kicking off our November lecture series with a talk about that show.
The binding, layout, and format of Stephen M. Silverman’s new Sondheim volume looks like a textbook. And, essentially, that’s what Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy is. The 242-page volume is filled with gorgeous photographs, fun text boxes (on topics like Elaine Stritch and Sondheim’s Oscar-winning work on the Dick Tracy film) and a well-organized presentation of Sondheim’s life and work. Most Sondheim biographies lean heavily on narration or critical analysis; you’ll find both here. The text draws on comments from Sondheim scholars, the composer-lyricist’s collaborators, and liberal doses of quotes from The Master himself. Silverman offers lots of worthy nuggets here for even the most curmudgeonly Sondheim fan: • Director Robert Wise wanted Elvis Presley to play Tony in the 1961 West Side Story film. • This cut joke from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: “Pseudolus, you’re stupid…. S-T-V-P-I-D. Stupid.” • The fact Company (and, interestingly, not the triple-meter A Little Night Music) once had the title Threes, representing Bobby’s “side by side by side” relationship with the couples in the show. • Tales from Sondheim works that are less famous, like the screenplay for The Last of Sheila and several revues of his material. • Great images, from an illustration of Florence Klotz’s costume designs for A Little Night Music to magazine covers to stills from Sondheim’s movies and a sketch of the composer-lyricist as portrayed in a Simpsons parody of him. If I have a complaint, it’s that the book is too short. More fleshed-out presentations of beloved but more obscure shows like Pacific Overtures and the TV musical Evening Primrose would be welcome, for example, as well as more glimpses into Sondheim’s personal life. And while there are dozens of full-color photographs, most pages lean toward a black-and-white layout, which limits the possibilities for creative presentation. Part of the appeal of Silverman’s new book is that a complete Sondheim novice would find it a satisfying first look at Sondheim’s career, while a “Sondheim Maven” wouldn’t be bored for a second. Sondheim: His Life, His Shows, His Legacy would thus fit on the shelf of any Broadway enthusiast. I recommend it highly. PETER FILICHIA’S BROADWAY: Did Mel Brooks write every note of his most famous Broadway show? If not, who did? In this episode, Peter discusses The Producers: • whether Mel Brooks wrote all the music; • the character of Leo Bloom; and • Peter's favorite songs. The author of The Book of Broadway Musical Debates, Disputes, and Disagreements, longtime critic and commentator Peter Filichia has seen more than 12,000 shows. He makes a video for every issue of The Weekly Blast.  REVIEW: Well, here’s a Titanic that’s not a disaster. A filmed version of a staged production of the 1997 Tony-winning musical of that name screens in theaters across the United States tomorrow (Tuesday, November 7). A half-Broadway, half-cinema experience can be fun (bring popcorn!), but with Titanic, a live performance might be a better choice. In fact, one of the best parts of the show is missing here. Fans of the show’s original staging will be disappointed to see that the entire feature (gimmick?) of an increasingly slanted stage has been nearly completely abandoned. Watching first-class passengers realize their grave situation only when they see a cart roll past them is an unforgettable moment you’ll miss here, along with the increasing second-act urgency and panic as the stage tilts ever more dramatically. It’s an unfortunate omission. Even an occasional slanted camera shot would have been welcome. Still, the film has other advantages for old and new fans of Titanic. Seeing the facial expressions of panicked passengers up close is a worthy way to encounter this show, for example. And the sound design immerses viewers in the unfolding calamity, particularly just before intermission when the collision happens. (Yes, there’s a 10-minute intermission.) The masterful score is by Maury Yeston (Nine) and Peter Stone (1776) wrote the tight book (script). How did they cope with the fact audiences already know the ending? Well, the First Act drops plenty of hints of the disaster to come: a ship owner demanding the captain go dangerously fast, the lack of a moon, a decision to take a northern route and ignore warnings of icebergs. The Second Act reveals how the large cast experienced the sinking, and other than my complaint about the staging it’s compelling stuff. One chilling detail to ponder: the film clocks in at an engaging 2 hours 25 minutes, which is just 15 minutes less than the actual sinking of the historical ship. BROADWAY MAVEN YouTube GEM: Just in time for tomorrow’s Sweeney Todd class, here’s Broadway Maven co-host Mateo Chavez Lewis on the musical motifs in the show:  BROADWAY BLAST: Show “tunes” may be Broadway’s hallmark, but a surprising number of memorable characters never sing and barely speak. They include Liat (South Pacific), Susan (Finian’s Rainbow), and King Sextimus (Once Upon a Mattress). Another example is Phantom, which has an opera-within-a show about a mute page boy. The on-stage silence from such characters tends to amplify the voices and personalities of those characters who are singing, like Liat’s lover Lieutenant Joe Cable and Phantom’s diva Carlotta.
Note: links to register for ALL classes are always available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.• Tuesday, November 7: Gail Leondar-Wright on Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ($9) • Sunday, November 12 from 1 pm to 2:15 ET Golden Age of Broadway (registration closed) • Tuesday, November 14: Gail Leondar-Wright (note new lecturer) on Sunday in the Park with George ($9) • Sunday, November 19 from 1 pm to 2:15 ET Golden Age of Broadway (registration closed) • Tuesday, November 21: Peter Filichia on Hello, Dolly! ($9) • Sunday, November 26 from 1 pm to 2:15 ET Golden Age of Broadway (registration closed) • Tuesday, November 28: David Armstrong on The King and I ($9) • Sunday, December 3 from 1 pm to 2:15 ET Golden Age of Broadway make-up session (registration closed)
LAST BLAST: The setting of The Music Man is timed around the Fourth of July, 1912, which makes the song “Seventy-Six Trombones” particularly apt, because the music is celebrating the anniversary of America’s founding in 1776. The patriotism underscores the deeply American setting of the show, with its small-town prides and prejudices and can-do spirit. Broadway Maven David Benkof helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com. Invite your friends and earn rewardsIf you enjoy The Broadway Maven's Weekly Blast, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe.
|
