You know the hits: Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music...and who can forget A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum? Stephen Sondheim is still a titan of American musical theater.
Merrily We Roll Along, which bombed in 1981 and ended his collaboration with Hal Prince, is currently in a smash hit, 7 Tony-nominated revival starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe, and Lindsay Mendez.
So his shows haven’t always been immediately well-received, but his scores usually are. And he’s an interesting guy — which is why, today, I bring you this interview from The South Bank Show, which aired on April 25, 2010. Someone cut it into seven short YouTube parts, so you don’t have to watch it all at once — but I did, and loved it.
Enjoy!
Part 1: Introduction
[6:28]
🎭 🎭 🎭
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
IAN is a great group to join, and a good place to learn to write diaries. Drop one of us a PM to be added to the Itzl Alert Network anytime! We all share the publishing duties, and we welcome everyone who reads IAN to write diaries for the group! Every member is an editor, so anyone can take a turn when they have something to say, photos and music to share, a cause to promote or news!
Monday Youffraita
Part 2: Mentored by Oscar Hammerstein
[10:17]
Part 3: Working with Hal Prince
[6:28]
Part 4: Creating the “Plot Song” in Sweeney Todd
[5:24]
Part 5: On Acting Within Songs
[5:42]
Part 6: Includes Clips of Sondheim Directing Singers
[5:25]
Part 7: "Theater is Alive”
[7:25]
*
🎭 🎭 🎭
Have a wonderful day!