tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post5963648151994994017..comments2024-03-28T00:18:42.009-04:00Comments on The Wicked Stage: Even StephenRob Weinert-Kendthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04015688507553252146noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post-7012650655003315852010-11-24T10:34:20.917-05:002010-11-24T10:34:20.917-05:00Great post. I too think Sondheim gets a bum rap a...Great post. I too think Sondheim gets a bum rap as a composer--his scores are both beautifully complex and complexly beautiful. And while I agree Sweeney is his one true masterpiece, I think Into the Woods deserves some reexamination as a crowd-pleasing lyrical and melodic stunner (it's a staple of not only community theatre, but also high school and children's theatre). And I think Company (although very much of its time) could qualify as well.<br /><br />I think way too often we underestimate the power of a good story well-told in musicals. You just can't have a satisfying theater-going experience without it.cinconoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8829734.post-22619806234290550972010-11-21T10:46:39.237-05:002010-11-21T10:46:39.237-05:00Re: "integrated" musicals. I wasn't ...Re: "integrated" musicals. I wasn't referring to big show-stopping numbers like "Hernando's Hideaway" -- though contrary to popular perception, I do think Sondheim has written a lot of them. They may not be big and brassy (and supporting a dance passage) but songs like "Broadway Baby," "The Ladies Who Lunch" or "Send in the Clowns" ARE show-stoppers. They serve a narrative function within their respective musicals but also work great on their own. And they do so because of their lyrical economy, the fact that they don't try to deliver information in a literal-minded manner. It's all about the ellipsis.<br />What I was referring to when I alluded to terrible song-integration is the trend for numbers that go overboard with the TMI. Basically the character attempts to do elaborate storytelling through song, in a way that no music could really support. Of contemporary authors, I think David Yazbek comes close to a perfect balance. OK, maybe not always in "Women on the Verge"!Elisabeth Vincentellihttp://www.nypost.com/blogs/theaternoreply@blogger.com