Me rn at 3:30AM thirsty as a race horse. Didn’t even fall asleep listening to Follies?! 😅
“There’s a band, free food and drink, and Roscoe’s here as always to bring on the Weissman girls.”
“Toscanini broadcasts”
Others include
“Marry Freddy? HA”
“How’s it going? Good, you!? Fair. ringgg Chinese laundry!”
Lots more I can’t think of right now.
Hi all. My best friend and I are avid Sondheim and tattoo lovers. We have been bouncing ideas around for matching tattoos related to either Company, Into the Woods, or Sunday ITPW George for years, yet have difficulty finding one that really speaks to us. We like whimsical, fine line tattoos, and are looking for something that is specific to the show, but not lyrics. Think a parasol for Sunday, a birthday cake for Company, etc. Any ideas? Both of us prefer black and grey, so color is not what we are looking for.
Lost on YouTube I found myself on FOLLIES [1987 San Jose Civic Light Opera production] right at the BOLERO number. The two young dancers were phenomenal-- with her doing things with endlessly long legs: full splits and balancing (on his HEAD!), each part topping the one before.
Well I was hooked. It stars Teri Ralston as Sally who does a terrific job with that square character and has THAT voice! AND Harvey Evans as older Buddy. Harvey is a trip, playing “himself”—(the young Buddy from original 1971 production). He is PERFECT, as well he should be, as the older version of himself and is the best older Buddy I’ve ever seen.
The production (and filming) is quite good. They use the original book and it reminds you what Steve said about the huge amount of information that the book delivers expeditiously. Watching another version of the show reminds me of just how BRILLIANT FOLLIES is on all levels.
See what you think. It is not “definitive” but FOLLIES [except for the OC] productions-- always you want to mix and match. And always leaves you wanting more.
Seems like the DC co-production of Follies from Shakespeare Theater Company and Signature Theater has tickets on sale for select performances! All performances on sale if you buy a season subscription, but if you’re looking for just this show, seems like only some performances are available right now (or at least that’s the message I kept getting). They do have some weekends, though, and availability is pretty good! Really looking forward to it—got my ticket for Memorial Day Weekend!!
I'm sure this gets posted like once a month but I've just discovered Pacific Overtures after watching it on YouTube, im a huge Sondheim fan and have been meaning to listen to this one for a while but I was absolutely blown away. the run of Someone in a Tree, Please Hello, and A Bowler Hat is generational. such a shame it's one of his lesser known works but I do understand why as it's not commonly performed unlike into the woods for example (which I saw on the west end this year and that production was simply magnificent)
Saw A Little Night Music at the Marriott Theatre right outside of Chicago! Such a brilliant production of a nearly perfect show. Every actor was wonderful (especially Petra and Frederick), and the way the production team utilized "theatre in the round" was so unique. If you're in Chicago, you should definitely see this!
We recently got news that Herringbone may become a movie in another country. So it was excellent timing that we found this!
My mother was a beautiful, talented woman. She lived an extraordinary life. We miss her every day.
Hi everyone! I am producing a Sondheim cabaret at the Green Room 42 soon. Looking for some great ideas of songs I could tell people to sing besides his big hits like Being Alive or his super popular songs. Thank you!
Im auditioning for schools next year and need a legit style song and I’m thinking of doing ‘Children Will Listen’ but I’m not sure if it will be considered legit
In the opening number when she says “I could have turned him into stone, or a dog, or a chair, or a sn-“ what was she about to say? is it up to interpretation or is it supposed to be something obvious that i’m not getting? sorry if this is a stupid question but i’m directing the jr version rn and i want to be able to explain every little thing to them if needed
I’ve been listening to a ton of Sondheim lately, and I keep finding major connections to Danny Elfman's music. Am I crazy? What other patterns do they have in common? Also, did they ever actually meet or cross paths, maybe around the time of Sweeney Todd?
Harmonically...
The Patter Song. Sondheim gives us “Franklin Shepard, Inc.” — a guy drowning himself alive in a torrent of words, faster and faster, syllables stacking like dominoes, no room to breathe. Elfman gives us “Making Christmas” — same rapid-fire listing machine, tiny rhythmic cells piling up (the Pentatonix reprise, excellente, by the way). Same job: turn panic or excitement into a machine gun of syllables. Patter song, it’s not a style. It’s a FUNCTION.
Sondheim: https://youtu.be/2FZ0CeEIYu4?si=9L7LUWS9fgaQXNUd
Elfman: https://youtu.be/Th_j7RUu2vM?si=OCfGu0CSdDNjvXFl
The Melancholic Lullaby. Both, funny enough, chez Burton. “Not While I’m Around” — a kid’s promise of protection, sung soft, half-lullaby, half-threat underneath. “Sally’s Song” — same DNA, a lonely creature singing quietly to herself about a longing she can’t name yet. Same job again: sweetness with a shadow inside it. Not sad, not happy — that thing in between, where the melody stays gentle but something underneath is aching.
Sondheim: https://youtu.be/P1ci98bIAwI?si=aBvucrar7mXH1ViH
Elfman: https://youtu.be/VgL4graXGOo?si=4iFNWuzBYHt8acD3
The Theatrical Monologue. “Finishing the Hat” — an artist alone, talking-singing about the terrible thing he does instead of loving people: he MAKES. “Jack’s Lament” — same shape, a guy who’s the very best at what he does, and it means nothing to him anymore, half-confession turning into song. Same job: a character standing still while their whole interior life parades past, structure obeying the confession, not the other way around.