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ESI woe 2H Ma 009770 ¥ seve OO. wonoa a BoE Ag PPE 009280 ¥. snet0es0 NHOL sgt wae Aa pote? 0099570 ¥ ostig 38090 rua unser Ag sp yooqrreD ¥ souy.q EERO, ‘on Sage NHOf anwoying-H seBEE AG PIP yooqe70 ¥ A¥ED NOHIS sony 14 40099500 ¥ SERV aA, seseqearig 9 44 pNP? yoogrseD ¥ naavss 381d pan ern £4 =P? ogee ¥ savous oC. cosas uy 4a pape 39092570 ¥ ons¥a 3VOH, ssp wage 4a PRP 0093570 ¥ osanyH WEHIOLSTURD sayy gun PPE 009570 ¥ aqnnveaig YS goupy 1sausg ‘OXI TTVERIL SASILYAVUC NYIGOW NO SOOMESVD204 Scott Miller from coast to coast is ready to break more rules and find new ways to vie chis uniquely American art form and is audiences into the fucure, ‘Work CITED “Sondheim, Stephen, and John Weidman. Asattins, New Yorke Theatee Com- ‘munications Group, 1991. se PASION Nos Just Another Simple Love Seory Gary Konas Jpn June 1994 I happened co see three thematically related Broadway rs Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom ofthe Oper, and Pasion. “Fhoy ofera ange of approaches othe Beau) and che Beast fable At TRE! by former Disneyland ‘skip and wave’ show director Robert Jae Roch, the sage adapeaion of Beauyisa leap backward in ceaiv= (Som the Oscar-nominated fi. Phansr, by contrast, Boats ig, vo Rom fons in director Hal Prince ané composer Andrew Lloyd ‘Webbes and is continuing SRO popularity is understandable. Stephen Sendhcins and James Lapine have the Lat word, though, by inverting SE BEED fairytale co make i icsitbly rel. In Pasion, the woman Feces isthe beast whose love for—and from—the handsome Giorgio esr only hope for elease from the curse of ugliness. not his best ae eect pasion certainly continues Sondheim's quest for new ap proaches tothe tational musical form. ‘eshape most innovatively, Pasonis performed nor only without Mollie), but also without applause points. Song iret lalogue low back and forth, and che musical mrabersar never ar sieg wich decisive endings. In the Playbill for che Broadway producon, no song ties wee provided, Ties are gien in the a erp notes, but many ae merely labels: “Fist Lee,” “Transition,” "Soldier? Gossip” ete Equally siting is Sondhei's avoidance of irony, heretofore al sayy che of hs sharpest cools. If Follies examined a bites, ionic love ez tangle, Pasion staighforwardyexporesalovewiange in ay aaaaespedinaces che characters to the enduring emotion they experi (Bee reas Sondheim limited himself in A Link Night Mis sac meter 4,7 oh, ein Pasion he confines mea 0 saight ce helptis The lyrical ines are held together by iegular chyme,at Gary Konas repeated words, and, most importantly, recurring musical motif, Jread of the ABAB thyme traditionally associated with show cunes. ‘As usual, though, this Sondheim score isa puzzle consisting of small, ipverlocking melodie pieces paineed with a palere of harmonic colors “The orginal source for Pasion is the 1869 novel Fes by Iginio “Tarchers, Emulating Tarchetti’s work, Sondheim and librestst- disector Lapine have neatly fashioned an epistolary musical, with @ dozen or so sung letters. Sondheim embellshes the form, however by having fragments of letters sung by various ‘characters—the writer, the addressee, even outsiders. And while Tarchetti emphasized the omen’ personalities by naming them Clara and Fosca (ltalian for Tighe and dark, respectively), Sondheim extends the connection by wing light soprano music for che beautiful blonde Clara and dar Meoleeneralto music for the homely bruneste Fosca. (Tarchert's svomen, by contrast, share the same age, height, and haircolor) More War as always since Sweeney Todd, Sondheim builds melodies around Sie recurring motifs, colored throughout by shifting harmony, hythm, and accompaniment figures, helping to reveal che characters motivations and moods ala Wagner. ‘Countless American musicals havé been buile around love at ist sight, fllowed by complications and eventual romantic resolution ‘Fenian depends instead upon Georgio’ revulsion at fist sight chat caine into love forthe physically repulsive Fosca, which supplants his Ive for the sexually desirable Clars. This is diffcul task to accom- plish convincingly in 110 uninterrupted minutes on sage, whereas pe Tarchect’s 200-page novel a more gradual change is shown. ‘Although in this esay I will not consider the show's other—and apparently mote dieersouct ‘Exrore Scola’ flm Passione dzmore, Peevorth noting thac film is a medium that permits time passage co ei aE igh menage and ober compres ceca iheteas stage work tends to be more immediate and real-time. ‘Pasion begins ominously with 2 miliary snare drum beat and a singing bras chord user 2 distress call that contrasts with the pening seene of Clara and Giorgio embracing naked in bed, singin of their mutual “Happiness.” The sumber eins with an cranes Sontisting of a repeated three-nore figure (@) that pats upwardly Sroving ©-E-G notes with a downward BP-A?-E?, respeccively the ffect ef which is co disguise the F-minor tonality and to ‘comment ‘issonantly on the chree-syllable word “happiness.” As we will see, Passion: Not Just Another Lave Story 207 ee-nove motifs perade the sore. hough the Coup dleasly sarspmed, some ofthe lines havea porentous fing —St when they fing about how they met: Gioncro: We were both unhappy Gass. Unhappiness can be seductive Groncio: You pitied me GrRO How quickly pty leads clove. (2 “This ansicipaes Giorgi nor-so-quicky transformed feng roward aes Sire Mnhappy Fotea, who wl laces assert chat See nothing bu passive love” GO), Much of he melody is built upon a five-note pattern (®), which i usualy 28 ith the upon ave couple. While the actual notes vary cons Perret cays eighth notes atthe end of che meas quae (or longer value) nore, and the Bric generally havea trochaic fils Jase anther lve sony / Théts what they would claim’ Pane ooh this is an accompanying clarinet gute erm of, ae eted in Folie! “Too Many Mornings,” with is ‘similar mood of graceful union. Clara nd Giorgio acknowledge, that the world would rit “Another simple lve stony— / Aree all of them the se (6). This five-minute opening number ss relatively few thymes, a8 if to suggest that chy ko, the song fades aay wich a peated Os 36 do several co perumnbersin the sore, causing one co wondes ‘whether tis might tee muscal reminder of the love triangle being enacted. te pean Giorgio Bechet is ansfered in 1863 from Milan roammote army ourpst, he and Clara concinus £6 96. of their love 10 ae flewers. He miserably repors, “Clara Tm in hell” (15), in re Cnowingly foreshadows Foscls upeoming maneNe“ TT © a his love when he sings, “My days ae spent it maneuvers (16). Cirgi, Iaming fom bis commanding ofce! Colonel Ricci that Glongio. a Fonca hunger for reading materi offers 0 oan her Ais Copy of Rouseeau fle This novels an 18) coo update of fie oP ged and Hilose love stony, which subtly foreshadows the Pe Foseds demise. Even before he meets enown through her ofxage paving of regane Chopinesque piano mosic’ (sage di. 13) and through her bblood-curdling scream.208 Gary Konas assion: Not Just Another Love Story 209 neglect them, instead of Giorgio soon meets the sickly, patheric woman. The nacure of ber as rank, goss eae and ee a is Foren her malady is unclear (in Tarchere’s novel Fosca suffer from epilepsy), nurturing chem, Fosca’s recat ind lait. Like Belle but she endures tdespead ‘chron pin, “The root ofthe eee enshrouded castle and the Phantoms sndergo ae cae bia sion, by the way, means “suffering” (Latin paso translated from the sd Chitine Daa, Giro reve oon ino Greek patho). The doctor tells Giorgio that “Her body is so weale Subhuman bes. The lovely Donna Muh Soot op Tenence that ie doesnt have che strength to produce a mortal disease” (18), the grotesque Fosca was fe Ea Mford eval into the Phantom. Het ‘Which suggests a painful chronic condition like bromyalgia. Such Man no Beason isha Cound pai Yiscomfees mighe well cause her co seek physical love, which would canes oe say emp ney The Elephant Mar) than. on nerate endorphins to counteract the pain and comfort her Hane ie the strategy employed i ieee Signifcandy, one of Giorgi’ fellow ‘ofjcers sings an aria from tnskeups she was no ware-covered refuge fmm 18h Donizers’s Leliir damore identified as such only in the libreto), rare hcless sees er as subuman, as he SPO because Fosca's love for Giorgio seems to revive her physically, as well as spiritually He embodies a nepenthe, an elixir to relieve her sorrow. Ie is also interesting to note that Giorgio admits in a lerer to Clara that on the train ride he cried and had to hide his eyes (13), which recalls Lelisi’s well-known aria, “Una Furtiva Lagrima." If this all God, the wrerchedness ‘And the suffering ‘The desperation, Ofihar poor unhappy ceacure— (26) much of che rex of the showy physical action advaness sounds coincidental rc that Donizets comic opens ares ¢ she potas i ged dy C0 he score. Consider che fl- ‘Eidier who becomes involved ina love triangle afer arriving at she pot bao oe gis fo love Giorgio unconslaby she cot eee ; lowing ato lngng 0 hs legs she onexpecedly eas Foseaecuns the nove, ling him in I Read’ (preceded by = fal fe Betring oom able jr ouc of ight ofher oka oboe plainevely revving the Chopinesque theme) that she does not under he i oe psn ne; Res calenges Give Cs carne a over a misinterpreted lerer (Ricel is sphsealy wounded in Tread to dream 2 du oop emouonally #0); finaly, Giorgio spends se Tread to live, eo enelaiom Hara these ations indirectly lead v0 sones, To ger aay from life. 22) ing heavily dhroughout bur most of the score explores emotion, relying heavily, , vrai with Fose, Giozgio muses ‘This number introduces Fosca’ six-note motif (©), the most perva- con sensory imagery. Afer going fo coul sive and haunting one throughout the score. ‘While the pect note Gra lewer co Clara—which she sings, using ‘@—that all he could relationships vary somewhat, in all cases the first five notes have short, think of was Clara. fequal values and the sixth is held on the downbeat, and the lyric is | lalways an iambic trimerer ("I dé not réad to learn). The low noves To feel a womaris ouch, Fe touch swomars hand, dand minor mode underscore Foscds bleak outlook: “I do not hope for Reminded me how much Sitar Tcanaoe have! / I do not cling co things I cannot keep!” (23), | Tongs be with you. G1) Not yee anyway. rly longs for is human contact, OMe ‘The next sequence takes place in the untended garden of a i= | Pechaps. Or maybe all he seally longs - ane ori 2s wel as the physically pessing ined cate The sting eas Hamlet's moody outburst: "Fi om ah | thing the pain Fos ca an Pe he ae that “se iicis ed 0, als an unweeded garden / That grovs to seed, things rank and Besar marie Cs cee eth et pecan nate / Poses i merely” (hit 135-37), In che world Fosca | Poste mo aor Se er Ste Sepabits, which overemphasizes physical beauty, men see women like continues in a new vwe Gary Konas ress” melody, which ees unsuccessfully ro assert a “Love chat shuts away the world”: eae me Bors: Love chat foods very living moment, Love like (Giangio estas, hen urs back 1 Foss) cuss: Ours Feces Loi Sexes: (Ar Fore leks guiaiclly at hin) Like wine bone “The song fades out ambivalendy on a repeated @ ‘Rout, secognizes a kindred spirit in this soldier, who isso unlike his crude comrades: “They hear drums, / We hear music, | Be my BS G6). The melody fiet depends on, then ®, hinting chat Rien dahes forthe sort of loving happiness that Clara enjoys with Grosgio. An upward three-noxe motif (As), which is vonally simpler tand clower than the earlier ®, acceniruates the tender feeling. A simi- tac hagmene appeats in accompaniment figures aswell sin melodS, and once agin the number fades on sis eangules motif The “Tio.” like the opening number begins wich a distress cal. Ie explcey begins the love tiangle that up co now bas only beet hinted at. While Giorgio and Clara thapsodize to each other (God, pose beautiful” he exclaims (65), line taken from the nove), Rove rade Gini singing Terter to her. As if"My heare belongs / To semeone ci sufgciendy blunt, he closes by writing her chat ree nothing { Beeween us ! Nothing, nothing’ (46-49). These swords will come back to haunt not Fosca, but Giorgio. wohl visits the gravely Foca, who echose his words co Clara God, you ae so beautiful’ (57). Hehonors her reques that he wi her alerer—which she dcrats. She as him write *[Wish I Could Forge You, built upon ® and accompanied by yeta chirdthree-tose Fawne (h)-—this one very slow and melancholy, This blue 8 often flspace beeen node line that follow ©, thus intensifying the ealy-somber mood, Se chen has him describe his eladonship wis Clara, built entcely on ©: ashi dnc ile ih ‘Alove as pure as breath, ‘As permanent as death, Implacable as stone. Passions Not Just Another Love Story at ‘Alove ths, ikea nif las cur into a life Twanted lee alone. (61) “Thisis pethaps Sondheim's most enthralling lie See Sunday in the Tri Bnishing the Hat” Foss porent of oor. nocwithstanding. Parke dicted lecer makes ic appent that CE, despite his Tove for Clara, has deep felings for Fosca ror. ‘She ends with a line sor cererberate atthe close of the musica: YOu? ove will live in tase Tet The leer wl become animporeans for device when Ricci are gay cand concludes that his cousin i bln ed onby Giorgi: A group of soldiers, who form 24) ‘unreliable Greco-Roman chona Sommments on the action periodically through theit gossip, froviding comic refi In ever shyme she) ‘rade snide remarks about Fosca: “Tonasso: Did you hear the scream lastnight Cake So thac wast dying, we assume Seok No, [think she just el off her broom. Reso: Or they hung s mitror in the room Oflasignord 71-72) Otherwise, Passion is serious business, wich liede of Sondheim's Other eo eaven Poses quest for Gioweics soul ema ack,” we learn of Foseds formes martes an ‘Ausrlus count tho crmed our bea counted draining her dowry at cingher when confronted withthe uh, "Although the wistful Chopinesque theme makes another Snserumental appearance, the © aon weight co ce sadness: “How coule be 50 blind?” “I theme face che world” (85). After being ised Pesce is struck by an cpiphany, “Beauty is power. / Longing disease” (84-85) paige Lees” Clara begins © wondes whether their love can survive Giorgi absence: “If only you wert here | IFT could feel Sour touch I wouldnt have such fat (8). These doubts are under Yous by Foszs @ theme. Meanie che ByPoT Giorgio is setapied by the love exiangle’s other I ‘orca has dropped all reese in her purse, and he expats, her his feeling of being ae peed in Te This What You Call Love! This i noclove, ‘This isthe revere Like 2 eureGary Konas Something out of contol Toe begun to fear for my soul. (92) ‘As if wo underscore this fear thunderstorm ensues, during which Poses collapes, forcing Giorgio to carry her back home. The soldier Teadly imagine an intimate relationship berween the sve: the cook speculates, “You dont suppose—" Ruzzouur: Nobody is that brave Cox: Wouldnt you like to peek? Torasso: Ugh. Basu: Hell be major nexe week. (94-95) “As sual, they end their comic interlude with “TH says” repeated three ae The soldiers promptly sife mood, singing Giorgio “To feel a sim gs couch” in harmony, which blends with the sad @ accompa pment to produce a more sensual effect than in the easler garden sequence rendering. . Ttecdless of Giorgio’ rebuke, Fosca follows Giorgio—who is physially spenc fiom fending off her advances and desperss <5 cope on his sikleave o Milan, which the eager bur married Clara oe paces amusingly. "A whole ory days—/ Wel, fory matinee 158) When he dieovers Fosca on the eran he angrily accuses her of ctxing hisllness, He asks her co forge him, bur she replies calmly, Loving you Innova choice, Ieswho Tam. (100) “This concise, powerful statemencis made even more poignant by each cine boing joined co a repetition of A, which recurs chroughous 24d eae eeree ned in various ways. Up co now Foseds lyrics have usually eaeermnanted by ©, but her elemencal declaration merits the simple CSBPAG uiad, which places equal stress on each sllable ro empha, Finer solve. The song ends with “I wll lie, / And I would die / Far you’ (101), For once, there is no fade out on repetitions of ® as jFrocollape che triangle nto allie connecting only Foscaand Giorgio: ‘Meanwhile, the soldier? aim is improving: ‘Aucen: Heli beter get out quick From the Signor Passion: Nor Just Another Love Story Bars: That not an exsy erick, “Wir the Signora. (105) How tue, Atthe same time, che distance berween Giorgio and Clara, rcrell as her limited availability even when they are togethes, cause af wallg ee their matinee love fade. Giorgio wants ro escape Fosca ce Te cer his elacionship with Clara by demanding that she leave Hea SSthand, even fthat would mean losing custody ofr son. Clara aeiee by acing him to wait for her uns the boy i older. When See tlcime that he isnt chinking clearly and is not himself, Giorgio aaa afensively, "Tn myself!” (109), the vehemence of which Pena his knowledge that he is becoming Fose, 10 the poine of taking on her physical infirmity ‘S.curprisingly the common ground berween Giorgio and Clare disappears A repetition of the opening disess call, softened by 2 dlseppears j ftoumpets leads into Claas “Farewell Lees” some of cto in enically ures the same @ melody as “Happiness.” They realize chat theirs was Gonato (bizter quiet); Just another love story Cusa: No one isto blame Cura: {didnt know thar love was a complication Gronato: Ido know that ies nor a negotiation. (11S~ 7 ‘They agree on one crucial point: CGroncio: —Thae whar we have is nothing. Cura: Nothing. roncio: Nothing... (1185 ellipses i text) Influenced by Fosea’s power oflove, Giorgio ses thavi was he rather rarer who had suffered from the “disease” of longing only for physical beauty THavins lowe Clara, Giorgio realizes, “No One Has ver Loved Me’ like Fosca: Love without reason, Love without mero} Love without pride or shame. [Love unconcerned With being ecurned—Gary Konas [No wisdem, no judgment, No caution, no blame. (122) To construct the melody for this essential song, Sondheim abandoned the motifs that had represented Fosca alone (6), Giorgio and Clara (@), and the love criangle (4). Instead che melody is based loosely on the Chopinesque theme—heretofore wordless—2s if to return to the ‘moment Giorgio frst heard Fosca, before he had prejudged her based ‘on her physical appearance. Fosca now sings of too much happiness (>, but hers is tinged by the @D accompaniment figure, because it ‘comes ‘when there’ so lite time” (123). Although Fosca is dying, the final scene skires sentimentality, even when Giorgio fnally confesses, “I love you'—repeared twice more at Foscas urging and underscored by the “another simple love tory” theme played on fute, then on oboe. She pulls him to her bed, where they will—one as- suumes—make love forthe only time before she succumbs. fthis seems a relatively demure staging, it follows the novel. Tarchecti ill wich tuberculosis and typhus while writing the book with all che passion he could muster died at age 29 before reaching this climactic scene, and the book was completed by a friend who evidently lacked Tarcheee’s ardor Giorgio knows this willbe cher fnal meeting, for he is scheduled ‘o duel che nexe morning with Ricci over Foseds honor. When Giorgio shoots Ricci, he “lets out a high-pitched howl—a cry that is clearly reminiscent of Foscas—as lights fade to black” (stage dit. 125). The novel is even more explicit on chis matter: “Foscas malady was trans- fased into me. [had obtained the sad inheritance of my guilt, and my love" (Tarchetti 193). Fosca has, through a loving metempsychoss, succeeded in eransferring her soul into Giorgio. Finally experiencing contentment afer alifetime of misery, Fosca sings, “I donit want to leave” (129). She is reassured by the shows final line, repeated eleven times by various individuals and groups of characters: "Your love will live in me,” ironically sharing the eazlir “I wish I could forget you” theme. The consonance ofllovellive and the melodic © strengthen the line, while the almost mantric chant r- ‘minds one of the repeated Sanskrie shantih at che end of Eliot's The Waste Land, “The peace that passeth understanding” resonates here, 1s Fosca has already slipped from life, returning from the grave to Participate in the chant. This is a quiec but powerful theatrical Passion: Not Just Another Love Story as ‘moment which reminds us of how a lyric and melody can combine to stun an audience into submission “What can we make of this Passion play, which transcends surface pleasures and conscious choices? To answer this question, let us turn to Carl Jung. James Lapine's interes in Jung is well-known; indeed, his play Tivelue Dreams i based on one of Jung's case studies. Lapine's libreeto for Into she Woods, moreover, ventures into not only a dark forest, But also the dark subconsciousness of mythology. Passion seems similaly influenced by archerypes and symbolism, chough less overty. Since I have mentioned dreams, les begin our exploration of the unconscious there. Sondheim's mentor Oscar Hammerstein was fond of writing about dreams, The early R8CH musicals are well-known for their dream ballets exploring subconscious desires, while in South Pacific, he used the word “dream” over two dozen times in five songs. In Passion dreams are less pervasive but are endowed with deep, often dark, meaning. Fosca, who claims early on, “I read to dream,” bitterly adds, 1 do not dell on dreams [now how soon a dream becomes an expectation. How can Ihave expectations? Look at me. know how painful dreams can be Unless you know ‘Theyee merely dreams. (22-28) “The attractive couple has no such problems with reveries, as Giorgio and Clara sing together, “To dream of you and then... To feel your touch again” (47-48). Later, when Fosca believes she is dying, she asks Giorgio to put his head next co hers as she goes to sleep. “Can we dream together?” she asks. As ifsome sort of three-way mind melding hha taken place, Clara enters at that moment to read us her leter: Tye jase rien fom a dream oF you 2 dream so real 1 Geld Sea you wee hs my ie. a wd this, having you in my dreams night after night... Do ver Sexe Somes tik baton ou Zatch a person sleep cheres a transparency that lee you see their soul. (58) Upon her exit, Fosca awakens and says to Giorgio, “Itis you. I thought Iwas dreaming” (59). Although she cannot yet possess Giorgio in26 Gary Konas Passion: Not Just Another Love Story 27 reilicy, the subconscious connection among the ches Bist her Clara write to tll Giorgio that her husband i going vay forawhile, paychic energy to fuel her pursuit ‘which means Nigar significantly, we ater see Giorgio feverish balucinac® Leanviieyouarniaht enacted on his bed: “a black-caped form writhles) af the bed spins. Agate ighed bythe moon, saa oe re ifs ups is Fosea 0p Giorgi, who Suge be sa tant die 95) The doctor hears is cris and awakens hi Not a shuttered afternoon. ‘And perhaps at last ‘Well share a sunsse Gono: She was ding me down the grave Wouldnt that be bezuifll— (107) ' Shah ber, She was hugging, me. Kissing me wee Se el Vee Gn ane ie ve | tne, dzawing me, ke iy ental Deginging his move aay from che bright sunlight of Clara and _ Doctos: Irvasonlya dieam, (97) coward the subdued glow of Fosce x On gh: wes play an important symbolic sol in Psion “They ese appear ominously in Fosea’s “T Read” ‘uci is more than that. The apparition of Fosca arop Giorsic 8 fot succubus drawing the life force fom dhe YouE Py which Song identifies as one form of anim, “a magica ferninine being Jung; “There i a flower ! sag ypet 308). The animacan be seenas the shadow archetype ‘Which offers nectar a che top “Aico ofa man’ inner life, an appropriate image fr the dark ‘And bitter poison underneath ihe da feed, in Tarchetis novel Fosca even identies herself as ‘The buxcerfly that stays too long And drinks too deep Ts doomed to die. (22-23) Giorgio’s shadow, and “when [ave died for ‘you, you worttbe able co Sage me” (152). Alchough at this eine Giorgio haunted by a fore fone inthe en he dears is ove to het which Pompe “This allegory is meant co caution Giorgio agains becomming poisoned rare, This isnt a dream?” “This isnt a dream” he 2s her by the seductive Bower Clara, Flowers are next fassociared with faner- (133), We thus come fl cre in Pasion, fom unwitingnss fo dream, 2 Beh then futlgy—"ASif a lower or tee could somehow make Cr Thwory dream love, ro nightmare, co dream fulfilled a Gn Fosea scowls (31) We se the sources of her AEE 5 lasoy dra re ally eke pace in ce dark, Paton is led ope fattback, in which her parents say “A womans is 2 flower” (77) “with allusions to light char go well beyond the significancs of Claras aoe ee pony Count Ladovie upon leaning ea osc kes flowers, with 2 Giorgio initially declares in “Hlappiness love eo see YoU a he shes he had brought her lage bougues ayn cheaper Taha” CD. Las, wthen Fosa believes ee is dying, he Pee this Ron buying i). After being jilted, Fosca bitely nose, “A woman's the gcc co Gloggio bu cries to say our of the [ihe herself “I chan basing I) flowers ony purpose ico please.” (is ellipses a veep the dark (57). When she awakens fom whatshe thought te 2 NBaccin che presen, while concinuing ro pursue Cloves she fer beri Giorgio, hea him co dra che curtain, 0 SP in en) Py wiles and daisies are blooming out of selon: Be as ea gefore the dayighe takes them away” (59). In the ener tiles, “They mistake Autumn’ warmth for APA (00), Although he “xe Fics: while il, she bas Giorgio write, “T wanted you 1 ‘vanish mie warning hat she cannot expesience a "ert rebirch with him, een ight | But now Lsce you in a diferent ight” (6) fe fondly Bo Srmbolism behind the Bowers contradicts for the daisy from igh gy Light cemains Foscds enemy unc, on dhe wai Signs eternal life and salvation, a8 well a eae (Herder 55). deen che ake out the window and 7, “The moonlight makes is iy, the violet has 2 long symbolic history: "Ang the Mila andecape look lovely. Look. Thee seem 10 be faces in those Middle Ages she violet signified modest virwousness ‘and humility eg ri tfing back ac us (102). Giorgio sees whar she means and Middle gt cymbol of Mary Because ofits colos ici leo symbol rete slighely. She is beginning fo win him over, 3s we s90n realize aero Passion” (Hlerder 208). In Fosca we see both 2 frustrated,28 Geary Konas urturer and someone passionately commited to sacrificing herself | one atchaic meaning for the word Susions margyrdon). We may therefore discern aero, e.g Palglous, aernate meaning in the musicals cle. Late a Giorio ‘Sitsably recovers from his illness and hallucination, Clara i oni, aaa inging cheerful: "Tm ling up the zoom, / Our lide room! Seth every Hower in bloom’ (99), She is unaware cha che bloom i arr Rai samance, whereas the sedsoflove for Fosca have been planted Se italcearth of Giorgio subconscious, waiting fora bic of warmch to awaken and sprout them ‘Consulting jung can help us sort out the meaning of these some- times eonflcung actions and symbols. In speaking of archenypes— ane poral, unconscious regulators of conscious thoughts and aoe he says that “dreams behave in exactly the same way a8 acs seg jnadon, only the sopporof conscious contents islacking Jung "Patche’ 75). Dreams can therefore depice true desires thas 0° dened by conscious thought. Als, because a deam seems an almost mystical experience, ic can generate gear emotion: Often it drives wih uncxampled passion and emoreless Topi towards its goal and draws desubjeccunderis spel fourm which despite che most desperate sistance he is vretble, and finaly no longer even willing, co break free, Caaaacethe experience brings with ica depth and fullness of meaning chat was unthinkable befor. ‘Gung, ‘Payche” 76) Does this not describe Giorgio’ strugele perfectly? One could argut, poe ne no conscious words and actions alone could persuade Giorgio wo switch is love fom Clara ro Fosea so quickly, char onlyan archetypal pull could effect such a transformation. Sony also makes wef discintion bernen instinct and si ve eee Ghat archerypes are mystical and spsital; conversely ae ess are chose ingrained biclogical imperatives char may seem inetiay to dhe spirit, Nevertheless, as dual pochie processes Jong caine ree and aptit as forming the endpoints of a psychic con- ‘ee on along which each person slides from moment to mores finwum, ore © Giorgio as being instinctively drawn to che sexually Uninable Clara, with Pasion being a recording of his relucrans, Yet esryable, move away from her and coward the sptieual Fosca. Jung Passion: Not Just Another Lave Story 29 notes, moreover, that “Violet isthe ‘mystic color, and it certsaly nee ope indubiably ‘mytic or paradoxical quality ofthe ache; ‘ype Gung "oyche” 81). Ae Thave shown above, Foscais associated Ph the violet flower (and, by extension, the color) venjon includes additional subtleties, As if the Rousseau fen 4 Doniner: aia sung ealy in the show were not veiled segh,Toraso comes back lace, when Giowgo is seting his rela Sao with lara all apart, sing an Iealian Christmas co with serae rzable msiody of God Rex Ye Merry, Gendemen’ (110) Rough raclated, the carol speaks of peace and tranquils) pO” Roney Cproughe about by a child born wo save the world from the gest power of San. Icis story of great happiest fo the gathered Be Pot peshap eis yet one more whispered reminder from the cerpons egasding redemption, for char cheme certainly comes 2705s say docs Fosca help Giorgio save himself chrough discovering fis spinal side, but she, the one associared with eternal life and ai re Ghrough the daisies, sacrifice herself while gaining eves ing lif wiehin Giorgi’ hear, Even Clare may be redeemed by being ia ae Ngante args for now tax Giorgio sno longer Seal Serie ahe wll most Likely recarn to her fail, where spcitual di enor may avait Afterall we never lea anything negative abou see ands apparendly she simply found Giorgio more desirable er by divingbencath che surface of consciousness difie’e to wrlock Zi the rayteries of Pasion. For example, hroughout che a aanercis, bugles and singing soldiers remind us of “This military See Uniforms, uniforms” (16 and elsewhere, including even ae sequence) Is Sondheim equating micaryregimencation wich ce eiafenmly inflexible preconceptions about women? And why ‘perl older so often end tei interludes with ahacmonized hrie; sang "say!" The device is reminiscent of he ero of Talia SESS sang ak Laesset The Mor Happy Fella who appear peviodicaly 9 iran peracally The ple Tilsay”isanothe instanceof Pasions maigie number 3, but any further significance is unclear One might Fang maforein Freud's reminder that sometimes a cigar is just gt fe peving Sondheim's penchant for puzzles such an admonish- ‘ment is hardly comforting Hove doce Passion rate among Sondheim's shows? Even stern crt sce ve ia Shsenved lenving the Piymouth Theatre wiping sway afin Tigpima or two, and some Sondheim fant speak of te show ss ific220 Gary Konas were a life-changing experience for them. Perhaps itis churlish, then, to note thar, even though Giorgio discovers in his decision song that he loves Fosca and will aways remember her in death his realization ‘arties no responsibility for furure action. Having already lost Clara, hr risks litte by declaring his love, however heartel it may seem, t0 the doomed Fosca. In Follies, by contrast, the four main characters Lltimarely choose to re-couple with their respective spouses, which has lasting consequences; in A Little Night Music, when Fredrik and Desde finally connect with each other, they must change partners permanently for che sake oftheir love. Even resisting such compati- Eons, when Giorgio declares his love ro the dying Fosca, we should fel the pang that Chaplin invokes in City Lights when the previously blind woman who owes her new eyesight, not ro a rich man as she had assumed, but to the smitten Lite Tramp, asks, “You?” The tramp rods with a shy, tentative smile and a puppydog g2ze. In that mo- trent we feel che mingled rush of love and pity that Giorgio’ thrice- repeated "I love you" fails to generate in me, regardless of how much Tadmire the show's craft and complexicy I believe the swiftness of the tumebout accounts for this problem; the score certainly cannot be faulted. ‘Giorgi's quick change of heart leads co the question of Passon's Jong one-act structure. When Inio the Woods opened, the firs-act curtain seemed to provide a satisfying fairytale ending (except for a final disquieting " wish’). Sunday in the Park seemed similarly com- plete atthe fist ace curin—without even a dissenting note (ether F lodic of lyrical) to draw the audience back after intermission. Both nusicals, however, showed in their important second acts what happens after we chought everything had been resolved. In Passion, orginally intended to be paired with another one-act musical, Sondheim and Lapine fele che story reached completion with Fosca’s ‘ish-fulfillment and death, and most composers would be thriled co Yo so well. However, Pasion leaves us with an idealistic ending by Sondheim’ standards, one not to be tested by the real world we saw in the ewo earlier works. Because Fosca dies, Giorgio does not have to nurse his sickly, homely beloved for the following forgy years, nor do ine see where (or to whom) his newfound spitieualicy will lead him Thest, assuming he does not slide back co the instinct side of Jungs Continuum, Ie becomes difficult, cherefore, co judge whether Fosea’s Jove has indeed transformed Giorgio in the way we see nonspecific Passion: Not Just Another Love Story aa yet satisfying atitude shifts in Robere (Company) and modern-day George (Act IT of Sunday in the Park). Even conceding that his is osu story, “wish” I could see what happens next to the new Giorgio. Uf this were Hollywood instead of Broadway, a sequel would be inevitable.) Nevertheless, Sondheim, who has in the past somerimes been criticized for emotional decachment, pulls outall his emotional stops in Passion, and he is unabashedly proud of the work, which went through an especialy trying preview reception. One of the shows greatest strengths for me les in its subd pleasures, such as the fact that a @ is camouflaged within the mirrored S's of the logo—lerters ‘which also represent the compose’ initials! “although Sondheim would justifiably resene the comparison, ‘Passion ceminds me of Andrew Lloyd Webber’ subdued, relatively ‘unsuccessful musical Aspect of Love in atleast one way: it shows that, as one of Lloyd Webber's songs asserts, “Love Changes Everything.”* Sondheims shows like Aspect, is never bombastic in an age that seems to requite Broadway musicals to be special effects-laden in order to turn 4 profit. He deserved a berer fate, however, than cunning third to a levicating, spinning beast Prince and a chandelier ereshing on cue eight times a weeks Passion is about people—no more, no less Perhaps another simple love story is #00 simple for Broadway in the 1990s. "The aesthetics of Passion likely appealed to the same audience that appreciated Sunday in the Park cen years earlies. The face chat ‘Passion lasted only around 250 performances, compared co 600 for ‘Sunday, may be acibuted to the fact thatthe former had no ticke- Telling aames in the cat, whereas che later was blessed with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters; Sunday lasted only a few months after they had both depareed. TLapine once said of Sunday in he Park thac “You have to think Not a lot, bur some.” In Passion, ies probably best for the audience zor think, but to let Sondheim's sounds wash over them, in order to become part of the cone poem being created on stage. Otherwise, Snalyzing the motifs and lyrical patterns inthe score won! help much {fches musical is beauty forthe eye, ea, and heart to appreciate ics aa beast for the rational mind to comprehend. ..just like love.>22 Gary Konas Nores 1, The original Broadway cast album, which includes condensed dia logue passages, runs 36 minutes or hal the show’ running dine 2. age numbers are given in parentheses throughout for Psion (New ‘York: Theatre Communications, 1994). . 3. A fbromyalgia ue Tspke co conims this ily reponse 4, Tc mus be coincidence, bu the chapsodic instrumental ending of *Happinesicery reminiscent of Lloyd WebbesUnespeced Song front Song and Dane. 5. Aneatie, substantially shorter version ofthis essay originally appeared in Mockingbird, V. 1, 1994 sears ‘Works Crrep Herder, S.D. Symbol Dictionary. Tans. Bois Mathews. Wilmette, IL: Chiron, 1986 : Jung, Carl. “Archetypes of che Collective Unconscious." In The Basie Writ ‘ngs of CG. jung. Ed. Violet S. deLastlo. New York: Modern Library, 1959, From On he Narr of tt Pye In Te Baie Wrising of CG. jung fabove). Sondheim, Stephen, and James Lapine, Passion. New York: Theatre Communications, 1994, Taccherti, 1.U. Passion (orig. citle Fora). Trans. Lawrence Venuti. San Francisco: Mercury Flouse, 1994, Revisiting Greece- The Sondheim Chorus Barbara Means Fraser Sondheim and Greece may seem a strange marriage of topics, bue in fact, the succure ofthe chorus in many of Stephen Sondheim's mu- sical resembles che Greek chorus more strongly than a more typical chorus of che American musical. Sondheim’ rather unusual restruc- tured chorus is one of che artistically and culturally exciting qualities cevidene within his musicals. An understanding of where its anteced- ents might ie will help diectors produce his complex work with bet- ter insight and will help scholars see how and why choices are being made to create and communicate the art so effectively. ‘Before the Sondheim musical can be analyzed insighefally, a brief description of Greek culture, community, and chorus is necessary ‘The Greek chorus is often misunderstood because it grows so directly out of the culture of ancient Greece. Contemporary Americans have difficulty understanding a conception of character so different from their culture. Americans respect and value che individval. They try to distinguish themselves one from another. They separate any special traits that make them different from the crovid, and take pride in special talents thar make chem different from other Americans. This conception of character, so effectively caprured in the cowboy, the privateeye, and the sp, is integrated into American actions, thoughts, and values ‘The Greek conception of characteris the opposite of American sensibilities. Whereas American culeue reinforces and identifies with the individual versus the society, the Greek world of 450-400 8. defined itself in terms of the individual and sociery; they celebrated the communicy. One of the central differences is that Greeks were characterized by an idea called averé. Areré has been translated from the Greek as vireue or honor, but neither word truly captures the