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    BLAH

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
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    3 views2 pages

    3.+grant +ST

    Uploaded by

    Jake Gluckman
    BLAH

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    of 2
    ‘Richard Maltby J:2The nearest sing recently orcs with li « lilosophies and sgnatres were the rock and ok barf the 9708 ts: James Taylor, Pat Sith Brae Springeeen The commercial mu fheposti96s era wth few exceptions (A Chorus Line, the Sondheim +e corporate collaborations that admit of no individ oie. + Rainbow was collaborative but reflected Harbus sensibility, West ywascollorativebut reflected Jerome Robbing’ sensibly Bren the ‘movie musicals reflected the sensibility ofthe producer Arthue Fred, ‘rotelprics. But Rogtimereflectsmatket eserch mor than the sen, Soft adaptor Terence MeNally oF the author of the original novel, ‘ctorom. Describing Rogine’s producer, Gath Drainsky, Michiko ‘ween the New Tok Tes: ear wan ofthe moviebsins, Desbinsy shod taser ‘ood cist the tags He lasts tt asow’ prospective book writer ‘ita sl eatent to inure thatthe wees not "gong fon tangent {ong sorting hat incongruous tothe phirophy ores othe po (For Rane hed pling fee el clrate stdin reactions ‘ows book eventually wenthroughsome oda” 1 no hidden signatures in today’ studio-ytem Broadway. Because sites are not usa lle upon to serve a visual rather than a verbal late concept the proces equies them tae faces, just as they were ‘927 ‘esponsbefor the vanishing strong bookin todays isthe ds- ‘view ofartandtratre tht undedies much contemporary popu 1. tthe 9208 39305 and 194asan appreciation ofboth poplar eal 1 igh enue could exist in the wallet places, The grat fil 13 Hany Cohn and Louis B. Maye, crude as they were, understood sure etter than the media mogul today. Yip Harburg sd his idl dng Berard Shaw inthe sga08 Hatbuyg frequen tended “ll the ‘nal imports—Ibsen, Shaws, Chekhor, Mole. Plas Americas like 1 depended onthe theatre for my spiritual life. [attended every show into Lorenz Hart sid his fe ambition was to writers that ‘ansend what he termed “the brutally extn agpecte of or cltae’™™ Langnet,cohead of the Theatre Guid inthe 1948, remarked that lammersen “had read extensively... his knowledge of philosophy, and world afar was greater than tht of slmost anyother tan ud mtn the theatre" lsewher in this book Ihave noted Han Grant, Made. thy Rose (fall of the Theyre ‘tte frequent veiled borrowings fom Shakespeare, Gary Gdns has pointed out that Hammerstein yi "tied of livin’ and seared of dyin” fom “OF Man River" sa paraphrase of sentence frm The Confessions oft. A usin" wasat he same time thoroughly ied ofivingand extremely ight ‘ened of dying” On the other hand, in 199 New York Tne ate Michael John EaChius, the composer rest of Marie Christin sm aptation ofthe “Medea legend presented aa high-concept mosil at Lincoln Center Theater {hat yea, stated that levision sitcoms ae “one of oar great artistic contd ions tothe world™ ‘The Martyrdom of an Stephen Ami the depredations ofthe visigoths on Broadway has stool one gent con- 'invator ofthe pst glories of well-written musical theater Stepien Sonim (b. 30) appears co be the last ofa genealogc line, the last ieritoe ofthe golden-age train. There iso arguing that he showeandliyriceasa body of ‘workembody extraordinary high-end writing forthe musa there iso ques- tion hatheis ina classy himselaselyrcs and that hisisar auteur se ty as has ever managed to survive in the commercial hack ates ofthe ‘Great White Way. Alhough he does not wrt his bet, the raion pl othisstyle and is isso strong that they sce to gue thestion hiss and evento direct the divector Nohigher compliment could be paidtothe org inal ofa writer for the deater Perhaps the only unobserved act sbout the ‘thoroughly studied Sondhein career is that his nuscals are the only ones of recent decadsto feature consitenty strong books, This snot acoincidence, bot rather an object lesson in the rghtnese of shman Engels aesthetics. ‘Sondheim is celebrated nt jst for ehat he as done but foe hat he ep- resents, and therein lies some mischief. He i probably the lst writer for Broavay who will ever become aclebrity strc by writing fo Broadvay, an that ery fact stings and embaeesses the mainstem thea establish ment. His works perceived ghtly as ancleyy fr the great musics teaterof| th pas and be hinsehasbecomea one-man metaphor forthe glove ofthat lest ast ironically self ncaratng hie own show Flies, Intellectuals (ad, sls, pseudoinelecuals obsess an fsoverSondhcim to adegrecuindramnt ‘fy songriters ofthe Irving Bern ea. (Has any living playwright, never ind composer or lyric, eer eda quarterly journal solely devoted to him ‘sivalent to The Sonim Review) He ste object serial hagiography by such bites of taste asthe "Arts and Lelguse” section ofthe NewYork Ties Hehashecomean institution rand name talisman that enables Broa) Brondasary Musics I ‘oy, we can tolerate the dumbing down of the music thestr as ong a we continue bearingoMerings to the elt of Sond, The rel hasbeen fal some beatification of an ati within his working ft, and a curios un willingness to entertain farther development ofthe artic possibilities ofthe musical if American musi theater history ends with Sond, ora if ‘Sondhcim worship somehow purges Broadway ofits ger creative fre Soadhmn has welten marvelous song, bt his mystique issuch that he it ‘uly regarded asa composer ater than a mere songarite. Yet he dos not ‘nd neverbas orchestrated hist, and hus doesnot entirely compose” his sores arangers suc as Jonathan Tuck and Michael tarobia ad een ‘alors no es than Rebert Russel Bennet did fr Ker, Helin, and Rodgers. I Litle Nigt Mii (973), Sond achieved part between extaondi- nail denselyrics and equally dente polyphony and polrbythnv in ensembles [Night Ate melodieesoae and yet ihe in symbiosis with its verbal ing ‘uit and the harmony striking, He has never since quite equsled A Little [Nght ausés achievement ofbalancingameodiousifbaroque sical design ith dense ri writing: Pasion (1994) an etimable piece, is but on recta tiveandaroso and lacs the suking melodie part wetingof Night Mie. The nus of Sweeney Tod (1979), which hasbeen accepted into the repertory ‘of opera houses, has itl ofthe harmonic pangeney, gency, and orginal ofthe other "Broadway operse’— Porgy and Pes, Stet Sone, Cadi, ad egina—with which it clestly seeks comparison, Sondheim should be praised and thanked far eschewing rock groove

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