Simply Sondheim

This post isn't really a rant, ranking or a review but something I'll probably do every once and a while and that is just thoughts on a topic. Today the legendary Stephen Sondheim turned 85, which in and of itself is no small feat. His career body of work is also no small feat. I thought about ranking his musicals, but I am not up for the challenge since they span so many decades and styles. I will, however, highlight three favorites of mine with which you should be familiar. For those of you don't know I'm a HUGE Broadway nerd and will have more posts on this subject in the future (whenever I'm starved for ideas or feel like it). By the end of this post, you will have tasted the nerdom. Today we're focusing on Into the Woods, Assassins, and Sweeney Todd because I don't know his others (Company, West Side Story ect.) as well as I know these three.

I'll start recent with Into the Woods. To clarify this didn't come out recently, but only recently appeared on many peoples' radars because of the very good Disney adaptation. ITW came out in 1987, but was massively over-shadowed by a little play called Phantom of the Opera. Gradually it gained more recognition because it was Sondheim. But you probably aren't that interested in all the history. ITW tells the story of many fairy tales like Cinderella, Jack and Beanstalk, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding-Hood ect. but sets them all in the same wooded universe. Rather than pitting heroes against villains, ITW places characters in opposition to each other and to themselves. The story follows most closely the quest of a baker and his wife to locate various things so they can lift a curse, but you really just need to see it to know the story.

The reason I love it is because of Act II. Act I concludes with an overly-perfect Fairy tale ending where everything worked out totally fine, but Act II brings in harsh realities of death and adultery. The message boils down to the idea that life will not be perfect, you will face challenges and self-discovery. I am not as well versed in the old musicals of the 70s and 80s, but Sondheim was ahead of his time with these ideas. The musical landscape in the 80s was still very much romantic comedy happy endings, but ITW leaves you thinking about life and decisions. Like the best theater it causes to reflect on your life and values. This is a must see as a movie or anytime a high school preforms it.

Now on to tell the tale of Sweeney Todd. I can't summarize this one very well, but basically a baker on hard times kills people and bakes them into pies. That sounds overly simple. Most people are familiar with this play (or the pretty good movie version). The reason I love this play is that it is remarkably clever in its use of wordplay. Words like "Serve" are used masterfully to communicate the notions of serving baked in pies, serving these pies to people AND serving them by eliminating bad people. The Act I finale "A Little Priest" is quite possibly the cleverest, most well-written Broadway song in all of history. It showcases Sondheim's genius on full display weaving words in unconventional ways.

The final play is Assassins. There's a better than good chance you've never heard of this play, which is really a shame. This play is more of a revue spotlighting different failed and successful presidential assassination attempts from Lincoln to JFK. While that can be at times morbid, it is first and foremost challenging. This play takes an honest look at the concept of the American dream and how America is the kind of country where you have the power to change the world with only the pulling of trigger. The score is not particularly expansive and even features bits primarily of dialogue, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality. All of the "Ballad" numbers are magnificent songs of history that genuinely cause you to look boldly in the face of American ideals. I think Assassins is the most American musical (okay, other than RENT) and is a must hear and read for all students of drama. If I teach a class on American drama in my life, this will very likely be a part of it. If you need further reason as to why to check it out, Neil Patrick Harris is the Balladeer and he is marvelous.

Please realize that I could go on and on about any and all of those plays, but the point here is that you get a taste and then go search out and discover why they are so great. I can tell you why I love them, but the joy of musicals is discovering that love in your self. As a final note on Sondheim, when I think of the "Best Broadway songs ever" A Little Priest and Ballad of Booth immediately pop to mind. He is truly a legend in a league all his own.