Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Having been a Stephen Sondheim fan since 1970, I can say no person I have never met has given me more pleasure in the past 43 years than he has.  It constantly amazes me that everybody doesn't respond to his music and lyrics, and stuns me that some people have never even heard of him. I have seen at least fifteen productions of Company, my favorite musical. But was fortunate enough to see the original Follies, A Little Night MusicSweeney Todd and Passion. But I've seen at least one production of all his major shows with the exception of Merrily We Roll Along, which I doubt will ever be done in Miami. Not that I think Sondheim is perfect. I don't. Because over the past four plus decades there has been one lyric line that I never understood. That's right. Just one. And it occurs in Follies. The song is "I'm Still Here" in which Carlotta details her long and often turbulent career. The line that bothers me is this: "I've stood in breadlines with the best; watched while the headlines did the rest." I don't know what he means by "watched while the headlines did the rest". What rest? And how did the headlines do it? Am I just being thick? Or just being petty? And as long as I'm being petty, I have another complaint. I have every DVD that has been made of his shows, and there is only one moment in one of them that drives me mad. Yes, just one. The DVD is SONDHEIM, The Birthday Concert, and one of the young male singers, who is super-talented, says "pundints" instead of the correct "pundits". I cringe every time I hear it. And I always wonder if it bothered Sondheim, who is such a perfectionist with the language. Okay, so I'm neurotic. But then Sondheim's songs are written for people like me.

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  2. Although I adore the song (and most of the rest of the show), that "headlines" line really bothers me, too. Can we suppose she means that while she and her fellow stars were down and out their less-talented, cheaper rivals were grabbing headlines? (Doesn't super make sense vs billing, but I'm trying, here.) I (as a fellow agency Content Provider) am enjoying your blog!

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