Recent posts

#91
Games / Re: The Sondheim Lyrics Chain
Last post by KathyB - Jul 01, 2024, 01:45 PM
Someone who, like it or not, will want you to share
A little, a lot...
#92
Daily Threads / 1 July 2024 Monday
Last post by KathyB - Jul 01, 2024, 01:42 PM
today I got my pulleys so I can now exercise with them in yet another painful way. With any luck, the door that the pulley is attached to will stay closed and not fly open in the middle of an exercise. I had occupational therapy today, and my shoulder was forced into positions into which it does not want to go. :(

Normally I spend the first of July listening to a lot of Canadian music in honor of Canada Day, which I might still do later today, but I spent the morning listening to Days of Wine and Roses, and am now listening to a jazz sampler while my shoulder is being iced up.
#93
The Work / Re: Jonathan Tunick
Last post by scenicdesign71 - Jun 30, 2024, 01:22 PM
NYT:  Where Can Sondheim's Operatic Musicals Find a Home?
              Jonathan Tunick, Stephen Sondheim's longtime collaborator, unveiled a grand
              orchestration of A Little Night Music that deserves more than a concert.



Quote from: Joshua Barone, New York Times, 28 June, 2024In the past, [Night Music] was programmed at New York City Opera, which is now more or less dead.

Ouch.  Granted, as to the point he's making, it's hard to imagine NYCO remounting their much-loved 1990 production anytime soon, even without Tunick's sumptuous new orchestration (which I trust will be recorded sooner than later, though Barone's complaints with this particular showcase -- underrehearsed, balance issues, sluggish tempi -- have been widespread enough to make the concert, whose brief limited run ended last night, seem a weak candidate for recording).  Still, "more or less dead" is harsh; City Opera does still exist, albeit not at the scale of its glory days.



#94
Games / Re: The Sondheim Lyrics Chain
Last post by scenicdesign71 - Jun 29, 2024, 07:57 AM
Old friends don't make demands on you—

          —Should make demands on you!

—Well, don't make demands you can't meet!

          Well, what's the point of demands you can meet??

                    Well, there's a time for demands, whether you meet them or not...


I guess I could've just used Mary's line all by itself, but the full exchange is just such classic Sondheim, so conversationally compressed that it's actually tripped up some listeners — as here, where a helpful Redditor unpacks it with admirable clarity and concision:  "Consistently with his character, Charley thinks we need to demand the impossible of our friends to help them grow."  (Another contributor on the same thread quotes SJS, in Sondheim On Music, explaining the line himself at much greater length.  Interestingly, he had earlier treated the same idea — of "easy" vs. "hard" interpersonal demands, as a measure of commitment — in Company, with Frank's spiritual cousin Bobby yearning for a relationship whose terms explicitly dictate that it never be tested: "Make a few demands I'm able to fulfill.")


#95
Games / Re: The Sondheim Lyrics Chain
Last post by KathyB - Jun 29, 2024, 06:16 AM
Hey, I thought you said tonight'd be Tony's--

This joint is just as grand.

We girls got dressed for dancing at Tony's--

This joint is in demand.
#96
Games / Re: The Sondheim Lyrics Chain
Last post by scenicdesign71 - Jun 27, 2024, 05:18 PM
...But here you are,
And what was just a world
Is a star
Tonight.

#97
Games / Re: The Sondheim Lyrics Chain
Last post by KathyB - Jun 26, 2024, 01:00 PM
Wherever we go,
Whatever we do,
We're gonna go through it together.
We may not go far.
But sure as a star,
Wherever we are,
It's together!
#98
The Work / Re: HERE WE ARE
Last post by scenicdesign71 - Jun 26, 2024, 09:24 AM
I forget whether the OCR includes the dialogue about Leo and Marianne cloning their dogs (so as to keep an identical set at each of their houses around the world, saving the hassle of pet transport when traveling).  But this article made me think of them...

The New YorkerBest Inbreed
                                         The rise of canine clones.

#99
Miscellaneous / Re: Streaming Theatre
Last post by DiveMilw - Jun 23, 2024, 03:17 PM
Stolen from the Public's FB page:

1 WEEK LEFT TO STREAM FREE SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK!!! 🍿🎬 ✨
Don't miss your chance to have a movie night with MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, MERRY WIVES, RICHARD III, and HAMLET from the comfort of your own home! 🙌
WAYS TO STREAM
💻 On your Desktop through the PBS Website
📱On your phone or tablet through the PBS: Watch TV & Documentaries App
📺 On your TV through the PBS: Watch TV & Documentaries App
After downloading the app, simply search the show title & start streaming!
FREE Shakespeare @ Home will be available to stream through next Sunday, June 30! Don't miss out! More info at http://thepublic.nyc/StreamShakespeare
🌟
#100
Musicals / Re: Shows That Don't Deserve T...
Last post by DiveMilw - Jun 23, 2024, 03:15 PM
I am very interested in seeing this version of Cats.  I saw a short video and it looks very intriguing.  I wonder if the concept can remain fresh and interesting for the entire show.  Sadly, I doubt I will make it to NYC before it closes unless it extends indefinitely.