[NEohioPAL] Sondheim disses South Pacific

[Ansley Valentine]

I suppose we are on the verge of Fred banishing this conversation to
"the other list." However, I wanted to offer a couple of comments.

I know Sondheim is portrayed as "dissing" South Pacific and Hammerstein.
However, it seems he is offering the kind of critical comment/analysis
one would expect when examining such a classic work. It may seem that
Sondheim speaks "heresy" but I think scholars have said all of these
things (and more) in analysis of "South Pacific." 

Those ARE some awfully happy seabees in the middle of a long, hot war.
If you have ever read Michener's novel, you know that "Tales of the
South Pacific" is far more dangerous, gritty, and at times offensive
(especially Nellie's extremely blatant racism). Michener captures the
boredom, the danger, and the ever-present fear this men dealt with on a
day-to-day basis. Michener captured the antics that punctured the
boredom and latent fear to bring some levity to the existence of these
men and women. Of course, one could presume that Rodgers and Hammerstein
made a very conscious choice to soften the challenging stories in the
source material, and give more focus to the lighter moments of the book.
Although in our modern dramatic context, we would portray war in a more
brutal/challenging way (as in Miss Saigon), it seems that an audience in
post-World War II America would not be so welcoming to an honest
portrayal. One could presume they wanted a rosier, happier presentation
of war life to see, and would "fill in" the underlying
drama/tension/grit from personal experience. However, as a documentary,
one would be hard pressed to see it as being an accurate portrayal of
the war in the South Pacific. On the other hand, Miss Saigon does much
better at capturing what it might have felt like to be in Saigon during
the Viet Nam war. (Again, "Miss Saigon" is not a completely true
portrayal of the Viet Nam war. However, they do so much more to embrace
the darker elements at work. Perhaps that comes, as well, from the tie
to the operatic source material.)

Thank you again for sharing this article. It is good to engage
thoughtful dialogue about the work and comments of important artists.

Ansley Valentine
Associate Professor
Co-Vice Chair, Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival, Region
III
College of Wooster Film Studies Program Chair

The College of Wooster
Department of Theatre & Dance
1189 Beall Avenue
Wooster, OH 44691
330-263-2028 Office
330-347-1519 Cell Phone
330-263-2690 Fax
>>> Christopher Fortunato <learnedhand at live.com> 01/20/09 2:49 PM >>>

Interesting he would diss his benefactor Oscar Hammerstein who taught
him everything about writing lyrics.
The occasion seemed weird and self-congratulatory what with horrible
critic Frank Rich leading the conversation.
 
Sondheim Calls Critics ‘Ignoramuses,’ Disses ‘South Pacific’ 

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By Philip Boroff
Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Since Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “South Pacific”
opened at New York’s Lincoln Center Theater in April, it’s been a
favorite of critics and audiences and has won seven Tony Awards, the
most of any Broadway musical revival. 
On Sunday, Stephen Sondheim tore it apart. 
Interviewed at Avery Fisher Hall by New York Times columnist Frank Rich,
the 78-year-old composer-lyricist explained why he’s no fan of the 1949
classic. 
“I think it’s personal taste,” he said. “I find it, um, obvious.” 
“South Pacific” was adapted from the James Michener book “Tales of the
South Pacific.” It’s set on two islands during World War II and tells
intertwining stories of two romances obstructed by prejudice and a
secret mission to gain intelligence about Japanese troop movements. 
Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the book, was
weak with contemporary language, Sondheim said. And his characters are
unrealistic, particularly a cheery battalion of U.S. Navy Seabees who
build aviation bases. 
“I don’t believe for two seconds that those are Seabees,” Sondheim sa“It’s the happiest war I’ve ever seen.” 
Rare Dig 
Seldom does Sondheim, the most revered living composer- lyricist in
musical theater, publicly criticize a contemporary. But he’s free with
opinions when the artist is dead, even when it’s Hammerstein, a mentor
and father figure. 
(The musical was key in Sondheim’s life: At the opening, on April 7,
1949, 19-year-old Sondheim was introduced to 20-year-old Hal Prince, who
would go on to produce and direct on Broadway. The two would collaborate
on some of Sondheim’s biggest successes, including “Company,” “Sweeney
Todd,” and “A Little Night Music.”) 
On Sunday, Sondheim singled out the last line of “There is Nothing Like
a Dame” from “South Pacific” for ridicule: “There ain’t a thing that’s
wrong with any man here/That can’t be cured by puttin’ him near/A girly,
womanly, female feminine dame.” 
“The whole lyric of ‘There’s Nothing Like a Dame’ drives me crazy,” he
said. “It doesn’t sound to me like what the character is trying to
convey. Where he (Hammerstein) is at his best is in the romantic stuff.”

Sondheim rarely gives extended interviews and Avery Fisher Hall, with
some 2,700 seats, was packed. The audience included fans, producers,
critics, collaborators such as John Weidman and performers such as
Bernadette Peters -- the original Dot in “Sunday in the Park With
George.” 
‘Reviewed By Ignoramuses’ 
Other nuggets from the 90 minutes: Sondheim showed his contempt for
critics, many of whom were slow to embrace his shows. 
“Musicals are the only public art form reviewed by ignoramuses,” he
said. “There are very few of them, I can guarantee it, who know anything
about music at all.” 
(“I know what I like,” Rich, a former Times chief drama critic, said in
his defense.) 
The composer-lyricist was asked about the public’s increased appetite
for his work the second time around. Last season, the Roundabout Theatre
Co. staged a lauded revival of “Sunday in the Park.” Next season, it’s
planning to revive his 1981 flop “Merrily We Roll Along.” 
“Tastes get more sophisticated as time goes on,” he said. “Sometimes a
show grows into its own clothes.” 
Sondheim disclosed that a CD of “Road Show,” which wrapped up a run at
the Public Theater last month, is likely. 
“It looks like we will be recording it in February,” he said. 
As previously reported, he’s compiling a collection of his lyrics for a
book, with essays by him about writing. And he’s “nibbling” with “Road
Show” collaborator Weidman about another piece. 
“I should be getting back to the piano,” he said. “I’ve got to start
writing music again.” 
“There isn’t anything in particular. There will be.” 
To contact the writer on this story: Philip Boroff in New York at
pboroff at bloomberg.net. Last Updated: January 20, 2009 11:32 EST 
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