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Of course, his columns are opinion. But I don;t feel he backs himself up well.<BR><BR>> Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:06:18 -0800<BR>> From: kulturekids@yahoo.com<BR>> Subject: Re: [NEohioPAL] Sondheim disses South Pacific<BR>> To: neohiopal@listserve.com; learnedhand@live.com<BR>> <BR>> sorry, disagree with you about Frank Rich...his Sunday New York Times columns (mostly political) are intelligent, thorough, and usually spot on the money. <BR>> T.<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> --- On Tue, 1/20/09, Christopher Fortunato <learnedhand@live.com> wrote:<BR>> <BR>> > From: Christopher Fortunato <learnedhand@live.com><BR>> > Subject: [NEohioPAL] Sondheim disses South Pacific<BR>> > To: neohiopal@listserve.com<BR>> > Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 2:49 PM<BR>> > Interesting he would diss his benefactor Oscar Hammerstein<BR>> > who taught him everything about writing lyrics.<BR>> > The occasion seemed weird and self-congratulatory what with<BR>> > horrible critic Frank Rich leading the conversation.<BR>> > <BR>> > Sondheim Calls Critics ‘Ignoramuses,’ Disses ‘South<BR>> > Pacific’ <BR>> > <BR>> > Email | Print | A A A <BR>> > By Philip Boroff<BR>> > Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Since Rodgers and Hammerstein’s<BR>> > “South Pacific” opened at New York’s Lincoln Center<BR>> > Theater in April, it’s been a favorite of critics and<BR>> > audiences and has won seven Tony Awards, the most of any<BR>> > Broadway musical revival. <BR>> > On Sunday, Stephen Sondheim tore it apart. <BR>> > Interviewed at Avery Fisher Hall by New York Times<BR>> > columnist Frank Rich, the 78-year-old composer-lyricist<BR>> > explained why he’s no fan of the 1949 classic. <BR>> > “I think it’s personal taste,” he said. “I find it,<BR>> > um, obvious.” <BR>> > “South Pacific” was adapted from the James Michener<BR>> > book “Tales of the South Pacific.” It’s set on two<BR>> > islands during World War II and tells intertwining stories<BR>> > of two romances obstructed by prejudice and a secret mission<BR>> > to gain intelligence about Japanese troop movements. <BR>> > Oscar Hammerstein II, who wrote the lyrics and co-wrote the<BR>> > book, was weak with contemporary language, Sondheim said.<BR>> > And his characters are unrealistic, particularly a cheery<BR>> > battalion of U.S. Navy Seabees who build aviation bases. <BR>> > “I don’t believe for two seconds that those are<BR>> > Seabees,” Sondheim said. “It’s the happiest war I’ve<BR>> > ever seen.” <BR>> > Rare Dig <BR>> > Seldom does Sondheim, the most revered living composer-<BR>> > lyricist in musical theater, publicly criticize a<BR>> > contemporary. But he’s free with opinions when the artist<BR>> > is dead, even when it’s Hammerstein, a mentor and father<BR>> > figure. <BR>> > (The musical was key in Sondheim’s life: At the opening,<BR>> > on April 7, 1949, 19-year-old Sondheim was introduced to<BR>> > 20-year-old Hal Prince, who would go on to produce and<BR>> > direct on Broadway. The two would collaborate on some of<BR>> > Sondheim’s biggest successes, including “Company,”<BR>> > “Sweeney Todd,” and “A Little Night Music.”) <BR>> > On Sunday, Sondheim singled out the last line of “There<BR>> > is Nothing Like a Dame” from “South Pacific” for<BR>> > ridicule: “There ain’t a thing that’s wrong with any<BR>> > man here/That can’t be cured by puttin’ him near/A<BR>> > girly, womanly, female feminine dame.” <BR>> > “The whole lyric of ‘There’s Nothing Like a Dame’<BR>> > drives me crazy,” he said. “It doesn’t sound to me<BR>> > like what the character is trying to convey. Where he<BR>> > (Hammerstein) is at his best is in the romantic stuff.” <BR>> > Sondheim rarely gives extended interviews and Avery Fisher<BR>> > Hall, with some 2,700 seats, was packed. The audience<BR>> > included fans, producers, critics, collaborators such as<BR>> > John Weidman and performers such as Bernadette Peters -- the<BR>> > original Dot in “Sunday in the Park With George.” <BR>> > ‘Reviewed By Ignoramuses’ <BR>> > Other nuggets from the 90 minutes: Sondheim showed his<BR>> > contempt for critics, many of whom were slow to embrace his<BR>> > shows. <BR>> > “Musicals are the only public art form reviewed by<BR>> > ignoramuses,” he said. “There are very few of them, I<BR>> > can guarantee it, who know anything about music at all.” <BR>> > (“I know what I like,” Rich, a former Times chief drama<BR>> > critic, said in his defense.) <BR>> > The composer-lyricist was asked about the public’s<BR>> > increased appetite for his work the second time around. Last<BR>> > season, the Roundabout Theatre Co. staged a lauded revival<BR>> > of “Sunday in the Park.” Next season, it’s planning to<BR>> > revive his 1981 flop “Merrily We Roll Along.” <BR>> > “Tastes get more sophisticated as time goes on,” he<BR>> > said. “Sometimes a show grows into its own clothes.” <BR>> > Sondheim disclosed that a CD of “Road Show,” which<BR>> > wrapped up a run at the Public Theater last month, is<BR>> > likely. <BR>> > “It looks like we will be recording it in February,” he<BR>> > said. <BR>> > As previously reported, he’s compiling a collection of<BR>> > his lyrics for a book, with essays by him about writing. And<BR>> > he’s “nibbling” with “Road Show” collaborator<BR>> > Weidman about another piece. <BR>> > “I should be getting back to the piano,” he said.<BR>> > “I’ve got to start writing music again.” <BR>> > “There isn’t anything in particular. There will be.” <BR>> > To contact the writer on this story: Philip Boroff in New<BR>> > York at pboroff@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: January 20,<BR>> > 2009 11:32 EST <BR>> > _________________________________________________________________<BR>> > Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Chat. Store. Share. Do more with<BR>> > mail. <BR>> > http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009_______________________________________<BR>> > MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR CTC BENEFIT: Collectively Speaking<BR>> > ... Cleveland Theater Collective Celebration February 9,<BR>> > 2009, 7:30pm!!<BR>> > ______________________________________<BR>> > NEohioPAL is SELF-SERVE. If you need to unsubscribe, change<BR>> > from digest to one-at-a-time delivery or vice-versa, go on<BR>> > hiatus while out of town, switch from mime to plain text or<BR>> > vice-versa, etc. check out the FAQS at<BR>> > http://www.fredsternfeld.com.<BR>> > ______________________________________<BR>> > please consider a voluntary contribution to support<BR>> > Neohiopal - http://www.fredsternfeld.com/faqs.htm#support<BR>> > ______________________________________<BR>> > Disclaimer: The facts and/or opinions expressed in this<BR>> > message are solely those of the person in the 'from'<BR>> > or 'reply-to' header. The fact that this message is<BR>> > posted should in no way be taken as an endorsement by the<BR>> > administrator of this list. Subscribers should perform due<BR>> > diligence for all goods, services and activities promoted on<BR>> > NEohioPAL.<BR>> > _____________________________________<BR>> > NEohioPAL mailing list<BR>> > http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal<BR>> <BR>> <BR>> <BR><br /><hr />Windows Live™ Hotmail®: Chat. Store. Share. Do more with mail. <a href='http://windowslive.com/howitworks?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_t1_hm_justgotbetter_howitworks_012009' target='_new'>See how it works.</a></body>
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