MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: AN EVENING WITH STEPHEN SONDHEIM {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. In this seminar, moderated by Museum vice president Susan B. Fisher, composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim discusses his theater and television work. Fisher begins by screening a tape of highlights from Sondheim's television work, including the following: "Great Performances: Sweeney Todd" (1985); "ABC Stage 67: Evening Primrose" (1966); "American Playhouse: Sunday in the Park with George" (1986); "American Playhouse: Into the Woods" (1991); and "Great Performances: Follies: Four Days in New York" (1986).
Sondheim then joins Fisher on stage for discussion of the following topics: his early job scriptwriting for the television series "Topper," and the technical training this afforded him; the influence of his close friend and mentor Oscar Hammerstein II; how Hammerstein pushed him to write from character rather than from a set of "standardized emotions"; and the genesis of "Evening Primrose," the only musical he has written expressly for television. Audience questions lead to comments on the following topics, among others: why he would never revise or expand "Evening Primose" for the stage; meter in "A Little Night Music"; the differences between the Broadway and the London productions of "Follies"; the creation of the musical "Assassins," an examination of violence against presidential figures in the United States; his current work-in-progress, "Passion," in collaboration with James Lapine; whether there are strong autobiographical elements in his songwriting; his writing process; the ability of the great writer to write outside of his/her own perceptions; the lyrics of Lorenz Hart; producing a show cast album as opposed to a manicured pop album, and his experience with the original "West Side Story" album; the economics behind the current emphasis on spectacle in musical theater; the idea of dreams or unconscious thoughts entering one's waking work; the sophistication of today's talented young songwriters and the influence of recordings on how they learn the skill of writing a lyric or shaping a tone; collaborating with Richard Rodgers on "Do I Hear a Waltz?"; his great learning experiences writing lyrics for "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," despite his preference for writing music; his admiration for Bernard Herrmann's score for "Hangover Square"; Leonard Bernstein's influence on him; how the failure of Hammerstein's innovative musical "Allegro" made him cautious; the inherent flaws in "Anyone Can Whistle" that make it unrevivable; his limited involvement in the casting process; his experience as a lecturer in a master class at Oxford and his love of teaching.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: October 27, 1993 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:29:26
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:93845
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Susan B. Fisher … Moderator
- Stephen Sondheim … Guest
- Charmain Carr
- John Collier
- Hammerstein, Oscar, II
- Lorenz Hart
- Anthony Perkins