MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SEMINAR SERIES, THE: SIDE BY SIDE WITH SONDHEIM {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in this series of seminars conducted by The Museum of Television & Radio. Held at The Museum of Television & Radio in Los Angeles, and moderated by Los Angeles Museum vice president and director Steven A. Bell, this seminar celebrates the work of composer Stephen Sondheim in commemoration of his seventieth birthday. Panelists include writer and producer Craig Zadan as well as performers Glynis Johns, Joanna Gleason, Dean Jones, Charmian Carr, and Nancy Dussault, all of whom worked closely with Sondheim on various musical productions. Bell opens the evening with a highlight tape featuring the following Sondheim numbers: Carr sings "I Remember" from "Evening Primrose" on "ABC Stage 67"; Dussault, Georgia Brown, and Larry Kert appear on "The Mike Douglas Show" in 1977 performing "Comedy Tonight" and "Love is in the Air" from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"; Gleason sings "Moments in the Woods" during a 1991 "American Playhouse" production of "Into the Woods"; Johns performs "Send in the Clowns" from "A Little Night Music" on "The Best of Broadway" in 1982; and Dean Jones sings "Being Alive" in 1970's "Company: Original Cast Album." A chronological review of Sondheim's musicals leads the panelists to relate the following: Carr explains the process of shooting "Evening Primrose" in a department store, recalling that Sondheim wrote the song she performed in the clip overnight; Jones discusses the replacement of "Company's" song "Happily Ever After" by "Being Alive" and remembers the process of recording the show's original cast album in an eighteen-and-a-half-hour session; Johns recalls Sondheim's composition of "Send in the Clowns" in response to improvisational work she did for her character, and his tailoring of the song to her voice; Dussault comments on the challenge of presenting Sondheim's pieces out of context in "Side by Side by Sondheim" and the composer's legendary dislike of rehearsals; and Gleason discusses her role in "Into the Woods" and the incorporation of her suggestions into her solo number, contrasting Sondheim's works with the popular "megamusicals" of the year 2000. The panelists then explore the undercurrent of melancholy and sadness in many of Sondheim's works; Zadan calls "Company" the start of a different kind of theater and speaks about Sondheim's ability to customize songs for particular actors based on their chemistry; Johns recalls a comical moment during the performance of the 1973 benefit, "Sondheim: A Musical Tribute"; and Carr touches on the topic of Sondheim's early career. Questions from the audience lead to the following discussions: Jones, Gleason, and Dussault talk about Sondheim's tricky and unusual tempos; Jones remembers the revolutionary set design for "Company"; Zadan theorizes on the relative lack of success of "Merrily We Roll Along" and recalls the many unsuccessful attempts to adapt Sondheim musicals for the screen; and the performing panelists conclude by naming roles in Sondheim musicals that they would like to play.
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: May 24, 2000 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:26:18
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:60129
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Steven A. Bell … Moderator
- Charmian Carr … Panelist
- Nancy Dussault … Panelist
- Joanna Gleason … Panelist
- Glynis Johns … Panelist
- Dean Jones … Panelist
- Craig Zadan … Panelist
- Georgia Brown
- Larry Kert
- Stephen Sondheim