Today we are revisiting the sole collaboration between Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim, DO I HEAR A WALTZ?
We're Gonna Be All Right It is certainly not unusual for major Broadway figures to have their musicals or plays premiere in the same season as each other, but for two of the biggest names in all of theatre at any particular time to actually collaborate on a brand new project is a cause celebre, no matter what the era. Case in point, look no further than 1965 Broadway musical DO I HEAR A WALTZ? for a prime example of not two, but three of the most significant names in all of musical theatre converging to create a brand new piece - in this case, legendary composer Richard Rodgers, then-rising lyricist and songwriter Stephen Sondheim along with noted playwright and bookwriter Arthur Laurents. Yet, not all marriages are made in heaven, after all, particularly artistic ones in the theatrical realm, and sometimes the results fail to live up to the impossibly decadent potential of the respective property when it finally exists onstage - and so it goes with DO I HEAR A WALTZ?, which premiered on Broadway this very week back in 1965.Also, view this intriguing television special focused on the original production, featuring Laurents and Sondheim.
Lastly, enjoy the original version of one of the score standouts, "We're Gonna Be All Right". So, why do some musicals work and some do not, despite the best of intentions and the most accomplished of creators doing their damnedest to bring it all together in a cohesive and compelling fashion? Furthermore, what musicals can you think of that function far better in revised versions than in their original form, such as DO I HEAR A WALTZ? undoubtedly does? With a score by Rodgers and Sondheim and a book by Laurents, it is unavoidable that future generations will try their hand at this musical over the course of the next 50 years and beyond - and, who knows, perhaps a particularly enterprising director and cast will answer the titular question with a resounding yes once and for all.
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