BWW Recaps: Stephen Sondheim And Frank Rich In Conversation At Barnes And Noble

On Monday January 17th, Barnes and Noble offered the public a chance to listen in on a free discussion session with famed New York Times theater writer Frank Rich, and renowned composer Stephen Sondheim.

Rich, a New York Times columnist since 1994 who mainly focuses on American politics and popular culture, also served as the paper's Chief Theater Critic from 1980 - 1994. In 1998 his collection of reviews was published in a book called Hot Seat, in which he struggles to dispel the rumor that the New York Times Chief Theater Critic has the power to make or break a play.

Sondheim, the famed composer responsible for the music and lyrics of such classics as Sweeney Todd (1979), Pacific Overtures (1976), A Little Night Music (1973), Follies (1971), and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962), as well as the lyrics for West Side Story (1957) and Gypsy (1959), is one of theatre's living legends. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards, multiple Grammy Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.

The two men are well matched; Rich first garnered attention in the theater community with an essay about Sondheim's Follies. In March 2008, the two appeared in four interviews/conversations together titled "A Little Night Conversation With Stephen Sondheim." Further meetings were held throughout the years, forming an intimate relationship between the two artists.

At ease with one another, Rich cannot help but open the discussion with a joke about their surroundings; Sondheim is known to have a strong dislike for books and reading. "It is true." Sondheim admits, "It is because I am a slow reader. I was brought up on movies. My relationship to the world is through movies."

Moving past this irony, Rich kicked off the conversation with the topic of A Little Night Music, the Broadway musical that originally opened in 1973 at the Shubert Theatre, and is now being revived at the Walter Kerr Theater starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. This work, based on Ingmar Bergman's film, Smiles of a Summer Night, features some of Sondheim's most well known songs, including 'Send in the Clowns.'

While Sondheim claims that he was at ease when first meeting Bergman in 1973, he does admit to some nervousness upon learning that the filmmaker planned to see the show. "When I asked how he liked it, he said ‘Well, it's not the same story, Stephen. But we all eat from the same cake. As for that Hermione Gringold (playing the role of Desirée Armfeldt), she does tend to f*ck the audience doesn't she'?"

In regard to the 2009 Broadway revival, Sondheim dubs himself a "huge fan," calling Catherine Zeta-Jones (as Desirée Armfeldt) "terrific." He goes on to add that Angela Lansbury (as Madame Armfeldt) was originally approached to play the role of Desiree in the 1973 production, so having her with them now is even more special.

Rich, who is writing an essay to go along with the cast album, questioned what it must feel like to look at an old piece with fresh eyes. "I always approach it and get involved with it, and like the revivals much more than I ever expected to." Sondheim admits, "A Little Night Music is elegant and funny and it blends well with the songs. I wouldn't change much. I'm not saying its perfect but I wouldn't change much."

A revival of A Little Night Music is also opening on the Parisian stage with Greta Sacchi (replacing Kristin Scott Thomas who bowed out due to a foot injury) and Leslie Caron. This Paris production sparks another twist of irony, as Sondheim hates the French language, which he calls "nasal and without rhythm."

The next big topic of discussion was the highly anticipated Sondheim on Sondheim project, set to begin rehearsals 2/12 at the Roundabout Theatre. This production provides an intimate portrait of the composer in his own words, using exclusive interview footage to offer an inside look into Sondheim's personal life and artistic process. "It's basically me loafing around and looking like a beached whale, murmuring and closing my eyes as I talk" Sondheim jokes. "At the moment its about four hours long. We are trying to cut it down: to three and a half."

The two proceeded to touch upon Sondheim's infamous feud with composer Don Walker ("He hated me, to him I was a punk"), his history working with Angela Lansbury ("She was almost fired on the road with Anyone Can Whistle"), and whether or not there are any more shows he would like to reprise ("No, this is it.").

Rich references Sondheim's new book, which is being published by Knopf in two volumes. "Basically what it is is every lyric I've written since I was 22 years old and corresponding counter-entries," Sondheim says. "It's been broken into two volumes. So if you are interested in lyrics then it's for you." Rich comes to the defense of his friend and interviewee, proclaiming that he is grossly underselling the value of the book. "It is about the whole craft of theater, and you are radically underselling it," he argues.

The talk ended with Sondheim discussing a piece from his new book- an argument over the placement of the song "Officer Krupke" in West Side Story. "I hated where it was in Act II," Sondheim declares, "I mean, there has just been a murder, and here comes this comic song. I thought it should be ‘Cool' not ‘Krupke'."

As it turns out, it was the set itself - at the insistence of choreographer Jerome Robins - that kept this switch from taking place; ‘Krupke' isn't held on a full stage and utilizes a small amount of space. The number is timed to allow for a scenery change behind the actors, whereas ‘Cool' would not allow such a switch.

‘Jerry Robins promised that if they ever made a movie then they would make the switch. And they did." Sondheim chuckles. "And you know what? It didn't work. So there you go."

For upcoming info on Barnes and Noble free discussions visit www.BN.com

Photo credit: Walter McBride

 

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