Anyone catch Six by Sondheim on HBO?

Posted: 12/9/13 at 9:32pm

I am out but am dvr-ing it...


Updated On: 12/10/13 at 09:32 PM

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 9:41pm

It's truly fascinating so far.

Not sure if this is the first showing or not (I think it is)...but I'm loving it. Updated On: 12/9/13 at 09:41 PM

[artisn'teasy]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 9:45pm

I'm streaming it because I don't have HBO. It's delightful despite the somewhat frequent pauses in my stream. But I'll take what I can get!

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 9:53pm

NOT a fan of this rendition of "I'm Still Here," though.

I get what they're trying to do, and it's interesting and all, but...it's not really working for me. Updated On: 12/9/13 at 09:53 PM

[Esther2]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 9:56pm

^^^Definitely an odd arrangement. But quite dramatic.

I'm loving the film so far

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:17pm

I don't have HBO, so I need to see it online or something

[jasonf]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:19pm

It's AWESOME. Sondheim's guest appearance in Opening Doors was one of the greatest things ever!

Plus Audra singing Send in the Clowns? It doesn't get any better.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:27pm

That was absolutely incredible. Had that been released in theaters, I'd imagine it would be a frontrunner for the Best Documentary Oscar. Wow, wow, wow.

I'd kill to see a SIX (MORE) BY SONDHEIM special. I could've watched him talk about his creative process all night. Updated On: 12/9/13 at 10:27 PM

[Reginald Tresilian]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:28pm

Really fascinating. The two big things I learned: that "Something's Coming" was meant to be a like a Judy Garland number and that the lyric of "Sunday" is one sentence.

Loved it.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:31pm

just finsihed watching this wonderful look into STEPHEN SONDHEIM...i am very emotional right now and full of joy!...

I am proudly a SONDHEIMMANIAC!

( I loved OPENING DOORS...BEING ALIVE with DEAN JONES was amazing...I'M STILL HERE was totally brilliant...what a weird and wonderfull rendition, and very moving in it's own way)

Updated On: 12/9/13 at 10:31 PM

[Movidude742]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:45pm

I am loving that a few things that were used in Sondheim on Sondheim are used here.

Especially the Ethyl Merman/ Loretta Young anecdote

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:47pm

Very good but I wanted more.

A little puzzled by the rendition of I'm Still Here by a male lounge singer. Not to much footage of Prince. What version was that of Merrily?

Thank God for the bootleg video only of Merman in Gypsy.

[PianoMann]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 10:49pm

I really enjoyed this!

I can't say I learned much that I didn't already know, but all of the information and the interview clips were presented very well.

Audra's "Send In The Clowns" was beautiful - and a very interesting that it was performed by husband and wife. The montage of performers that they included was also cleverly executed.

I actually really appreciated the way "I'm Still Here" was done. Definitely not the best vocal performance we've heard of the song, but it was capably sung. The period style and the audience members (all women more appropriate to sing it) provided a unique lens to hear the material.

"Opening Doors" was great! I was skeptical when I saw who they had brought in to perform it, but it was great. The Sondheim cameo was so much fun; very courageous of him, and certainly entertaining.

I loved seeing the full clip of the "Company" cast recording session, and I thought that was a very unique way to present the song. And, of course, "Sunday" is absolutely stunning no matter how many times I hear it...

The only song performance that didn't seem to as much impact was "Something's Coming," where I fully appreciated Sondheim's remarks about it more than actually hearing and seeing it presented.

A big thanks to HBO, Frank Rich, and James Lapine for putting this together. Can never get enough of Sondheim!

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 11:17pm

Brilliant. Kudos to James Lapine and Frank Rich for making this happen. No, did not like "I'm Still Here," but a small blip on an otherwise amazing tribute to the man and his work.

[AwesomeDanny]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 11:19pm

I mostly enjoyed it. Had I not heard nearly every one of those stories before, I would have been riveted. The details that were new were quite interesting. I didn't care for this version of I'm Still Here, but I liked all of the other songs. I really loved Something's Coming and wished that they showed Larry Kert singing the full song. A lot of these clips seemed recycled from Sondheim on Sondheim, so to someone who hadn't seen that, I imagine it would have been far more engaging and interesting, but I felt like this was another well-produced but hardly original perspective on Sondheim.

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 11:26pm

Same here -- I didn't learn anything new (other than the realization that "Sunday" is one sentence), but really appreciate this compilation of insight into his creative process and the songwriting process in general. I felt that the performances were rather distracting, due to the style they were presented in. What was with all the fade-to-blacks during "Send In The Clowns?" Still, it was a treat to see Sondheim himself perform his own material during the second part of "Opening Doors."

At the end, I wanted MORE MORE MORE.

WHY wasn't SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM filmed???

[Huey's Pop]

Posted: 12/9/13 at 11:46pm

Positively perfect. It had me choked up for most of the 86 minutes. Agreed that it could/should have had a theatrical release. Don't miss this.

[PepperedShepherd]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 12:01am

LOVED IT!

Sooooo much better than I expected. I thought it was only going to focus on those 6 songs, when actually there was so much more to it than that. Seeing all those interviews assembled from all those years was especially wonderful.

Loved Stephen's cameo in "Opening Doors" (although I wish we'd gotten the song in one piece, instead of bifurcated). And Larry Kert! And Glynis! And Audra! T'was an embarrassment of riches.

I even liked "I'm Still Here". Although the choice of singer was eccentric, I thought he did a very credible job -- but the heart of that segment was found in the faces of the women in the audience. Incredibly evocative direction by Todd Haynes.

Finally, I'm glad they included Dean Jones doing "Being Alive" from the Pennebaker OCA documentary. After all these years, there's still nothing that comes close to the raw emotional power of his performance.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 12:02am

Just gotta respond to the folks wishing for a theatrical release--it's playing at the Quad Cinema downtown! Saw it last week and I think it's still playing there. Cried through the whole thing. I'm actually glad about the repurposed Sondheim on Sondheim stuff...it deserves a more permanent showcase.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 12:03am

I wish we could have watched it together, wannabe. We could have hugged each other real close.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 12:21am

Easy, Namo...

Go, man, go, but not like a yo-yo schoolboy.

Just play it cool, boy.

Real cool.

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 12:29am

Wow. That was impressive. It's hard to imagine any other Sondheim doc topping this one.

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 1:16am

If you're in NYC, 'Six by Sondheim' is currently playing through Thursday at the Quad Cinema (showtimes at 1 and 3 p.m.). It's running for a week here to make it Oscar-eligible. Sadly, however, it did not make the shortlist of 15 films that will be contending for Best Documentary Feature. Still, for anyone who doesn't have HBO or wants to see it on a big screen (so you can read the credits, etc.), it's great fun.

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 1:55am

"WHY wasn't SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM filmed???"

Apparently originally that was Frank Rich's plan (HBO gave him the special as part of his deal as exec producer on VEEP) but Lapine suggested a new film that would nonetheless use some of that footage.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 2:09am

I thought this film was leagues better than SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM.