Play it again, SteveM ost rabid Beatles tans rolled their eyes

in the mid-1990s when collections ofrarities (Live ut the BKC, the three

Anthology sets) were officially released. Beatlebootlegs had eireled the globe hundreds oftimes over the previous three deeades, and FabHour purists insisted that the tndy great Beatleouttakes were nowhere to be found. Ultimatelythe 1990s compilations, however imperfect,sold millions worldwide and allowed a new gen-eration to become hardcore Beatles fans.

Likewise, Stephen Sondheim fanatics mightcavil at the selections on Sontlheim Sings (PSClassics Inc., the only nonprofit record labeldevoted to musical theatre), the first in a pro-jected scries of CDs of Sondheim performing hissongs from private demo recordings, and theymight prefer other versions of other songs in

their own bootleg collec-tions. But for those unfa-miliar with Sondheim'sperforming, and unawareof his rarer works, thisalbum of songs from AFunny Thing Happened onthe Way to the Forumthrough A Little XightMusic is an excellentintroduction.

Sondheim has beenquick to denigrate hissinging ability, and he'squoted in the liner notesas saying, "1 tend to singvery loud, usually offpitch and always write inkeys that are just out ofmy range." With theexception of JohnnyMercer or Comden andGreen, who started their

show business careers as performers,Sondheim's singing is no better or worse thanthat of most of the great Broadway songwriters.\\Tiat he might lack in professional polish, how-ever, he more than makes up for in enthusiasmand an obvious pride in his songs.

One such example is Sondheim's perform-ance of an early version of "The GlamorousLife," before a small, appreciative audience at abacker's audition fo r< i Little Xight Music. Hequickly juggles back and forth singing each ofthe three characters (Desiree, Mme. Armfeldtand FYedrika) while also playing Fredrika'sscales: "She even hits wrong notes ...,"Sondheim reassures the audience. The originalversion of the song had an additional thirdverse, and Desiree's lyrics .verc markedly differ-ent: at one point she sings "ct cct'ra," whichwould reappear in "A Weekend in the Country,"where it would be rhvnied with "Petra."

REVIEW BY ANDREW 1 I

Seven of the 19 songs included wereally cut from Sondheim shows, while two murewere significantly condensed by the time theyreached Broadway. Listening to the previously,unknown material in this collection, you canappreciate Sondheim's sheer versatility, whiletotally understanding why these songs wereeither shortened or cut entirely. For example,Sondheim Sings includes the two attempts at anopening number for forum before "ComedyTonight." "Love Is in the Air" would be per-formed in 197,Vs Sondheim: A Musical Tributeand Side by Side by Sondheim; it appears herewith slightly different lyrics. It's a pleasantsong, but it left audiences unprepared for theensuing comedy.

The first section of Sondheim's replacementsong, "Invocation," was reworked into the open-ing song of The Frogs ("Gods of the thuatc*smile on us ...",, but the entire song has neverbeen recorded. "Invocation" has a jauntymelody and some phrases Sondheim wouldretain for "Comedy Tonight" ("Allow mattersweighty to wait"; "Forget laurels, helmets andcrowns/Receive lovers, liars and clowns"), but acloser examination of the song reveals it lacksthe visual imagery to establish what Forum is allabout. Play doctor Jerome Robbins was right todemand that Sondheim write an easier openingnumber to choreograph.

In some of the unknown songs on the album,listeners can hear concepts that reappear inlater Sondheim works. During a deleted sectionof--"-Don't Look at Me" from Follies, the middle-aged Ben asks Sally, "Ought we to do what onedoes/Reminisce about how we miss what neverwas?" This anticipates the conclusion of "Like ItWas" from Merrily We Roll. Along, where a mid-dle-aged Mary laments, "That's what everyonedoes/Blames the way it is/On the way it vvas/Onthe way it never ever was." And the central 'theme of obsession in Company's "Multitudesof Amys" ("Avenues of Amys/Offieefuls ofAmys/Everywhere I go") prefigures Giorgio andFosca in Passion ("Everywhere I turn, you arethere/Everywhere I look, things are different").

Some of the album's pleasures are subtler.It's a novel experience to hear "Broadway Baby"and "Losing My Mind" minus their familiar(almost preordained) opening vamps, and thelatter song without the A-flat major scaleaccompaniment in the final section (under "Idim the lights ..."). It's further testimony that asizable amount of the credit for the Sondheimsound belongs to orehestrators like JonathanTunick.

The producer, Peter E. Jones, is to be com-mended for digitally cleaning up the originalreel-to-reel demo tapes, which now sound as if

CONTINUES ON PAGE 44

142 The Sondheim Review

Candida on DVD

A trip to the theatre for Bernstein'sCandide affords us the chance at a lovelyideal; "The best of all possible worlds." A

delightfully irreverent new concert version,directed by Lonny Price, reveals a marriage oflive theatre and film whereby Bernstein andVoltaire's ideal is distinctly true. Originally

aired on public television's GreatPerformances series and taped in a singlenight, the DVD is a combination of the-atrical fun mixed with the solid musicali-ty of the New York Philharmonic, con-ducted by Marin Alsop.

At times a touching look at love andtriumph, the production is in the samebreath a biting social commentarywhose themes remain strikingly topical.The original 1956 production per-plexed theatregoers, and was notreceived as well as Bernstein had envi-sioned. But a revitalization of thepiece occurred with Harold Prince's1974 revival. It included a new bookby Hugh Wheeler (who also wrote thebook for A Little Night Music) andadditional lyrics by Stephen

Sondheim. For the concert endeavor recordedon this DVD, Price strove for a combination ofversions that would suit audience members andexperts alike — keeping the spirit of theVoltaire novella, yet being careful not to tram-ple on the music. Though the silliness of theproduction is entertaining, it lacks the tender-ness and subtlety that could have revealed theshows' varied colors.

Kristin Chenoweth, as Cunegonde, leads the

REVIEW BY M. GRUNERUO

eclectic cast. She scales the peaks and valleys ofijBernstein's marvelous score with comedicprowess. She is most suited to the role of quingenue and looks like a dainty ballerina atop t|music box in frothy pink. Patti LuPonc is thesaucy Old Lady, and her fame is unabashedlyexploited in the tongue-in-cheek production.She plays herself, rarely deviating from herbrash, familiar antics, although her voice seems"!uncomfortable with the demanding music.

The title role of Candide is sung by operatenor Paul Groves. Although he sings withsupreme ease and musicality, he does not pos-sess the same comic sensibility of his co-starsand that which the production demands. (TheJuilliard student and the Westminster Chorusmake for a robust sound and add youthful frolicto the various bits of business, although thedecision to clothe them in orange track suitsreminiscent of prison garb is strange at best.)Rounding out the tight principal players are JeffBlumenkrantz as Maximilian in a bit of humor-ous concept casting, and Sir Thomas Allen asthe splendid chameleon Pangloss.

The score leaps through genres and styleswith ease — part opera, part musical comedyamusement — with unforgettable melodiessuch as the breathtaking finale, "Make OurGarden Grow." In addition, Candide is giftedwith crisp, witty lyrics that pop from the stage.In Price's skilled hands, this garden blossoms,and the lighthearted romp is not to be missedon DVT). ITSRI

M. GRUNERUD is a professional performer andfreelance writer who lives in New York City.

PLAY IT AGAIN, STEVE, FROM PAGE 42

they were recorded yesterday. Sondheim Singsincludes color and black-and-white productionphotos, and lyrics to all the songs, includingrevised lyrics to earlier versions of songs. LarryGelbart offers a brief tribute to his Forum col-laborator, and .Jones, also Sondheim's friend andarchivist, provides extensive liQer notes.

PS Classics Inc. is promising further collec-tions of Sondheim demos, including privatesongs for friends and music from college shows.This initial release indicates they have the skilland professionalise to pull it off. SondheimSings will be a must-buy for the Sondheim fan... and even Sondheim purists will have to pickup a copy. ITSRI

ANDREW J. MILNER reviews books and CDs for thePhiladelphia City Paper. His essay, "Let the PupilShow the Master," appeared in Stephen Sondheim:A Casebook.

PACIFIC OVERTURCS, FROM PAGE 43

and military advances in each case. Those pro-ductions omitted any reference to World War II,but the new recording finally acknowledges theimpact of the atomic bomb in "Next" with achilling explosion.

intimately, this recording wins you over, itslimitations only rarely diverting attention fromthe brilliance of Sondheim's achievement. Andthere's an added treat: The composer-lyricisthimself in 1975 performing "Prayers." whichwas cut before the original production, with pro-ducer-director Harold Prince as narrator. Thesong has kernels of musical material that showup throughout Pacific Overtures. It's proves tobe a thrilling companion to Sondheim Sings, therecording of fascinating demos also just releasedby PS Classics Inc. ITSRI

DONALD ROSENBERG is classical music critic of ThePlain Dealer (Cleveland) and author of TheCleveland Orchestra Story: 'Second to None.'

144 The Sondheim Review