Posts Tagged ‘sondheim’

Almost anything from Into the Woods

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

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Like…:

Here are two princes discussing themselves, their lives, their loves:

\”Clever,

Well-mannered,

Considerate,

Passionate,

Charming,

As kind as we’re handsome,

As wise as we’re rich\”

And, here’s Jack, of Jack and the Beanstalk fame, singing about his adventures:

\”There are GIANTS in the sky!

There are big, tall, terrible GIANTS in the sky!\”

In Little Red Riding Hood’s song, after she’s been rescued from the wolf, she explains how much she’s learned from
her near-death experiences:

\”When he said, ‘Come in!\” with that sickening grin, how could I know what was in store?

Once his teeth were bared, though, I really got scared–well, excited and scared–

But he drew me close, and he swallowed me down,

Down a slimy path where secrets lie that I never want to know,

And when everything familiar seemed to disappear forever,

At the end of the path was Granny once again.

So we wait in the dark until someone sets us free,

And we’re brought into the light, and we’re back at the start.

And I know things now, many valuable things, that I hadn’t known before:

Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood,

They will not protect you the way that they should.

And take extra care with strangers, even flowers have their dangers.

And though scary is exciting, nice is different than good.

Now I know: don’t be scared. Granny is right, just be prepared.

Isn’t it nice to know a lot! And a little bit not…\”

The witch’s lament, after Rapunzel escapes from her tower and bad things happen to her:

This is the world I meant.

Couldn’t you listen?

Couldn’t you stay content,

Safe behind walls,

As I Could not?

Now you know what’s out there in the world.

No one can prepare you for the world,

Even I.

How could I, who loved you as you were?

How could I have shielded you from her

Or them…

No matter what you say,

Children won’t listen.

No matter what you know,

Children refuse

To learn.

Guide them along the way,

Still they won’t listen.

Children can only grow

From something you love

To something you lose…

An appreciation of Into the Woods

George Seurat explains what Art is

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

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Pretty isn’t beautiful, Mother,

Pretty is what changes.

What the eye arranges

Is what is beautiful.

The vision of the Artist reified, and the objects he sees re-interpreted as he wills them to be, in paint (or light as he’d say)

Order.

Design.

Tension.

Balance.

Harmony.

Sunday,

By the blue

Purple yellow red water

On the green

Purple yellow red grass,

Let us Pass

Through our perfect park,

Pausing on a Sunday

By the cool

Blue triangular water

On the soft

Green elliptical grass

As we pass

Through arrangements of shadows

Towards the verticals of trees

Forever…

By the blue

Purple yellow red water

On the green

Orange violet mass

Of the grass

In our perfect park

Made of flecks of light

And dark,

And parasols:

Bumbum bum bumbumbum

Bumbum bum…


From Sunday In the Park With George

It’s even better when you hear Mandy Patinkin sing it.

Sunday …

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

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Here’s the artist, George, beginning a new painting

Order.

Design.

Composition.

Tone.

Form.

Symmetry.

Balance.

More red…

And a little more red…

Blue blue blue blue

Blue blue blue blue

Even even…

Good…

Bumbum bum bumbumbum

Bumbum bum…

More red…

More blue…

More beer…

More light!

Color and light.

There’s only color and light.

Yellow and white.

Just blue and yellow and white.

Look at the air, miss-

See whet I mean?

No, look over there, miss-

That’s done with green…

Conjoined with orange…

Here’s the artist putting himself in the mind of a dog

Ruff! Ruff!

Thanks, the week has been

Rough!

When you’re stuck for life on a garbage scow

Only forty feet long from stern to prow

And a crackpot in the bow-wow, rough!

The planks ere rough

And the wind is rough

And the master’s drunk and mean and-

Grrrruff! Gruff!

With the fish and scum

And planks end ballast-

The nose gets numb

And the pews Bet callused.

And with splinters in your ass,

You look forward to the grass

On Sunday,

The day off.

(barks)

Off! Off! Off!

Off!

The grass needs to be thicker. Perhaps a few weeds.

And some ants. if you would. I love fresh ants.

Roaming around on Sunday,

Poking among the roots and rocks.

Nose to the ground on Sunday,

Studying all the shoes and socks.

Everything’s worth it Sunday,

The day off.

(sniffs)

Bits of pastry…

Piece of chicken…

Here’s a handkerchief

That somebody was sick in.

There’s a thistle…

That’s a shallot…

That’s a dripping

From the loony with the palette…

The songs in Sunday In the Park With George

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

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A generally underrated musical, Sunday In the Park With George, is a lovely dramatization of how hard it is to love and support the unique (but difficult) talents among us. There isn’t a song in this musical that doesn’t strike us, eventually, and then it’s like — realizing why something someone said to you an hour ago was a very, very clever joke.

Topics scrutinized in this amazing musical include:

Looks to me like this links to the whole libretto. But
much better to listen to the CD first, then watch the
video
.

Songs we are listening to, lately

Sunday, May 21st, 2006

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