[Pannic]

We all know and love Sondheim, who is one of (if not the) greatest composer/lyricist of musical theatre. Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park With George, and others are all excellent shows that are among the best in theatre. Yet why isn't he as popular as his contemporaries.

Passion had massive critical acclaim, yet it holds the record as the shortest-running musical to get the Tony Award for Best Musical.

Assassins was snubbed by the theatre world and didn't get to Broadway for fourteen years, and even then it didn't run long.

There's the rumor that on the opening night of Sweeney Todd on Broadway, half the audience left in disgust after the first act.

I've been reading user reviews on Amazon for stuff like Sweeney Todd and Assassins and such, and while thankfully many reviews are glowing, some of them are completely inane. There was one moron who reviewed the OBCR, and in all caps, complained about how "DISGUSTING" it was, saying "DID YOU SEE THE PART WHERE HE CUT OFF THE GUY'S HEAD?" I hate it when people review with those kinds of reasons. "Icky" is not a valid criticism. And I'm pretty sure that there hasn't been a production in which someone was beheaded. I don't think there's ever been a "beheading" on stage. Way to make wild assumptions based off of an audio recording. And I doubt if it's possible to behead someone with a straight razor, much less be a viable alternative to just cutting the throat.

And, while my current obsession is Assassins, I will mention again the Conservapedia (it's exactly like it sounds) article on it, where whoever wrote it had no clue about what the play is actually about. That article is too wrong to be simply edited. It needs a complete re-write.

Any thoughts as to why Sondheim and his works aren't as popular or well-known as his contemporaries, even though he's obviously just as good (if not better)?

[Mara]

I think his music is too complex for them to understand.

And there's that criticism he addresses in Merrily about a "tune that goes bum bum bum de dum" or whatever it is.

The only other think I can think of is that often his lyrics are so fast it doesn't create a soaring melody a la Andrew Lloyd Webber or something.
I think he has beautiful melodies but I would think that some people just can't hear them or aren't willing to put in the effort to listen a few times to hear them.

I'm not really sure, but I love his music and I think he writes perfectly memorable, hummable, wonderful tunes and beautifully complex music. I really can't understand what isn't appealing.

[Salome]

I'd argue that he is every bit as popular. its just that alot of people who arent theatre fans go to shows by webber because of the specticale.

Sondheims melodies are much more enjoyable. his lyrics are masterpieces.

Assassins wasnt snubbed by the theatre community. what happened was the stupid gulf war.

plus the revival was only a limited run. it wasnt meant to be along running show.

[Dvarg]

[Salome]

then how do you explain his beautiful slow ballads like Losing My Mine, Sorry-Grateful, Good Thing Going, Unworth of Your Love,Loving You or Finishing the Hat..just to name a few.

[Dvarg]

[Matthew]

Because Americans these days don't like to have to think.

With Sondheim you have to think.

[Patrick]

[The REAL Ciaron]

[Pannic]

[Vertigo50]

It's not that he's unpopular, the problem is he's about 20 years ahead of the curve. Think about it, most of the shows he wrote 20 years or more before now are becoming popular again now.

He writes in a very progressive style, and at the time, it's so challenging that audiences have trouble absorbing it. Then in 20 years, everyone is writing in the style that Sondheim was doing 20 years earlier.

Also, his shows are really difficult to perform. You have to have strong singers and actors. Just about any high school in the country can put together a production of "Oklahoma". Even a really good community theater with talented people will struggle with a Sondheim show. So it's not that they don't WANT to do it, and it's not that audiences won't come see the shows, but there are few theatre companies who can mount a Sondheim show.

Lastly, it's true that many people would rather go see another crappy production of "Phantom of the Opera" than anything that they've never seen before. Most people don't like to be challenged. They like something familiar. It makes me wonder how these people ever saw anything new in the first place. They must have been dragged kicking and screaming to "Phantom" and "Les Miz".

[Sweeney Hyde]

^On the contrary...I think that many don't mind at all going to see Phantom of the Opera or Les Miserables because they are very popular names...a relative or friend probably saw a national tour or something and told them how wonderful they were.

These shows are both imensly popular and well known, not only to the regular theatre going community...a ton of people have only seen just a few shows...and it is much more likely that would go to see one that they have heard about, like The Phantom of the Opera, rather than one that they haven't heard about, like Merrily We Roll Along.

[sallydurant]