Hi everyone! It's been an incredible week. Thought things would slow down but still lots of things happening. Little hiccups in the first night are being addressed, week 2 and 3 are both rehearsing, and I at least, spent a day catching up on sleep.

On the main page is the OUTtv story and a link to the buzz page where people say nice things about us. Douglas Hicton has been interviewing some of the singers and putting them up on his YouTube channel. There's plenty to check out.

I've just had the thrill of hearing Jay Turvey sing for the first time in almost 15 years. Found out there are various Les Miserable connections. Paula Wolfson was with Jay in the original Canadian production at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, a block away from where we are rehearsing. Also in that cast was Todd Noel, who Dale Miller performed with in the production last year at 1000 Islands Playhouse. And Warren was offered the lead in the Arts Club productionbut had other commitments. I can't help it, I love these 6 degrees of separation.

 Ok, we're winding up rehearsing and I'm going to head off to try and get some sleep. Hope I see you tomorrow!

Till Next Time
MK

 
 
So here it is, almost upon us. After months of planning and waiting, everything is going to finally come together.

Early Monday morning, the lighting crew will load in and set up the lights. The sound crew will then calibrate the room. Then Peter will choreograph the cast to within an inch of their lives. Then we'll run the whole concert for the first time. Then the cast goes for dinner and the piano tuner comes in to ensure the piano is in top form. Then the audience arrives and magic happens.

You won't want to miss it. If you haven't bought tickets yet, you can do it on this website up until Monday afternoon or with cash at the door.

We still have great behind the scenes stuff on the way. I've written a personal blog entry on my home blog about my experiences. I'll be twittering throughout the day on Monday if you want to follow along at #sondheim. Douglas Hicton did a great video incorporating the goings on Tuesday (Warning: it's 9 minutes long.) Jon Kaplan wrote a preview piece for the most recent edition of Now . (It's the last of the three stories.) Peter's been working on a video that will capture the whole Sondheim in September experience and we'll post it when it's ready.

So please keep checking back. I hope to meet many of you on Monday – don't be shy about saying hi.

Cheers,
MK
 
 
  Some interesting facts about Stephen Sondheim:

  • He was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981.  
  •  He co-wrote with Anthony Perkins a murder-mystery film, The Last of  Sheila, in 1973.  
  • He creates his own puzzles and games.    
  • A murder game he created was the inspiration for Anthony Shaffer's Sleuth. 
  • Oscar Hammerstein II was his mentor and surrogate father.   
  •  He planned to major in mathematics in college.   
  • He auditioned for The $64,000 Question when he was starting out.
  • He did crossword puzzles for New York magazine for 18 months in the late 60s.
  • Most of the episode titles from Desperate Housewives reference his work in some way.

 
 
One of the books I have in my personal library is Sondheim & Co., 1989 edition , written by Craig Zadan. It's an extraordinary look at the work of Sondheim through interviews with many of the people involved in his works throughout the years, and with the man himself. Sadly, it only encompasses up to Into The Woods, with just a passing mention of the workshop of Assassins. It's out of print now but I highly recommend getting it either from the library or a used bookstore.

Since Sondheim is known for his lyrics, I thought I'd give you a bit on his thoughts of lyric writing. From page 231:

"Obviously, all the principles of writing apply to lyrics. Grace, affinity for words, a feeling for the weight of the words, resonances, and tone. The basic differences between lyric writing and all other forms are two principles which dictate what you have to do as a lyric writer.

First, lyrics exist in time - as opposed to poetry. You can read a poem at your own speed but on the stage, as the lyrics come at you, you hear them only once...The music is a relentless engine and keeps the lyrics going.

Second, lyrics go with music and music is very rich, in my opinion the richest form of art.It's also abstract and does very strange things to your emotions. So not only do you have that going but you also have lights, costumes, scenery, characters, performers. There's a great deal to hear and get. Lyrics therefore have to be underwritten. They have to be very simple in essence. That doesn't mean you can't do convoluted lyrics, but essentially the thought is what counts and you have to stretch out enough so that the listener has a fair chance to get it. Many lyrics suffer from being much too packed.

 I've always thought of lyric writing as a craft rather than an art. It's so small."

Until next time,
MK
 
 
  Being Alive, from Company, is one of the most famous of Sondheim's early songs. Company was a landmark musical as it featured a series of vignettes rather than a linear plot. Dean Jones was the first person to sing it, although he only made it to open night of Company’s premiere in 1970, after which the role was taken over by Larry Kert. Company was revived on Broadway in 2007 and that show's lead, Raúl Esparza, performed the song at the Tony Awards that year: You can see his version here.
Being Alive comes at the end of the show and serves as a summary for the journey the lead character, Bobby, takes through the play and it has a soaring quality that marks it as memorable. Originally a song called Marry Me A Little was in that slot but it was felt during the out-of-town tryouts that it didn't truly capture Bobby's journey, so a new song was written. Marry Me A Little now appears at the end of the first act in the most recent revivals.

So where were you the first time you heard it? For me, I was working as an usher at The Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto in December 1989. Side by Side by Sondheim (produced by Marlene Smith) was the show used to re-open the Winter Garden after it had been hidden away for 60 years. Side by Side had originated with a group of English performers in 1976 who wanted to perform the songs in concert. The show went on to great acclaim, first on the West End and then Broadway and it's been revived many times since, most recently in Toronto by CanStage in 2004.

The Winter Garden production featured three powerhouse singers: Kathy Michael McGlynn, who had played Grizabella in the Canadian production of Cats; Karen K. Edissi, fresh off her triumph as Miss Adelaide in the Stratford Festival production of Guys and Dolls; and Davis Gaines, who had recently wowed Toronto in Damn Yankees and would force this production to close early as he went to Broadway to take over the role of The Phantom.

It's been 20 years and I still remember the passion in Davis' voice. The song seems to bring out the best of its singers. Years later, I was at a concert version of Company by Reprise Concerts at the Jane Mallet theatre (1998, I believe, with Charlotte Moore as Amy) and I had the pleasure of hearing David Rogers sing it. So the person taking on the song next month has a lot to live up to.

Till Next Time
MK

 
Hi I am MK 07/30/2009
 
  Hi there!
I'm MK Piatkowski, Artistic Director of  one big umbrella. I'm a blogger, Facebook addict (it's always good to acknowledge these things), Twitter newbie, and information sponge, I'm a swing dancer, karaoke queen, frequent theatregoer, writer, and artistic supporter, I'm also Sondheim in September's Assistant Director and internet marketing guru.

I blame Warren Kimmel.

See, Warren's a charmer. He oozes authenticity and good humour. He's earnest. He sings like an angel. And when he's wearing his glasses he's got that whole sexy intellectual thing going on. So when he said he had a project he wanted me to be a part of, how could I possibly resist?

So here I am. Things are still being firmed up but what I've seen so far is pretty exciting. And what we've got planned for this blog is exciting too. Behind the scenes peeks, interviews with Peter and Warren, rehearsal updates and interesting facts about Sondheim, his shows and the performers participating, as well as anything else that strikes us at the time.
With that in mind, I'd like to draw your attention to a wonderful article in the Toronto Star about Thom Allison. I had the pleasure of seeing him earlier this year in Dreamgirls at The Grand Theatre in London. He's fantastic. He's a fellow blogger. And he's one of the wonderful talents who will be performing for your pleasure. (Here I must put in the standard caveat that all is subject to change. Broadway could come calling, for instance.)

As the internet guru, you'll be seeing a lot of me around cyberspace in the next little while. Don't be shy about starting up a conversation. I want to make these shows a one-of-a-kind experience for you.

Until next time,
MK

 
Sondheim in September is a charity event benefiting The Actors Fund Of Canada