Virtual Sondheim Birthday Concert with Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone

Why does she always do that with her mouth?

Wow. I wonder what Patti will sing. I think she should finally do an all out version of I'm Still Here.

Zzzzzzzzzz.

I want her to do an all-out version of "Welcome to Kanagawa" instead. Or "Next." At least those would be unexpectecd.

Will Meryl be signing something from the ABBA songbook?

[quote] I think she should finally do an all out version of I'm Still Here.

I’m not because I never left.

Why is he always winking?

Because her natural smile is gummy, r1.

Sondheim and LuPone is a good combination

Where's Barbra in all of this?

R9 Asking Sondheim for lyrics rewrites before she will agree to perform.

Any room for a small one?

A composer famed for his lyrics and a mushmouthed singers are a great combination?

*singer

It's like I'm losing my mind.

Our invitations must have gotten lost in the mail.

Did no one notice the comment in the linked article from DL Icon "Linda Lavin?"

No. Can you paste it over to this thread?

R16 Did it end in a string of Sondheimesque scatting?

Linda Lavin

on April 21, 2020 10:25 am

this is very exciting!! i’m wondering if you’d like me to sing “ the boy from…” from the mad show.. it’s linda lavin

Would Linda have the breath for that song at her age?

^ Is a killer song to sing.

I wish Bernadette Peters would get rid of that curly, curly hair. It's ugly and not a bit flattering.

I hope Dame Angela Lansbury will be appearing?

[quote] It's like I'm losing my mind.

It’sh like I’m loshing my mind. Loshing my mind.

With Andrew Lloyd Webber posting a live musical each Friday during the lockdown, I was hoping Sondheim would do something similar.

And it would be a great idea to call in a few more younger performers like Jake Gyllenhaal or even AnnE.

Linda Lavin should be asked. She's Tony winning Broadway royalty and a television icon. Plus she can sing her ass off.

Where's Liza Minnelli, Melissa Manchester, Neil Patrick Harris, Hugh Jackman?

R14 I was there that night. I was too young to really understand Dotty Loudon's amazing talents at the time. She was amazing.

Are you a fan of CHICAGO - THE MUSICAL, PattiFan?

R28 yes, I like Chicago.

Do you keep track of Chicago replacements?

R30 Not really. Alls I know is one of the worst performances I've seen was Christy Brinkley as Roxie. This poor, benighted creature could barely speak, let alone sing or dance. Allowing her to step out on that stage was doing her a great disservice.

I just hope Bernadette doesn't sing the same old songs she always does. No one needs to hear Not A Day Goes By from her again. It's been done, recorded, it was great, but move on. I'd love to hear them all do something they've never done before. You can usually tell who'll sing what the minute they announce one of these things.

R32 yeah, I don't need to see La LuPone sing Ladies Who 'Lunch again. Though, I guess I would be interested to see how she's doing it in the new production.

Patti was a showstopper in the West end version of Company I saw in 2018.

She stopped the show? Was someone in the audience taking pictures?

R34 She was but there were many of those moments in the production

R36 yes, "Not Getting Married" was my favourite. Please the actor won an Olivier Award, he was terrific!

Richard Fleeshman stripping to his pants was another nice moment..

R37 Jonty Bailey is dreamy.

Is the Broadway vast an improvement on the London cast?

*Broadway cast. I was thinking of Patti when I typed "Broadway vast."

R39 From the clips...NO.

R37 my favorite moments, too along with Patti’s number

Lenk seems a nice person but I don’t like her as Bobbie based on clips I’ve seen

Linda Lavin

on April 21, 2020 10:35 am

let me say again, this is very exciting!! i’m also wondering if you’d like me to sing the theme from 'alice' my tv show... it's not technically by you, but it's also very seventies which i think of as a big time for you... plus everyone loves to hear me scat it at the end... it’s linda lavin again btw

Lol. That has to be a DLer.

I want Barbra to reprise her special version of "Putting It Together":

"Ev'ry time I start to feel defensive,

I remember: VI-NYL is EXPENSIVE!"

Maybe Steve can knit together a specially-for-Babs medley, and recycle some of the made-to-order songsmithing he crafted at her behest, like the special material for I'm Still Here:

One day you're hailed for blazing trails, next day you're nailed for fingernails...

I've kept my clothes and kept my space...I've kept my nose to spite my face!

Excuse me, r46, but "Puttin' it Together" is MY song! Barbra can do "Everybody Says Don't"; she can make it about her decision to become a director, or something.

She can make it about her sex scene in Prince of Tides.

I wish I didn't need Babs money to buy his stuff. You are lucky to get a used copy of Finishing the Hat for $100. The DVDs are not much better.

r25

I thought ALW was the producer and owns all his shows so that's why he can stream them... Sondheim doesn't have that power(does he?)

R50, trust me, you don't want Passion. It's awful.

R44 What a funny slut.

R52 I can post it?

Bump

Is it on now?

Starts at 8pm Eastern Time, R55.

The theatre is always at 8.

Do they sing acapella or with a backup track?

I know it's your birthday Stephen, but I'd like to also dedicate my number to my late television son, Philip McKeon and my co-stars who could not be here to join us tonight, Beth Howland and Vic Tayback.

A scoobe du wah.....Early to rise, early to bed.

Is this the official Sondheim 90th concert thread?

Is Raul doing this to get dibs on the new Sondheim show? Is there a nude scene in it?

Yes. But for Sondheim himself.

There was a nude scene in "Passion" so it's not unprecedented in a Sondheim show, except that people walked out on that one despite the nudity.

There is another thread about the show R60, but it has not been bumped, so why not?

Has it started for anyone yet?

make it official!

Linked (correctly).

Oops.

Still waiting....

83,000 people already tuned into the YouTube channel.

Maybe he died.

Meryl should remain in permanent lockdown and unseen by the public. Really isn't the world going through enough already.

who's holding up the show??

Why am I imagining that La LuPone is holding things up because something was not to her liking?

Mandy's probably demanding another run-through...

My vote is Mandy too

102,483 people waiting

Paging the Met Opera -- there's went off without a hitch, mostly

their's , sorry

And another hundred people just came onto the cam....

How old is he?

How long is this scheduled for?

The question is, how long will the 104,000+ people wait?

FOLLIES!

What a shonda.

Les Follies de Sondheim sont en retard.

What disgrace! What a shanda! What happened to her nobody should ponda

I'm lying in bed waiting to see some of the greatest Broadway stars alive for absolutely free. So I'm willing to wait a very long time. It's not like I have anything better to do.

The Ladies Who Lunch aren't going to like this. They demand prompt service.

By the time this thing starts, he'll be dead.

Perpetual anticipation is good for the heart but it's bad for the soul

Oh God, Lin-Marie's in the cast.

Sort your shit out Raul.

Well, 6,000 people have given up waiting.

I’m ready to see some bisexual cock already!!!

"We are having tech issues but it is being taken care of and we’ll be right with you," tweets Raul Esparza.

Another 1,000 people just got out of the room...

I wonder, could the problem have anything to do with the fact that so many people are tuned in?

This party stinks.

Too bad. We're going to miss the first act. They're playing it offstage.

What is a Randy Rainbow?

Almost none of this should be live. Performers should have been asked to film themselves and submit the videos.

[quote]I’m ready to see some bisexual cock already!!!

Shooting copious ropes of creamy white cum.

They’d better hurry up. It’s Iain Armitage’s bedtime in half an hour!

[quote]What is a Randy Rainbow?

A rainbow that talks a great game but ultimately comes up short on the pot of gold.

found the problem:

Riedel is probably shoving one of the five empty wine bottles he's polished off tonight up his ass.

The youtube chat feed is going faster than the assembly line Lucy and Ethel had to wrap candy!

starting 8:35

Poor Raul.

r88

Well, there are worse things

Than staring on a hold screen

As you're waiting for a tribute

To the oeuvre of Steph Sondheim

Starring Meryl Strepp and Lupone on a Sunday!

hahahahaahaa this is already a mess

it started

Come back my bisexual cock!

It stopped

Rough start!

The gray box in the corner is a nice effect.

Rachel Bloom @Racheldoesstuff"

Act 1 closer: reveal that the live stream is running late because Sondheim is tangled up in some harnesses in his dungeon

Speak up bisexual cock!!!

Fail

wooow

will Raul explode in anger?

I've gone deaf!

Disaster

Great show so far!

Wow....this is embarrassing!!!!!

Actually, Sondheim is trying to untangle the ropes on his sub(s), but those 90 year old fingers ain't so dextrous.

it would have been hilarious if grindr was on Raul's phone

Lin-Manuel Miranda:

RAUL WHY DIDN'T YOU PRETAPE LIKE THE REST OF USSSS

Alas, all that bisexual cock and not a drop to drink.

It has switched to Stars inthe House with the Yenta

Lol

NO REFUNDS NO EXCHANGES!

So what now?

What a clusterfuck.

I guess it is over.....

Yikes! This went off-line. If you try to re-load, it saved all the mess-ups, from that gray square covering up Meryl Streep's and Sondheim's names to Raul being unable to be heard. Now, you can't get back in. Ye gods!

Guess I'll watch Homeland instead.

Fuck this. Don, bring me a martini.

G, you can take my slot if you have nothing else to do (and I know you don't).

[quote]So what now?

See r7.

At least they got rid of the voice over.

[quote]So what now?

See r107 *

Sorry, too much wine.

Now no sound for Raul.

They re-started at this link:

Back on now, I think.

And it's out again.

aaaand it's off

No sound...and off.

They should have got in a heterosexual to take care of the tech.

Not for me....

Back up? With I don't know who in the corner box.

Raul is looking really hot to me right now.

Did Schwartz have to play again? But it went off after 2 minutes. Plus who was the guy on the bottom left this time?

he looks like Jason Bateman

Didn't they rehearse this WITH the technology? Reminds me of last weeks SNL Zoom parody...

Now I get nothin': Video unavailable. This video has been removed by the uploader.

Why Meryl Streep? Yuck.

It was short and sweet

Nothing at all for me. Has disappeared

The show must go ON!!!!!! Or not!

Now it's at 10....

What kind of fuckery is this?

New link...

Oh yay! We don't have to hear Raul's goat vibrato.

well...

maybe next year?

Should have got the Jews in. The Seder one was flawless.

it's seriously going to take them an HOUR to fix this??

Unprofessional to say the least.

Now they're playing the old Kennedy Center Honors .

Great show! I loved all six minutes of it!

Uh, no, R169, your YouTube selection process probably moved on to a similar video. Mine did that with another Broadway video.

They keep changing the link...

Raul's gonna have to open the show by showing hole if he wants to make up for this.

BOXOFFICE POISON

Now they have two streams.

maybe this time...

new stream

Will Beanie Feldstein flick Shoshana's bean?

Fuck this shit. I'll wait for his 95th.

well some was pretaped

It seems to be working????

it's aliiiiive!

On now...

Mmm, that drummer! Delish. He can play in my pit!

I think....I think....yes....finally

r184

he was looking at you

We want Glynis!

So pre-recorded except for the bisexual cock?

I WANT FOLLIES PRONTO!

oh so this is all pre-taped stuff? what was holding everything up then...

The bisexual cock is also bilingual.

Raul was waiting for the viagara to kick in?

NPH has odd eyebrows

I hate how smug NPH is

R193 cannot unsee!

Yeah, that's it Neil, pick the most echoy room in your house to record this in.

God, how long is this rap? This is painful.

His fucking children.

Ugh, muting NPH. Awful.

Did he not work out that involving his son means him saying he's made his son impotent?

At least they are getting this out of the way early.

Will David make an appearance as the Baker’s wife? The

what song is Kelli singing?

R203 something from Saturday Night

We need a cameo by Greg Naughton in just a towel.

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE BISEXUAL COCK!??

The piano is too loud in every clip.

r204

thanks

How dare this untalented bitch try to sing one of my songs!

Kellie is neat.

Judy, not Kelly.

Bait and switch!!

Victor, step back from the laptop!

OMG, actors ALWAYS need direction.

Victor looks great.

good god!

Shake a can of pennies at her!!!

I thought Victor was gonna sing Me and My Town, and I was SO READY for it!

Katrina looks bizarre.

Judy Kuhn was lovely as always.

Fucking Lenk

R203 What More Do I Need? from Saturday Night

Oh god not Lenk, hasn't she butchered enough of his songs already? Might be a blessing they never made it out of previews

This is a horrible arrangement.

I'm guessing Aaron Tveit has spent time in Steve's basement to be addressing him as Mr Sondheim

Katrina was majorly flat when she tried to belt.

Aaron Tveit is obviously not isolated with a hair stylist.

Take off your shirt, Aaron!

I wondered why Judy Kuhn didn't have a bigger career. She's always wonderful.

My husband Aaron!

Aaron looks haggard.

Yeah shirt off ya bore.

Tveit played Bobby at Barrington Stage a couple of years ago.

the decor... or tremendous lack of it...

I guess he is fully recovered from the Corona?

Aaron Tveit could hide a few small children in his deep nasolabial folds.

But still fuckable!

Apparently, all the toilet paper is at Sutton’s house.

R231 I'm glad I saw that production. He was pretty good. I have no interest in the new revival.

Kaye did not have leading lady looks, nor the force of personality to make up for that fact.

Give Aaron a break. He had the 'rona.

What is that screaming?

There was a reason this song was cut.

get this kid off my screen!

Sondheim went to bed about fifteen minutes ago.

Young and Younger Sheldon!

Jesus, how long are they giving to this brat?

Not Judy KAYE, R238.

Judy Kuhn.

Oh god I spoke too soon, give the kid more time, spare me from Platt

Where am I? What's happening?

Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein could cause an Into the Woods revival to close in previews.

Ben Platt is so hot!

is that a mustache or did he just eat a creamsicle?

Platt? Time for a fridge visit.

These are coming across as audition tapes submitted to a casting director.

This guy can't sing.

is this a funeral or a birthday party?

Legacy? He isn't dead yet.

I wonder how many times Stephen has rolled his eyes at this.

So have they dropped Raul?

Is that it?

Nicole Kidman!

We've all noticed the book of "Irish Erotic Art" on her shelf, yes?

[quote]I wonder how many times Stephen has rolled his eyes at this.

None. He's not watching.

Don't think they've done a relatively well-known Sondheim song yet -- shouldn't they through in something from "West Side Story" or "Send in the Clowns" from time to time?

throw, that is, not through

[Quote] Judy Kuhn

My answer stands. Kuhn has had a good second act, though. She semi-retired to raise her family.

Just starting this...is Sutton Foster coming to us live from her padded cell in a mental institution?

what is Mellisa Errico up to these days?

What a terrible song.

She has her shelves labelled

r268 C&A is an excellent song but not here

She sounds good.

where's Stritchy??

“Travel”

🤣

The New York Times is reporting a serious lack of live bisexual cock.

They're probably holding out on the big songs and stars for later.

WHAT THE FUCK

TERRRIFYING

No. No. No. No. No. No.

......

I hope Liz Taylor sings Send in the Clowns.

wtf?

Kill it! Kill it with fire!

Honor Blackman played Desiree in the regions. Any chance of her "Send In the Clowns"?

I bet Meryl's gonna sing Send in the Clowns.

Why do Broadway performers always come across as so pretentious? It's quite tiresome.

R284 You mean Donna?

R284 Assuming she sings at all. She might just do a Victor Garber type message saying what it was like working with Sondheim and wishing him happy birthday

Bitch!

Go, Liz Stanley! Is she on the floor? Nice carpet.

R285 because they are arteeeests

R284 I hope so!

Yeah, go make your dinner, bitch. I get it, you've got better things to do.

Cunt.

I hope Betty Buckley sings Memory.

George is getting on my nerves.

I love you r293

R293 right after Lupone's Sunset Blvd medley

The Miller's son was good

R293, leave this thread.

(just kidding)

Oh Mandy, well you came and you sang without music

for R293:

Mandy is way too far up his own ass.

[Quote] I hope Betty Buckley sings Memory.

In one of her New Age arrangements. And I hope Sondheim calls her out on it live.

Where’s Imelda?

LMM = Bathroom Break!

Time for some high school acting

the only song from Into the Woods that I don't like

Oh dear.

I enjoyed Maria.

Watching Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sondheim's thinking Kim Jong-un is a lucky guy right about now.

So Lin couldn't even be bothered to say happy birthday?

[Quote] Time for some high school acting

AKA musical theatre acting.

So lucky the dog had to go out during Lin

how long is this?

R313 90 years

Big guns now so soon

Hah, Laura's in the can.

At least Laura's not on her toilet.

R313 Based on this we're about half way through

This being this

Raul , shaddup and show us your bisexual cock!!

I remember bleach!

love Laura; the acoustic bathroom tiles were a good choice.

Finally, some bisexual cock.

Chip Zein SOUNDS the same ...

Love Chip.

too much Into the Woods. but Zien is great.

Why Chip Zien but no Joanna Gleason? I love that bitch.

Zien's 73 years old ... he sounds great.

Finally crying. Chip is lovely.

So, 20% of his catalog is songs about giants?

Happy now R327?

Only if she sings! She wasn't listed.

Someone give Josh a comb and some food!

Joanna didn’t sing! Boo!

I live Joanna. Such a great statement from her. Damn sad that she didn’t sing but Groban is

Could just ONE person have suggested these people move their laptops to show any kind of balanced background?

how many Into the Woods songs have been sung so far? And how many from Follies?

I thought Joanna had yellow hair?

He doesn't even have children!

Are they not allowed to sing anything from WSS or Gypsy?

[quote]Could just ONE person have suggested these people move their laptops to show any kind of balanced background?

Miss my number, didja?

Yes, impatiently awaiting any WSS or Gypsy.

Linda!

I hope Andrea Martin is watching!

Linda!

She did it girls!

this is the follies' song we get?

Send in the clowns.

Linda was amazing singing that. It looks like she remembered it. Not even reading it off cards.

FOLLIES!

But no dedications to Philip, Vic or Beth.

Linda Fucking Lavin! That was worth tuning in for!

if I don't hear I'm Still Here i'm kidnapping Linda Lavin and dumping her in the East River

Cute duo with 'Pacific Overtures'

Ah! Steven's favorite of his songs!!!

er, quartet.

All the bisexual cock talk here is reminding me of the days when Raul thread would get 600 posts in days. All fun until the stalker tumblrinas came along to ruin the fun.

This is cute !

Yeah Pacific. This is lovely.

This is well done considering all the different feeds.

Linda Lavin is worth the price of admission! But where the fuck is Gypsy and West Side Story!

Was that Deadline comment actually from Linda Lavin?!

Linda Lavin sucked shit, as usual.

With the exception of Chip doing no more, I have been pleasantly pleased with performers doing songs I was not expecting but is there any chance Patti won't do either Ladies or I'm still here? Bernie ... losing my mind?

I hope they do the Pet Shop Boys version!

Obviously Nathan Lane missed Stephens 80th birthday concert!!

If Bernadette doesn’t sing Being Alive, I’ll slap a bitch!

Finally some Raul!

Raúl is hot as fuck

He was being sarcastic, silly.

Zaddy!

Raul and his bisexual cock look so hot

(Raul sings) and a thousand theatre queens' hands dig into their sweatpants..

R370 No, he was being shady

Down girls, there's plenty o' bisexual cock to go around.

Raúl is breathtakingly talented

Raul was phenomenal with that song.

God, I forgot what a great singer Raul is.

I hope Donna's phone goes off while she's singing.

Donna Murphy, the best Dolly Levi ever.

She certainly has a Pair...

Donna. Shrine to Passion? Check. Boobs on display? Check.

R380 I agree Bette

Donna is not given enough credit as a Broadway legend

Steve's ego wouldn't allow songs that were co-written with other people. That's why there's no WSS and Gypsy songs, even though they are his most popular songs.

Donna looks great.

Too fucking slow cunt.

All these Raul compliments... Has he managed to tame the goat vibrato?

Yes Bitches! Barsnski!

LUNCH!!!!!!!

what will PAtti and Ben sing now???

WooHoo! Multiple Ladies Who Lunch!

The Boy From has music by Mary Rodgers.

Christine!

(Unfortunately, one of them is Meryl.)

i've having a fagasm

Baranski and her red wine is every DLer right now.

I think I just came

That was brilliant.

Stunning!!!!

Gylenhaal looks great

Ladies who lunch.... beyond brilliant

Is Gylenhaal singing while putting on a t-shirt upside down?

R400 Thanks!

I want to be in Jake....

When Steve Bannon's Leninist overthrow of America happens, I hope all of these tired songs are banned for the next 87 years and all of these tired performers are sent to gulags to perform.

R404 Get in line hun

I can't believe how good this version of Move On is. I'm all teary. And fuck you R405.

Is that the girl in the wheelchair from Oklahoma?

Meryl drinking from the bottle made me LOL.

Heeeeeres PATTI!

R408 no, that’s Annaleigh Ashfoed from KinkyBoots

The Ladies Who Lunch was fabulous. Can Audra, Christine and Meryl do something again (Not Mamma Mia, though)?

No one can compare to the brilliance of Barbra Streisand singing these songs. She ruined them for everybody else. I don't know why they even bother.

Donna Murphy should be embarrassed of her version of Clowns compared to Streisand's.

Is that a voodoo doll behind Patti?

[quote]Donna Murphy should be embarrassed of her version of Clowns compared to Streisand's.

Meh.

Despite the late start, this has been great esp Streep and “Someone in a Tree.”

Diction.

Maybe I am obsessed with ‘rona but several people sound as if they are experiencing symptoms

i think they've sung every song from Into the Woods

R418 shut your cunt

Despite the late start, this has been great.

I love Bernadette with all my heart. But I wish she'd quit with the plastic surgery and the botox.

Bernadette!!!!!

Those ladies should have lunched in a more congenial key.

Raúl ... Marry me

I don't like the way Bernadette sings words that start with the letter "P." It sounds like she's trying to blow out a candle.

Tonight I will dream of Raul, Jake and Aaron Tveit in a threeway.

R427 yes please!

Who’s is the adorable broadway baby queen?

THAT was a fun finish!

Me?.

Audra's oversinging balanced out Meryl's undersinging. Christine was perfect. Funny bit.

Patti crying made men hard.

Well, we now know that Joanne is a role that Streep never needs to play.

R429 Maria Friedman

way too much of the Young Sheldon gayling

r436 = Euan Morton

Aside from Katrina Lenk's acoustic "Johanna", I really enjoyed the performances tonight.

Aaron Tveit surprised me with "Marry Me A Little" (which is far from being a favorite Sondheim song).

Chip Zien may not have the vocal chops anymore, but was devastating nonetheless with "No More".

Raul and "Take Me to the World"? Yes, please, take me!

Loved Donna Murphy's "Send in the Clowns" and thought "Ladies Who Lunch" was cute and fun.

Jake & Annaleigh were amazing (again) with "Move On".

Glad Patti did "Anyone Can Whistle" instead of a more expected choice.

P.S. What happened to Kristen Chenoweth? It was announced that she would be participating.

Song Count:

Anyone Can Whistle: 3

Into the Woods: 6

Saturday Night: 1

Dick Tracy: 1

Sweeney Todd: 3

Company: 2

Sunday in the Park: 4

A Little Night Music: 2

Follies: 3

Passion: 1

Evening Primrose: 2

Assassins: 1

The Mad Show: 1

Pacific Overtures: 1

Papi's bf exec producer, Papi's wife special thanks

West Side Story: 0 Gypsy: 0

But still...

[quote]P.S. What happened to Kristen Chenoweth? It was announced that she would be participating.

Scheduling conflict. Her unfortunate five-head had other plans.

Maria Friedman probably had the best pure vocal.

The run from Raul's performance to the end was especially strong. All of it was mostly great (aside from LMM and NPH) but the last half hour is what's really worth checking out if you missed it.

I had a watch party with a group of theatre friends. The technical troubles at the beginning were a pain, but we were following Lin-Manuel Miranda's Twitter feed, which was very funny. We laughed and cried throughout the concert. My friends and I have done several Sondheim shows together through the years, so the songs had extra-special memories, and some of the performers were also friends. I've already downloaded the video from YouTube, and ripped an .mp3 file from that. Special as it was, I doubt there will ever be an official release. :(

Has anyone been able to download the stream in 1080p? The usual downloaders are only giving me 144p resolution.

Damn, I’ve been on the hate train for Ben Platt for awhile, but I have to say he never looked better than here like some late 70s porn star.

[quote]Patti was a showstopper in the West end version of Company I saw in 2018.

Covid 19 was a showstopper in the Broadway version of Company no one saw in 2020.

Would a little mascara killed some of these broads?

Who was the very sexy drummer at the start of the show?

R446 You are such a whore for 1080. Shall look around.

Bernadette looks superb for 72!

Did nobody have a comb or hairbrush at home?

R446 Here is the show, do you know how to download?

[quote] Donna Murphy should be embarrassed of her version of Clowns compared to Streisand's.

Yeah, but no. Donna Murphy acted it beautifully and sang it well. All Streisand does with it is song. There’s no emotion or feeling whatsoever in her version.

Bern looks human again

Streep and Baranski were brave to sing with McDonald, especially considering Streep didn't use her Donna Murphy app.

Bernadette Peters looks fantastic!

I like McDonald but not for Ladies Who Lunch. Her voice is too clean and pure to communicate the world weariness and cynicism. I thought Baranski was the best of the three for the song

[quote]Yeah, but no. Donna Murphy acted it beautifully and sang it well. All Streisand does with it is song. There’s no emotion or feeling whatsoever in her version.

Gotta agree, Murphy acted the theatrical version and Babs, beautifully did the Pop version, same song two versions.

People are plottzing over McDonald, Streep and Baransky ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’ as brilliant. Not a Sondheimite, I don't cum every time I hear a Stephen ditty. I thought it was pleasant enough

It's sad that Sondheim refuses to acknowledge the brilliant songs that he wrote for West Side Story and Gypsy. They are far better and more accessible than anything he wrote on his own. Most of the songs he wrote on his own all sound alike, tbh.

I bet he cashed Spielberg's check though.

They didn't want to pay royalties for the Gypsy and WSS songs.

This was a charity event, remember.

I'm sure Adam Guettel isn't going to chase them down for his cut of The Boy From...

Baranski could have done something different. We know she plays upper crust WASP to perfection. It would have been much more interesting to hear her take on something like Send in the Clowns.

Very odd to celebrate someone's accomplishments to theater, and not include his two best known shows.

Linda Lavin brought down the house. Criminally underrated singer and actress.

Lupone and Peters need to be in a show together. Why has that never been proposed?

What did Ben Platt do to make himself look so hot? A miracle, apparently

Isn't Ben Platt's father a billionaire?

Nothing from "Forum"? I play that and find it much more enjoyable than some other of Sondheim's shows.

Nathan Lane should have done Forum but he was a no show

I saw "FOLLIES!" jokes on Twitter yesterday before and during the show and started to feel disoriented.

r468

uh he was on it but didn't sing

Broadway never even acknowledged Jerry Herman's death, yet they can't seem to do enough for Sondheim.

I agree with you, r462, about the Sondheim songs starting to sound samey. If I did not know much about Sondheim this concert would not have made a fan out of me. But then I suppose as time goes on, Sondheim's music will become more and more a rarefied taste. His work will definitely not have the reach of Rodgers and Hammerstein, for example.

Wow, a thread where we are praising Linda fucking Lavin? Dammit, DL! Don’t come home.

How is Linda Lavin underrated? Didn't she have two Tony nods within the last twenty years?

[Quote] do you know how to download?

The download site I use is only offering the download in 144p, hence my question if anyone was able to download the full 1080p quality version.

Linda has done quality work over the last thirty years on Broadway (Gypsy being the only misstep) yet she's never mentioned when it comes to the greats of theater.

It's largely considered that her performance in Broadway Bound was one of the best ever given on the great white way.

No one seems to mention her singing as well. She has great use of phrasing and serious jazz chops.

Her singing is always mentioned in the Alice threads.

Lavin did well. She's great when cast right. If she'd marched out doing "Rose's Turn" I'm sure we'd all be singing a different tune.

Baranski was the best in The Ladies Who Lunch, but she was born to play Joanne (why has that never happened? Could she be a replacement for LuPone if and when Company ever opens?). That key wasn't right for Meryl's high, airy voice, but Audra surprised me.

I thought Ben and Beanie were cute as could be with "It Takes Two."

All in all, I was very surprised by a lot of the choices that were made, which rarely happens at one of these concerts. I guess I'd have liked for Bernadette to have chosen something a bit more surprising, but my god did she look beautiful or what? That woman should be the poster child for tasteful plastic surgery and staying out of the sun.

I can't believe we have a 1080p troll.

[quote]Her singing is always mentioned in the Alice threads.

With much attention paid to her scatting.

I don't know why there aren't tributes to the likes of John Kander, Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones, Charles Strouse and Jerry Herman, among others. Ok, Andrew Lloyd Webber has some, but that's another story. Some of these folks have songs that are way more popular and done in piano bars and auditions than some of Sondheim's. Nathan Lane was joking when he said Sondheim was under-rated and hadn't had his share of tributes.

Because Tom Jones is a whore.

[quote]Who was the very sexy drummer at the start of the show?

He was indeed hot as hell, with that body, those shorts, the chest hair peeking out over his T-shirt, and those intense facial expressions. I'll see if I can do some research and find out his name, or maybe someone else will do it.

[quote]Baranski was the best in The Ladies Who Lunch, but she was born to play Joanne (why has that never happened? Could she be a replacement for LuPone if and when Company ever opens?). That key wasn't right for Meryl's high, airy voice, but Audra surprised me.

To me, the only moment of the performance that was a little disappointing was when Meryl had to sing the word "dies" in "Everybody dies" down the octave, because we were all expecting the usual note, and I don't think that line works very well if you go down on that note :-)

R482, A whore with a huge, uncut, Welsh cock.

[quote]Nathan Lane was joking when he said Sondheim was under-rated and hadn't had his share of tributes.

No! REALLY???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[quote] Who was the very sexy drummer at the start of the show

I noticed him too!

R478 Why would someone replace Patti in Company?

I presume the suggestion was that if the production continues, Baranski could be a replacement. I doubt that would happen.

She was terrific here.

Lavin's performance was badly marred by the fact that you could barely hear her much of the time. She was the Billie Eilish of the evening, which was too bad.

I enjoyed Alexander Gemignani doing Buddy's Blues. He looked like he was having fun.

The Ladies Who Lunch is absurdly overrated. Only Baranski got it. Streep was occasionally funny but her pitch was unsteady. Audra oversang.

Send In The Clowns needs to be stored away for a while. Every time I see someone do it, they seem very self-conscious as if they have to work extra hard to put their stamp on a song that has been sung too often. Murphy's downward glance at the beginning just signalled "Look I'm giving a performance" when she could have just sung the song and probably achieved more.

Someone did download it in 1080 -I got a copy (the file is huge).

I was underwhelmed by Lavin, whom I usually like. Loved the song choices for the most part. "I Remember", "The Miller's Son", and "No More", "What Can You Lose", "Loving You", "Broadway Baby", were especially effective. I had seen Stokes do "The Flag Song" before -Amazing how timely that song is now! "Someone In A Tree" was an unexpected bonus -Pacific Overtures is my favorite Sondheim show, and the performers put in so much extra work to make that number work in the given format.

Sondheim is not ashamed of his work on West Side Story and Gypsy. The performers were given free rein to choose whatever they wanted to sing. You could see that in almost every case -The songs really meant something to the singers. That was especially true of those who had created roles in Sondheim shows, or who had worked with him many times through the years.

Loved Bernadette. I cried. The rest of them whatever.

[Quote] Someone did download it in 1080 -I got a copy (the file is huge).

Perhaps I should have been more clear. The video on YouTube is 1080p. When I input the video URL to one of those download/ripping sites, the download site only shows 144p as an option.

Ben Platt is adorable.

I was hoping for Our Time from Merrily.

How much money was raised??

$1.50

How much does Raul need for a pack of fleet enemas?

I'm surprised that Sondheim is only worth $20 million. At least that's what it says online. I thought he'd be worth at least $100 million.

ALW and LMM are apparently worth much more than him.

of course ALW is but LMM? that makes me sad

You really can't believe any of those sites which lists celebrity wealth. They seem to be based on basic figures in the public domain, without taking into account things like inflation, investments, etc.

The drummer was Jared Schonig . Completely bald, by the way.

I'm with r481.

In 2005, Sondheim was 75.

2005 was also the Centennial of the birthdays of Harold Arlen and Jule Styne.

Sondheim received several highly publicized concert tributes similar to last nights. Arlen got one cabaret tribute at Rose Hall while Carol Channing headlined a Styne tribute - at the Hollywood Bowl. Broadway did bupkis.

Some very good performances throughout, but the two who really surprised me were Aaron Tveit and Elizabeth Stanley. I've been ambivalent about both of them in the past, but I thought they both really immersed themselves in those songs, and sounded great. In particular, she possesses a very versatile voice with a great mix.

The "hot" drummer, his very sculpted brows, and his wife.

You made no mention of the teef.

I keep reading his name as Jared SCHLONG.

Most people outside of Broadway had barely heard of Sondheim until Streisand's The Broadway Album was released and was a massive success. She made him a household name and made him a darling of the showbiz elite. After her album came out, everyone started singing his songs.

I can promise you that if it hadn't been for Streisand, there wouldn't have been a tribute to him last night.

Silly.

[quote]Why would someone replace Patti in Company?

Talent? Social skills? Bankability? It happens.

i guess Betty Buckley was on the DO NOT INVITE list.... who else?

Julia McKenzie.

R507, Frank Sinatra and Judy Collins both had very popular recordings of Send In the Clowns long before Streisand's Broadway album.

R507 = Roslyn Kind

R503, Marry Me a Little was included in the 2017 Barrington/Berkshires production of Company in which Aaron starred.

Alright kids, one more time …. Sondheim did not write the songs for West Side Story and Gypsy. Others did. Sondheim supplied words, no melody.. You don't leave the theater humming the words. The show last night was "Music and Lyrics by …" I thought we are grown men here, stop with the WSS and Gypsy fretting.

[R493] I have the 1080 file -It is 1.5 GB in size. I wasn't able to download it myself -I suspect we were both using the same apps. Fortunately a friend with more professional equipment was able to capture it all.

As of this morning, the charity had raised around $250,000.

[quote]Alright kids, one more time …. Sondheim did not write the songs for West Side Story and Gypsy.

True enough, but as has already been pointed out, the song Linda Lavin chose, "The Boy From . . . ," had lyrics by Sondheim and music by Mary Rodgers.

I wasn't really paying attention to anyone else, but Bernadette had perfect hair color. Aren't all the salons closed in NYC? Herself had no roots at all. I guess she's not socially isolated.

It's a wig.

Did anyone else notice that Raul Esparza dyed his hair and beard this morning? It was all dark brown when he was interviewed about last night's event...

Can bisexual cock be Just For Men?

R519 SPOILERS!!!

I did notice Bernadette had a lots less curls than usual.

I have only seen a still of Mandy's performance in the New York Times article and not the show. Was his segment all done in a long shot? Asking because anyone singing in an extended closeup like on a Skype camera is too much for me to take.

He didn't dye anything, r520, It's just the lighting was drastically different. Good lighting really does make THAT much of a difference.

R507 You're wrong. The first Sondheim tribute concert was as early as 1973 when Nancy Walker did I'm Still here.

An entire Broadway show called Side By Side By Sondheim was produced in 1976.

I'm not saying that Streisand singing his songs didn't give them more exposure, but your assertion that she made his reputation is cray.

There is a funny quote from Barbra in the NYT article that she was afraid Steve would hang up on her when she asked him to change some lyrics.

R526 it actually says that in the Barbra penned liner notes of The Broadway Album.

R523 Starts as a mid shot, then goes close. Watch the fucking thing.

R526 He should have hung up.

The only times Barbra recorded anything by Sondheim before THE BROADWAY ALBUM was ONE LINE from "Small World" in the Circus Sequence of COLOR ME BARBRA (1966) and "There Won't Be Trumpets" from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE intended for "ButterFly" but never released until years later.

She's a Stephen-Come-Lately.

(Supposedly Sondheim suggested her to the producers of HOT SPOT as a replacement for the ailing Judy Holliday)

[quote]ALW and LMM are apparently worth much more than him.

Comforting perhaps when they consider their comparative lack of genius.

To the tune of 'Clowns', SS once sang a tribute to ALW which included, 'God but he's rich - richer than me…'

More than secure enough to put that out there. SS in his riveting books makes a point of not discussing living composers, but I imagine ALW would receive quite the critique.

As to the show, I loved it, one of corona's silver linings.

R520 he was wearing a hair piece his beard was dyed to match the fake hair.

R530 Lay off the booze, slut. ALW sung it to Cameron MacKintosh at his tribute show.

R507, I grew up in Australia, and my GRANDMOTHER knew Sondheim from the movie of West Side Story. (That's 1961 and 16,000 miles from Broadway.) If you are older than 15, you very much need to get out of your Mom's basement. There have been heaps of Sondheim fans here since at least the early 1970s to my certain knowledge, even though the cast albums all had to be imported. If you want proof, listen to Priscilla's Tony Sheldon talking about first hearing Company, in Sydney in 1970. (That bit starts around 18 mins in.)

That 1973 tribute album with the Scrabble tiles on the cover was great, even though so many shows were yet to be written. Worth the price for the original lyrics of "We're Gonna Be All Right" alone.

Barbra who?

[quote]I'm surprised that Sondheim is only worth $20 million. At least that's what it says online. I thought he'd be worth at least $100 million.

Well if we are making up numbers how about $200 or $300 million?

R533 I don’t know who that is, but they look like Vanessa Redgrave transitioning.

Sondheim never had a successful show on his own. The only hit shows he had were West Side Story and Gypsy because Bernstein and Styne knew how to write memorable melodies. That's why he isn't rich.

stock, school and amateur for Into the Woods is off the charts but I don't know who makes what from that

R536 Sondheim is wealthy. Just think of the royalties, forgetting the success of failure of his shows. He'd be rich from West Side Story and Gypsy alone.

Again,

there were no Gypsy and WSS songs because of royalties that would have to be paid to the composers' estates.

Mary Rodgers children love Steven and would have waived the rights.

R539, That's simply not true.

All of these singers on telethons are singing songs with royalties. Just look at the big Gaga telethon last week. None of them had a problem, but you want us to think that Sondheim is somehow different, even though he is the lyricist. You're not making any sense.

Love how some (maybe just one poster) keeps equating hummable with successful art. In that case, the Menthos ads are the best music ever written.

Sondheim should be in the bucks from all the high school productions of "Follies" and "Merrily We Roll Along" alone.

I really enjoyed the performance of Thom Sesma.

It is true because of the particular charity involved and the size of the donor base. Small charity, very small donor base.

Lady Gaga's event had global appeal and she was donating her own royalties. So were many of the other artists.

[quote] The drummer was Jared Schonig . Completely bald, by the way.

Love bald!

How did the GLAAD fund raiser, which ran at the same time as the Sondheim show, do?

I just loved all of it -- the singing, the spirit -- except Josh Groban and Aaron Tveit. Tveit is a poor actor and his phrasing was horrendous. He's gorgeous, but that's it. Groban is an abomination--has no business singing these songs.

Groban has a pretty voice, though not really the style. Kind of like Roberta Peters singing "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" in reverse.

[quote]How did the GLAAD fund raiser, which ran at the same time as the Sondheim show, do?

I haven't seen updated numbers since Sunday, but Sunday night The Hollywood Reporter posted that initial donations were at 225,000 with $150k of that coming from the Ariadne Getty Foundation.

[quote]Groban is an abomination--has no business singing these songs.

If the music is good, anyone should be able to sing them.

"Sondheim never had a successful show on his own."

Wrong. FORUM, COMPANY, SWEENEY TODD, and INTO THE WOODS all made money. If all his shows had been flops, he would have been pushed aside by producers a long time ago.

Tveit sang beautifully in the Barrington Stage COMPANY a few years ago, especially "Someone, Is Waiting". He's not much of an actor though.

I don't mind Groban but he tends to oversing as if he were doing Puccini. Katrina Lenk was the one who annoyed me most and usually like her.

The other day I listened to the London cast recording of the "female Bobby" COMPANY. What a disappointment. Other than Patti LuPone, the cast carried on liked they had just learned the score. There was no trace of the underlying anxiety the permeates the piece. Rosalie Craig was much too cheerful as Bobby. And Jonathan Bailey, cute as he is, was more obnoxious than funny doing "Not Getting Married Today". Maybe it was better live.

R551, Only Sweeney Todd was a hit.

R552 I've learned to appreciate Tveit over the years and take him for what he has to offer - gorgeous voice, hot bod, limited acting. Looks a little old for his age, but glad he hasn't messed with his face.

R552 Bailey’s NGMT was perfect on stage. I saw it a week after the opening night and he nailed it.

Great show, every performance

Just to clarify, the song Miss Lavin chose is one she also introduced over 50 years ago.

I was hoping they'd beam Madonna in from her bathtub for "Sooner or Later".

[quote]I really enjoyed the performance of Thom Sesma...

...and I was really amazed that he's STRAIGHT! Well... he's married to a woman. FWIW

[Quote] he's married to a woman.

Some of us are.

R551 & R553, I am fairly certain that Sweeney Todd did not make money. Not sure about the others...

I'm 99% sure Forum made money, ITW did after the tour... not sure about the others

Yeah, in the "Sondheim & Co." book it says Sweeney made back 59% of the investment, and Prince is quoted: "It may have won every award in the book, but it didn't pay back."

Same book says Company made a "modest profit," mostly because it was cheap to put on.

Assassins and Passion both made more money than Cats and Phantom.

When you're NINETY years old with one closed eye and the Broadway "STARS" who salute you are all over 70 - why bother? None of them sound good anymore. Stay home. Meryl can sing. She's shit. And she's over 70 too. I love Patti and Bernadette and Audra. On old youtube videos. You old timers must have had quite a time. But there are always new singers who can sing. Lots of them. Try listening to people who can sing. A little cake and get that eye opened Steve. These should be your birthday goals.

* Meryl CAN'T sing. Not one good note. Ever. She is SHIT! Not even prestigious shit anymore. Terrible fraud. Oh the grossness of her *singing.*

I'm glad that Stephen Sondheim is dead. He was spared that.

R543 he was terrific! Loved his singing, his smiling, his gestures. So adorable. Loved Someone in a Tree. I’ve been obsessed. Watched the birthday performance multiple times and also the original cast performance a few times. The best

Tveit was easily the best singer in the Les Mis movie, but the poor guy has absolutely no charisma whatsoever. It's a shame, too, because he's very attractive and has a great voice (and still does even after his bout with COVID so that's a plus), but he's not very interesting to watch. It's like they say "you either have it or ya ain't." He'll have a respectable career that most aspiring singer/actors would envy, but he'll never be a Robert Preston or Nathan Lane who can even rise above bad material. Those are the kinds of actors we're in desperate need of these days.

[quote]He didn't dye anything, [R520], It's just the lighting was drastically different. Good lighting really does make THAT much of a difference.

Thanks, that's what I thought.

[quote]The first Sondheim tribute concert was as early as 1973 when Nancy Walker did I'm Still here. An entire Broadway show called Side By Side By Sondheim was produced in 1976. I'm not saying that Streisand singing his songs didn't give them more exposure, but your assertion that she made his reputation is cray.

I think the other poster meant that Sondheim was not well known among the general public before the Streisand album. There's a lot of truth to that, two reasons being that, at the time the Streisand album came out, the only "hit" song Sondheim had had was "Send in the Clowns, " and the only movies of his shows were GYPSY, WEST SIDE STORY (neither of which are considered primarily his shows, because he didn't write the music) and A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM. Of course, Sondheim was known by Broadway musical theater aficionados before the Streisand album, but I don't think that was the point.

[quote]It is true because of the particular charity involved and the size of the donor base. Small charity, very small donor base. Lady Gaga's event had global appeal and she was donating her own royalties. So were many of the other artists.

I doubt that's the reason. One would think that, if they had been asked, the Bernstein and Stein estates would have happily waived rights to the songs from WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY in honor of Sondheim's 90th birthday, so those songs could have been performed in this concert. Maybe it's just that there were so many songs with lyrics AND music by Sondheim to choose from, so none of the performers wanted to risk offending Sondheim even slightly by choosing a song for which he wrote only the lyrics -- except for Linda Lavin, but that song is kind of a special case.

[quote]I've learned to appreciate Tveit over the years and take him for what he has to offer - gorgeous voice, hot bod, limited acting. Looks a little old for his age, but glad he hasn't messed with his face.

He does have a hot bod, though he hasn't really had an opportunity to show it in most of his shows (except of course for NEXT TO NORMAL). But I think his face sometimes looks handsome but often kind of goofy, depending on the angle. Anybody else agree?

Tveit cannot pull off that "long on one side" hairstyle he's sporting. (And yes, I know he's been battling the 'rona.)

Tveit unfortunately is completely forgettable. I’ve seen him in tons of shows but don’t remember him in any of them a

I was recently reminded that I apparently saw him in Moulin Rouge

It is true that Sondheim's only blockbuster hit, financially, on Broadway was Gypsy. West Side Story was a success d'estime until the film version, when it finally caught on with audiences. Forum was a solid hit -The film rights bought Sondheim his town home in Turtle Bay. Sweeney eventually came close to paying off -I think the film sales may have tipped it into the profit column in the end.

His real bread and butter come from the royalties from cast albums, books, and regional/amateur productions. There's not a lot of money in any one production, but it does add up with shows like Into The Woods, Company, A Little Night Music, Merrily We Roll Along, and Sweeney Todd, which are performed pretty regularly around the world. I own a percentage of one of his cast albums, and based on what my tiny share is, I know how much he gets for that one every year. And he's got a lot of recordings out there!

The real Money Man of Broadway has to be Lin-Manuel Miranda. With royalties for book, music, and lyrics for Hamilton, plus a piece of the merchandising, he has to be worth a hundred million by now. He was earning $100,000 a week while Hamilton was open. Of course, he gives shitloads of it away to various causes...

[quote]. It's like they say "you either have it or ya ain't."

I don't know who "they" are, but the line is "You either got it, or you ain't."

Tveit was wonderful in Moulin Rouge. You're just old R572. Ancient I would guess.

Does he get naked in Moulin Rouge? Maybe in the elephant, isn’t there a love scene there?

[quote]You're just old. Ancient I would guess.

Do you know where you are, R575? You're on a DL thread about Stephen Sondheim

I don’t really care if Sondheim’s shows made as much profit as Rodgers and Hammerstein or ALW or Mackintosh or Lin-Manuel Miranda or Noel Fucking Coward. Or if his shit is the most hummable. The point is his music can access emotion, ambivalence of living, honesty. It communicates human experiences son much more vividly than any other composer/lyricist.

Sondheim wrote a better song than "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"? I don't know about that.

[quote] Sondheim never had a successful show on his own.

You are wrong. Forum and A Little Night Music made money. Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods may have, too.

I don't think anyone needs to badmouth other composers. Sometimes, I want a little Sondheim and other times I want a little Kander and Ebb or Jerry Herman. I will say that, as a whole, Sondheim's work has spoken to me the most from an emotional standpoint. The man's a genius in trying to deal with those uncomfortable or untalked about emotions we pretend we don't have. He knows how to write for a complicated, complex character. That's what I love so much about his work. It deals with issues, themes, and emotions people usually try to stay away from in musicals.

Usually, with most songs you really have to sit there and break down the lyrics and music and try to figure out how to interpret it, but with most of Sondheim's work, it's right there and there's not much extra digging you need to do. The music will tell you how you should feel.

He's great. Others were greater. Leave it alone. His music is mathematical and his lyrics are grown up. But in a very gay way. Arch, glib, dramatic heartbreak. There is great nuance in phrasing and timing, but the language is seldom direct and the music is complicated. He's esoteric, like most S&M guys. He seldom can approach a feeling or thought straight on. Sondheim is clever by half and genius other times. His work is very important. But he is not better than the great composers of popular song. Not at all.

There are no better back to back songs in a show in the musical theatre canon than "No More" and "No One Is Alone."

[quote] drunk

R583 IS drunk. But let him have his songs. It's cute.

There was a credit at the end. "Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim" THAT'S why nothing from West Side Story or Gypsy. He never wanted to be just a lyricist, and it bothers him that that was once the perception of his talent.

Linda Lavin requested to sing The Boy From... in the comments section of a Deadline article. She was not originally announced. That was the one exception they allowed where Sondheim didn't write the music. Likely in deference to Lavin's age, and frankly her amazing talent in singing the song.

Christine Baranski and Chip Zien were my favorites.

[quote]Christine Baranski and Chip Zien were my favorites.

And that's how sad a birthday tribute it was. Dreck.

Hearing "No One Is Alone" reminded me of John Simon's review, where he wrote that he was waiting for a good song all evening to finally get one, and it was "The Candy Man."

Ugh, all the Linda Lavin apologists.

R590 Sorry, but she was excellent. I'm not a particular fan, but she nailed it. Lots of craft there. I have huge respect for her now.

I've never seen "Alice" but Lavin is great in this episode of "Rhoda."

Okay -This may not be true, but I heard that Sondheim actually wrote both words and music for "The Boy From" as a favor to Mary Rodgers. The show was behind schedule and he gave her the song, not even taking the real lyric credit (using a pseudonym). They were extremely close, and considered marriage at one point (Mary only married gay men).

That wouldn't be shocking, R593. It was the thinnest variation on the melody of Girl From Ipanema imaginable.

Jake and Annaleigh singing "Move On" were stunning.

Raul Esparza was the best of the evening for me. Not just a beautiful voice but power and tons of heart. I was very moved by him.

I also loved Linda Lavin and Aaron Tveit. I thought Ladies Who Lunch was only ok, though Baranski was good. But the key was too high for ALL of them, including McDonald.

Has anybody heard anything else that was in The MAD Show, or is this its only song (by anybody)?

For what it's worth, ddownr . com seems to be able to download it at 1080p.

I used to own the cast album, but can’t remember any song but “The Boy From... The rest was forgettable.

"The Boy From..." as a song is the textbook definition of CRINGE. It did not age well but I bet even in its time it sounded cringeworthy.