New York Theater: Schoch, a long-time drama professor, one-time theater director and ardent Sondheim aficionado, extrapolates the life lesson he contends is central to each of a dozen Sondheim musicals. (See chapter titles below.) One need not accept the novel premise to benefit from this scholar’s erudition, insights and enthusiasms.
10 comments:
This book sounds very interesting, and I like how the article includes a little preview of all the lessons it assigns to each of these Sondheim musicals. It’s true that Sondheim had an effect on musical theatre like no other, and that his work is beloved, consistently poignant, and will not soon be forgotten. I also think it’s beautiful this book is written by someone who is clearly a Sondheim superfan and has a spent a great deal of time thinking about his work. The sure sign of a good book or even a good conversation about something like this is when the person talking (or writing as the case may be) clearly knows what they’re talking about and loves talking about it. I’m interested to see some of these ideas expanded. I wonder if it’s a little overly simplistic to pull just one lesson from each of these musicals, but it makes sense for the purpose of the book.
In How Sondheim Can Change Your Life, Richard Schoch shows that engaging deeply with art can teach valuable life lessons, even when those lessons aren’t direct or prescriptive. What I learned from the passage is that musicals, like life, are layered with contradictions—dreams mixed with disappointments, love tangled with loss. Schoch emphasizes that Sondheim’s characters are relatable because they wrestle with the same dilemmas we do: loneliness, regret, ambition, and identity.
I found it meaningful that Schoch argues we can learn most by taking art personally. His reflection on Merrily We Roll Along made me realize how nostalgia can distort our perspective, while his discussion of Into the Woods reminded me that the "right path" is not always obvious—and following our instincts often requires courage. Schoch’s vulnerability taught me that art becomes transformative when we see our own struggles in the characters' stories. This inspired me to approach art as a mirror for self-discovery and emotional growth.
I love Sondheim. Both his music and his lyrics, whether they are paired together or found individually. This author’s final thought, that “Sondheim’s musicals can start changing your life because you start taking them personally,” rings true to me. Into the Woods, to me, is not once upon a time in a far away land, even though it is based on fairy tales. To me, it is about people whose lives intersect, who make choices, and who must deal with the consequences together no matter whose ‘fault’ it is (or isn’t). In other words, it is about people like me and the people around me: our lives intersect, we make choices, and must deal with the consequences. And often, Sondheim’s characters show you a piece of yourself if you’re willing to look. When I watch Sweeny Todd, I see the darkness in me reflected on the stage as a part of me is screaming, ‘Just kill him already!’ when Sweeny has the Judge within his grasp during the song “Pretty Women.” They’re often hard truths to face, but Sondheim hides truths in all his songs, and all his shows, matched with good music and clever lyrics.
Sondheim is a lyrical genius. He has created so many intricate and beautiful masterpieces. Stephen Sondheim has composed musicals such as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Into the Woods, Follies, Sunday in the Park with George, and Merrily We Roll Along. Throughout these multiple musicals, Stephen Sondheim has most definitely changed my life. I was lucky enough to to see the revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street on broadway, and holy shit that was incredible. Sondheim is so versatile and has so much variety in his work, it is kind of crazy to think that the composer for Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum were all composted by the same artist, because they are all so different from each other. Stephen Sondheim and his musical compositions have definitely changed my life and millions of others across the world.
I love how Schoch boils down each of Sondheim’s musicals into a simple, palatable moral message. I think the fact that he is able to do that successfully says something very important about Sondheim’s style. I have worked on three productions of Into the Woods (once when I was nine, then fourteen, then seventeen) and each time I’ve seen it as a completely different show with a completely different lesson. Most of Sondheim’s works can be easily accessed from any age, but what makes them so special is what you take away from them based on where you are in life. Schoch lists lessons like “How to be Who You Are…How to Survive Your Past…How to Be an Artist…How to Love” when discussing Sondheim’s lessons. The interesting thing is that someone’s answer to this question could change in a matter of days based on what’s happening in their life. By posing simple prompts like these, he forces his audiences to look into themselves an attempt to find an answer each time they’re watching the show or listening to the score. No one does it like Sondheim.
Sondheim is one of the most well known playwrights and lyricists of the last century. This article talks specifically about how Sondheim uses his musicals to connect with audiences and truly change their lives. When talking about Gypsy the author mentions that the characters Sondheim wrote lyrics for were based on real people. This allowed the audience to connect on a deeper level to the people on the stage and Sondheim's songs only amplified that connection. The author also mentions Follies and the idea of coming out. People use pieces of art, specifically music, to embrace and express themselves. So when Sondheim is writing lyrics for characters in deep complicated stories he is able to create a deep connection between the audience and the people on stage. Overall the article does a great job explaining the idea that the more realistic the character the more the audience is able to create bonds between the selves and the creative world of the show.
Sondheim’s work is unlike any other. It is so thought-provoking, and he just finds ways to connect his musicals to personal growth. I have always loved almost every single one of his works, and I really appreciate how he brings his own life experiences into everything he does. It made me think about how art can resonate so personally with people. Whenever I'm doing anything in art, I always think about the meaning that can be put behind it, and I feel like all of Sondheim's work just makes me think so intently. Obviously not everything Sondehim writes is completely and utterly relatable, which the touch on in the article For example, in Gypsy, which has just been revived on Broadway (top contender for a Tony), Louise's journey to independence is inspiring, but Schoch’s suggestion that it could be a roadmap for personal growth feels like a stretch, especially when you consider that her path involves becoming a stripper. However, if being a stripper is your prerogative, then go you! Still, I think his deep dive into the emotional layers of these characters shows how musicals can offer more than just entertainment.
I’m glad that there are people in this world who become so passionate in the lives of artists and musicians that they dedicate a portion of their life in hunting down the meanings of these creatives and condense their shown meanings into something that the world doesn’t have to hunt for themselves. At first thought, when reading about Schoch’s observations, it felt very obvious that yeah, of course Sondheim wrote it like this to highlight this and didn’t write it like this because of this. However, as I read some of his character descriptions, I realized that Schoch goes against some common beliefs about some of Sondheim’s characters, with evidence as to why. One thing I do disagree with is the last sentence of this article, when it’s stated that the most satisfying way to approach and appreciate art is to take the themes and lessons personally. That seems detrimental to a person in some cases. The whole point of the characters created is that they’re their own people.
Sondheim is just such a classic writer in the musical theatre world and a complete book that thoroughly analyzes his writing style would be so fascinating to read. Schoch provides such a simple but clear description of the message Sondheim was trying to convey with each of his musicals and it really makes sense. The messages of his musicals can be a little harder to understand when listening to the score or watching the musical when you hear the songs individually, but when you take a step back to think about it Schoch is really spot on with each and every one of his descriptions for Sondheim’s musicals. There is so much to analyze and think about with Sondheim’s work with the choices he makes for his characters and the lessons are so apparent when you strip away the context of the story and that is exactly what Schoch’s analysis does.
Post a Comment