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re: To try to answer you a bit more fully

Posted by:	Michael_Portantiere 12:49 pm EDT 09/11/14
In reply to:	re: To try to answer you a bit more fully - LegitOnce 07:43 pm EDT 09/10/14

I think "The Miller's Son" is one of the greatest songs Sondheim ever wrote, musically and lyrically. I find it's placement in the show to be perfect, and the fact that it's sung by a relatively minor character makes it all the more effective. For one thing, it's a smart idea to take a little bit of time away from the Fredrik-Desiree-Carl-Magnus-Charlotte-Henrik-Anne plot(s) at that point. In my opinion, there's only one flaw in this otherwise brilliant song: the line "It's a very short road from the pinch and the punch to the paunch and the pouch and the pension." All that alliteration makes the line sound "written," and not organic to the character. Sondheim himself later criticized his own use of alliteration for certain characters in certain shows, so perhaps he later came to dislike this line as well? I don't know if he has written about that. Anyway, this one flaw aside, I rate the song as truly brilliant -- witty, very perceptive, and ultimately quite moving.

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