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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: Alcindoro 12:40 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - AlanScott 11:54 am EST 11/24/14

Wasn't there a regional production of COMPANY sometime in the '90s where one of the couples was made same-sex? Can't recall if it was two men or two women. I seem to remember him being very vocal about it ("Some people can't write so they re-write") and the production was either blocked or the revision was corrected.


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: AlanScott 12:49 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - Alcindoro 12:40 pm EST 11/24/14

He has, on occasion, had productions shut down that took liberties, without asking permission, of which he disapproved. But they were mostly pretty minor productions, nonprofessional or regional. This is why I wrote (near the end of my post) "current or recent major production."

A production of Side by Side by Sondheim with Cris Groenendaal and a couple of other established performers was shut down for adding a whole bunch of songs not in the licensed version without permission.

But even then I'm not sure he spoke about it. He just had it shut down.

The author makes it sound like Sondheim fairly often goes around saying, "Hated that production," so the fact that he's speaking positively about this one demonstrates how much he loves it. He also raved about the film version of Sweeney.

If anything, I think (though I'm sure about this) that he has spoken of how he prefers not to publicly criticize productions of his work because he doesn't want to hurt the actors.


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: Ann 12:42 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - Alcindoro 12:40 pm EST 11/24/14

There was a production in the '90s at CMU with Marta being Marty, which Sondheim gave private approval to ... was it something else or maybe a couple of memories conflated?


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: Alcindoro 02:56 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - Ann 12:42 pm EST 11/24/14

Can't remember. But I'm pretty sure he made that statement about re-writing in conjunction with a production of COMPANY, since I've repeated it to more than one amateur director.

But then, maybe I dreamed the whole thing ...


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: AlanScott 03:02 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - Alcindoro 02:56 pm EST 11/24/14

No, I don't think you did. I think he (along with Furth) forced at least one production of Company either to shut down or to recast, or perhaps he and Furth simply refused to allow a sex change for one or more of the characters when asked in advance, but he did allow Billy Porter (who knew to ask in advance and get permission) to change Marta to Marty for a production of the show at Carnegie-Mellon, because it was just a college production and because he likes and trusts Porter.


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: MikeR 03:06 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - AlanScott 03:02 pm EST 11/24/14

I was recently in a production of Company that changed Peter into a woman, making Peter/Susan a lesbian couple. We were told that the production had asked for and received permission. But I've begun to doubt that was actually the case...


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: AlanScott 03:13 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - MikeR 03:06 pm EST 11/24/14

I would be doubtful, too. Was the scene with Peter and Robert alone cut?


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: MikeR 03:43 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - AlanScott 03:13 pm EST 11/24/14

Surprisingly, it wasn't in the scripts we got from MTI. The first time I did Company (November 2010), that scene was included.


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re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film

Posted by: AlanScott 03:48 pm EST 11/24/14
In reply to: re: Deadline reviews Into the Woods film - MikeR 03:43 pm EST 11/24/14

That really is odd.


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