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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: Maguire75 02:32 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Chazwaza 02:18 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| The Goldman estate is basically his widow, Bobby Goldman, of whom much has been written, most making her out to be the villain in all things dealing with FOLLIES. But from what I understand, both Sondheim and Goldman had reservations about the Paper Mill production, and Goldman (in a smart business move) instead opted to give the rights to a Broadway staging to The Roundabout with the understanding that they also agreed to produce a Broadway revival of THE LION IN WINTER. But since no production of FOLLIES seems to ever use the same script - and the most recent London revival uses much of the original book, I don't think anyone is honoring explicit instructions about the artistic legacy of Jim Goldman's work. I would equally be surprised if Goldman's widow is the sole reason why EVENING PRIMROSE hasn't been adapted to the stage. It's possible Sondheim also feels it was conceived as a television piece and wouldn't work in a different medium. |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 02:52 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Maguire75 02:32 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| That may well be, re: Evening Primrose. I have no insider knowledge here, and I know Sondheim is not unknown for sticking to (what I'd call irrational or close-minded) views and opinions about his work in the past. But if I were him I would certainly want to make the piece even stronger and improve and expand. The movie is not especially cinematic, there's no reason conceptually that I can see why it would need to be kept as a movie. Also no one gets to see it or perform it that way. Also, he wrote The Frogs to be done in a pool, as a one act, by students... and then he adapted it into a pool-less full scale two act musical, based off work I don't think is any better or better suited to stage than Evening Primrose. But if his opinions clash with mine, they're his to have and act on. I just want to know if they are his opinions. |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: NUPackrat 04:32 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Chazwaza 02:52 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| The executor of Goldman's literary estate has strongly negative opinions about Goldman's teleplay and doesn't want it to be distributed further, including as a stage adaptation. It's a shame for those of us who love the piece, but in the end it's their intellectual property and their call. As a different approach, I wrote to Sondheim in the early 2000s and asked him if he'd consider authorizing use of his songs from Primrose in a new stage adaptation of the original John Collier short story- Sondheim wrote back and was pretty cordial, but shot it down as he considers the songs inextricably intertwined with the teleplay. That was disappointing, but it's also how I first got to know and love John Collier stories, so for every cloud there's a silver lining, I suppose! | |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 04:42 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - NUPackrat 04:32 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| How interesting that he didn't feel the songs to The Frogs were inextricably intertwined with Burt Shevelove's script before allowing Nathan Lane to write an almost entirely new book. I am VERY curious if any famous or successful writers have approached Sondheim about doing a new version of Primrose and if he still held onto those feelings. | |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: NUPackrat 11:59 am EST 02/08/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Chazwaza 04:42 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| Hat tip for the shade. | |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: Michael_Portantiere 05:05 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Chazwaza 04:42 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| Yes, but aside from Sondheim's statement about the songs of EVENING PRIMROSE being inextricably tied to the Goldman script, isn't it likely that he wouldn't want to anger the Goldman estate, i.e. his widow, by entertaining the idea of a stage adaptation with a new book by someone else? | |
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| re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? | |
| Posted by: Chazwaza 05:13 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
| In reply to: re: Has Sondheim discussed why he hasn't expanded EVENING PRIMROSE for stage? - Michael_Portantiere 05:05 pm EST 02/07/18 | |
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| It is, however Follies certainly seems to be the stage work of James' that gets produced the most now, opulence or not, so it wouldn't benefit Bobby's financial interests to limit or prevent the productions it might have. But sadly it is quite possible she will well outlive Sondheim and then it will be the two estates battling if she tries to f*ck with Follies, so it would be scary to me too if I were him. For what it's worth, I think Sondheim could have made a really interesting musical out of The Lion in Winter... perhaps a mix of Sweeney and ALNM. |
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