| The notion of "Square One" in Sondheim's work | |
| Posted by: peter3053 05:52 am EDT 09/30/21 | |
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| It struck me the other day that much of Sondheim's work has included this notion of returning to square one, with second chances and "so many possibilities". It has been a structural staple in his shows. Company, of course, keeps returning to the birthday party. Sunday in the Park with George returns to the painting which ended Act One as well - admittedly a "theme with variations". Sweeney Todd begins and ends at the graveside. Into the Woods begins and ends with a narrator figure recounting a "once upon a time" tale (Narrator in Act One and the start of Act Two; The Baker, to his baby, during the finale). Road Show (and Bounce) begins and ends in the netherworld beyond. A Little Night Music originally was to have shown divergent possible outcomes through Madame Armfeldt re-shuffling her cards, and all the characters would go back to the start and follow paths which wound them up with different partners. As it is, it begins and ends with the waltz, and with the lieberslieder playing a first and final note on the same piano. While at first this would suggest no human progress, it seems in some cases to promise new hope - Sondheim is insightful about the ambivalence of existence, and how the return occurs often signals crucial development of the central characters. Also, at one time he was drawn to the idea of musicalising Groundhog Day; enough said. While of course much of the structure of the show is the provenance of the book writer, we know that Sondheim collaborates at every step of the way. So it becomes a rather exciting dimension to look forward to in his future work - the examination of feelings of confinement in existence, along with opportunity for liberation. |
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