| Sondheim's lawyer, not DreamWorks, had the rights pulled | |
| Posted by: AlanScott 08:19 pm EDT 03/17/24 | |
| In reply to: re: Morbidity? Maybe opera companies will pick up the slack. - WeillFan 06:59 pm EDT 03/12/24 | |
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| At least according to the lawyer, John Breglio, quoted in the Los Angeles Times. Also another in-print statement that Sondheim didn't like the Chicago/Royal Opera production. From the issue of the Los Angles Times dated August 8, 2004: "The company wanted to present the Stephen Sondheim musical melodrama about a vengeful barber, primarily as a vehicle for Bryn Terfel. Initially, it planned to use a recent Royal Opera production of the show. But Sondheim didn't like the Royal Opera's staging enough to approve its replication. "So the Angelenos turned to a 'Sweeney' production from Opera North in Leeds, England, that Sondheim had endorsed. In January, company officials announced that 'Sweeney' and Terfel would appear at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for seven performances in May 2005. "Then Sondheim attorney John Breglio had second thoughts. He felt that the spring 2005 slot was too close to the anticipated release of a movie version of 'Sweeney' that DreamWorks and director Sam Mendes are planning. The projects might compete for attention in the crucial Los Angeles media market, he said. So he pulled the rights. "Breglio says this wasn't DreamWorks' doing. 'I would never let DreamWorks be heavy-handed. This was our sensitivity. You protect artists and give them the air and space they need,' he said. He added that he wasn't singling out L.A. Opera, noting that he had no problem with the company's just-closed production of Sondheim's 'A Little Night Music.' "Regarding the 'Sweeney' backtracking, 'I would have done the same thing with any other major company in L.A.,' Breglio said. The Philadelphia market apparently wasn't considered as crucial. A production of 'Sweeney' is still scheduled for spring in that city." |
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| Previous: | re: Morbidity? Maybe opera companies will pick up the slack. - WeillFan 06:59 pm EDT 03/12/24 |
| Next: | re: Morbidity? Maybe opera companies will pick up the slack. - AlanScott 07:14 pm EDT 03/12/24 |
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