Six by Sondheim

Documentary looking at the career of the great Stephen Sondheim with focus on 6 of his greatest songs.

Extremely well put together documentary using footage / interviews of Sondheim over the years, cleverly edited so that he essentially narrates the whole thing. Beyond that is Sondheim himself who is a tremendous raconteur and speaks quickly and eloquently about his great love of music, how he composes and what he has done right and wrong over the years. There is clearly some deep sadness and vulnerability to the man but he has overcome this to write great shows and become, seemingly, a really nice guy.

This is a wonderful documentary, composed chiefly of interviews Stephen Sondheim has given in the past, with the addition of the musical numbers, some specifically filmed for this HBO documentary.

And it is one of those versions I want to address: James Lapine's filmed version of "Opening Doors" from "Merrily We Roll Along." It stars Darren Criss, Jeremy Jordan, and America Ferrara, and I truly wish this version was available as a full-length film version of the difficult- to-produce musical. It brought back the magic I felt seeing this in a 1982 version in Washington DC and later in a 1983 Los Angeles Equity production. Subsequent revisions of the script and songs have left me feeling flat, including the much-raved-about recent London production. These three actors have the charm and innocence and musical presence that was required of the original roles, and they recreate the period and excitement with thrilling results. During their number, I kept thinking, "Where is this version?! Why isn't there a movie version with this cast?" Kudos to all involved in truly bringing back to life "Merrily We Roll Along" (and to that sly actor singing about songs having "hummable" and "memorable" melodies).

If like me you are not a Broadway buff but have an acquaintance with some of Sondheim's songs and are curious to know more about him, this meticulously crafted HBO documentary is a worthy investment of your time.

Through exhaustive source material, in particular interviews with the great man ranging over his life, brilliant editing and generous performance clips take the viewer on a straight, unbroken line that describes his inspiration, the unfolding of his genius, its realization on stage in both hits and flops, the acknowledgement of his enormous contribution, and the passing on of his legacy through his commitment to lectures and tutorials with aspiring young lyricists and composers.

As you watch you get to know the man. You might have been expecting a tormented genius but he is quite the opposite: friendly, at home in his own skin, frank and forthright, able to derive satisfaction from his success and yet be free from conceit. By the end you like him as much as you like his music. And as the credits roll, you silently thank the producers of this documentary for taking such pains to organize the multitude of video and audio clips involved into a seamless narrative that has nary a false or wasted moment. It is bliss.

...except that title has already been used. This was an intimate look at Stephen Sondheim's life as told by Stephen Sondheim and told within the context of SIX of his songs, as selected by him: 1 "Something's Coming" (West Side Story) 2 "Opening Doors" (Merrily We Roll Along) 3 "Send in the Clowns" (A Little Night Music) 4 "I'm Still Here" (Follies) 5 "Being Alive" (Company) 6 "Sunday" (Sunday in the Park With George).

There are other songs and shows featured in this film as well, such as "Gypsy" and "Sweeney Todd," but the main focus is the six above. He tells of us that in his early life he was somewhat adopted by the family of Oscar Hammerstein II following the break-up of his parents' marriage. Eventually Hammerstein would become his mentor. Although he began as a lyricist, the genesis of "Something's Coming," clearly show that it is HE who is the driving force behind the song. And there is also quite generous footage of the some of the shows he was a part of either as lyricist or composer. And once you see this show, I guarantee you will not listen to the songs in which he was soley the lyricist the same way again. I really have a much stronger appreciation of just how important his contribution is to the songs in "Gypsy" and "West Side Story." I have been a big fan of his for many years, but this well-crafted film gave me even more credence as to why I love him.