What are your least favorites? Honestly, I'm not crazy about Pacific Overtures or Passion. Passion confuses me beyond belief and Pacific Overtures just doesn't hook me. Honestly, only four of the songs in PO are what I would call up to par with Sondheim's other work ("Please Hello!", "Welcome to Kanagawa", "Someone in a Tree", "Poems").

Your's?

Passion to me is rather Passionless. Saturday Night is a young writer's first attempt.

( BTW I adore Pacific Overtures.).

Sorry, Dawn. It just doesn't hook me at all.

I've been persecuted for this, but my two least favorites are Sunday in the Park with George and A Little Night Music.

*nods in agreement* Those would have to be my least favorite as well, I'm afraid. I don't feel that The Frogs makes the cut either.

I don't understand why Forum is so many people's least favorite. I love it...it's sharp and I like the songs and characters. As for you, Apples2for10...how could you?! lol jk.

Agreed, I LOVE Forum.

The Frogs for sure. But to be fair I haven't seen the show or know much about it at all - only through the revival cast recording. I just can't get interested.

I like Passion if mainly for Donna Murphy - I'm not sure how anyone can say what she sings at least is 'passionless'; "I read" OMMMGGGGG.

Pacific Overtures is good though IMO. And apparently Sondheim's favourite score.



(From the book Sondheim)

So far, Follies is the show that do the least for me. I've not heard anything from Bounce or Saturday Night yet, so Follies may move up the ladder. I am also quite new to Follies, so I'm going to give it a couple of more shots. Passion is actually one of my favorites, Giorgio is so true to young men! He is so confused with his emotion in a way that reminds me of boys at my own age!

Pacific Overtures is also quite high up, but my two favorites are Company and Sweeney Todd. Company because the music is so good, and the lyrics are also wonderful. Sweeney Todd is a show that really depends on the cast and the orchestra, one bad person or bad orchestration is enough to ruin the experience of it. Company is much harder to ruin.

The Frogs is not high on my list, I like "I Love to Travel" and "Invocation and Instructions to the Audience". Except for that it is on the bottom somewhere.

Remember you promised to give it a SERIOUS try

Of course! A promise is a promise! A couple of more shots is pretty serious, especially if you think about the little time I've got to listen to all my music! I want to ask my director for our new "highlight" musical if he can use a number from Follies. Then I will be forced to like it.

Follies is even miles ahead of Sondheim's other great shows. Follies is next to My Fair Lady the greatest musical ever written!1


also..The Frogs is very strong..and carries a great political message that must not be ignored.

I think his lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy are only OK (Gypsy's are slightly better than West Side Story's though) and 'OK' is quite weak for Sondheim. Sondheim is one of my favourite lyricists but it seems whenever he is asked to write the lyrics for a show and not the music he falls a little flat.