Product Description

No Description Available.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: NR
Release Date: 23-SEP-2003
Media Type: DVD

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34103 in DVD
• Brand: SONDHEIM,STEPHEN
• Released on: 2003-09-23
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 6
• Dimensions: 1.60 pounds
• Running time: 721 minutes

Customer Reviews

BROADWAY MAGIC from a BROADWAY LEGEND
Stephen Sondheim. A legend of the musical theater. A hero to many. A talent for the ages.

Any who have not already fallen in love with this man and his magnificent work are missing out on a cultural and musical splendor. Ever since his first work, writing the lyrics for "West Side Story" and "Gypsy," he has proven to the world that he is indeed the greatest Broadway composer/lyricist of the late 20th century, arguably of all-time.

These six works, though far from his complete works which also include, to name a few, "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Company", "A Little Night Music" and the controversial "Assasians."

Let me first say that those who tend to loathe musical theater (may God bless your soul), will not find these DVD's very enjoyable. But to those whom condider themselves (begin humming tune from "Oliver!") musical-theater junkies, like me, will savor every moment.

"Into the Woods" presents many popular fairy tales, such as Little Red Ridinghood and Cinderella. Only... with very different, and sometimes dark, twists in them. The show is superb. A sure-fire hit ever since it opened on Broadway, it has become Sondheim's most-performed show. The original cast is incredible with Chip Zein, JoannaGleason and Bernadette Peters leading the way. Gleason and Peters are both so magnificent. Two great actresses performing in a show for the ages. Though both deserved the Best Actress Tony, the honour went to Gleason. "Into the Woods" is sure to become a favourite of yours.

"Sunday in the Park with George" is a harder sell than "Woods". It's plot is more dramatic and the songs are not as memorable. That said the show is still great, with Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters amazing performances. Though the show did not win the Best Musical Tony, it did win the Pulitzer Prize, rare for a musical. Not one of my favourites like "Into the Woods", but still great.

"Follies" was not an outrageously sucessful show when it first opened on Broadway. The book was not very well written, which weighed down Sondheim's MAGNIFICENT songs. This show includes some of his best work, clearly shown in this extermely sucessful concert version of "Follies". The songs are so great, but what most stands out are the mournful "Losing My Mind and the hopeful "Broadway Baby". Both are legendary songs that show why Sondheim is the legend he is today.

"Passion"-This portion of review currently unavailable.

"Sweeney Todd" is arguably, though not as popular as some of his other shows, Sondheim's masterpiece. It was a true landmark in musical theater. The score and the book blended so effortlessly, it was hard to tell when the book ended and the score began. It was more opera than traditional musical. This concert version shows its' greatness. It would have been magnificent if Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou, who originated the roles, had done it. However, George Hearn and Patti Lupone are wonderful as the title character and Mrs. Lovett. (In fact Hearn's Sweeney is thought by many to be the definitive interpretation of the character.) I have never been a big fan of Lupone's. She is unmistakenably gifted with that magnificent voice, however, and she sings this role beutifully. Kudos to Hearn to, who does the show well. The plot is intricate and would take very long to explain. Just take my word for it. If you like musical theater, you will love this concert of "Sweeney Todd"

The highlight of this collection, for me, is the "Celebration at Carnegie Hall". This star-studded event, including Bernadette Peters, Patti Lupone, the late Dorothy Loudon, Liza Minelli, Betty Buckely, Victor Garber and Glenn Close, is one for the ages. Triumphantly displaying the best of Sondheim's work. This is one of the most enjoyable shows I have ever seen. BROADWAY MAGIC!!! The stars beautifully perform the legendary songs of this magnificent man. A MUST HAVE for any collection.

The only bad thing about this collection is that it doesn't include two things: the DVD showing the recording of Sondheim's "company"- a fascinating documentary and the movie of Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum" starring Zero Mostel. Both great fun. Other than that, this collection is flawless!

Buy it, and dive in to the magical world of Sondheim.

Sondheim: Greatest Theatre Genuis of the 20th Century
I have been in love with the work of Stephen Sondheim since the age of 6, when I first memorized the lyrics to all of the songs from West Side Story. Mr. Sondheim has give us many, many wonderful pieces of theatre, and several of his best pieces are represented here.

Sweeney Todd: considered by many his masterpiece. I prefer the Angela Lansbury / George Hearn casting, but if they chose to star Betty Boop and Donald Duck it couldn't hurt this material. Brilliant.

Follies in Concert: Follies remains my favorite Sondheim musical and, unlike some other reviewers, I thought the ORIGINAL book was brilliant. The later revised version considerably weakened both characters and plot, and the "concert" version is even more woefully incomplete than the original cast album, but thank GOD they saw fit to include, "Too Many Mornings".

Sunday In The Park With George: Pulitzer Prize winning paean to the creative process; I can even forgive the casting of Mandy Patinkin, one of my least favorite actors. The recreation of Seurat's masterpiece during the first act climax still gives me chills.

Passion: the more I watch this achingly beautiful show, the more I think it's one of Sondheim's greatest scores. Subtle, yes, but if you allow it to, it will grow and grow on you until you can't get it out of your mind. This show is for anyone who has ever loved someone that they couldn't have.

Into The Woods: I saw both Broadway productions and had difficulty choosing which was better. I think the original cast, represented here, had a slight edge. Possibly the most "fun" of Sondheim's shows, this take on Grimm's fairy tales is clever, entertaining and highly satisfying.

The Carnegie Hall tribute is also wonderful.

I have long been of the opinion that Sondheim can do no wrong. His lyrics are thrillingly brilliant, witty beyond all expectations, and his music contains depth that other Broadway composers can only dream of. What is most amazing to me is how he can vary styles and musical periods from show to show to show - no two of his musicals are ever alike, which is more than I can say for many other composers. I don't understand those who like him only to a point; I have friends who love Sweeny, Follies and Night Music, but hate Sunday, Passion and Into the Woods. I think he gets better with each succeeding show.

This set is well worth the investment. Hurry and get it, as some of the individual videos are now unavailable, and who knows how long the boxed set will last.

Don't own the collection, but have seen all individually
Sondheim is the master. He is the best of the best.

That said, this is a collection of some of his finest work that exists on DVD.

Follies... while not the most desireable representation of the show (it's very cut down) you still get Barbara Cook's stirring "Losing My Mind," Elaine Stritch's dry and perfect "Broadway Baby," and Carol Burnett's "I'm Still Here," which is a religeous experience. The documentary is quite interesting, as well!

Passion: My favorite Sondheim score. The music is lush and beautiful. The characters are real and fascinating. The dialogue is poetry. It's an amazing show with an amazing score, and amazing performances given by amazing actors.

Sunday in the Park: Anyone with any interest in art of any form should see this musical. It's a wonderful look at the creation of art and the process of creating. It has a strong message of finding "something new, something of your own." This is a strong, powerful musical about going against the odds for the sake of art, and not giving the masses what they want (something Sondheim does marvelously and brilliantly).

Sweeney Todd: The greatest musical ever written. It's about murder and cannibalism. Well, the plot, at least. The show is about revenge and love and obsession and all of this is reflected so beautifully in the amazingly huge score. To hear this score played by a Symphony orchestra, sung by an opera ensemble and with such a fantastic mix of opera and musical theatre stars is heaven. George Hearn IS Sweeney Todd, and Patti LuPone recreates Mrs. Lovett as her own with brilliant acting and singing. Neil Patrick Harris, Lisa Vroman, Standford Olsen also bring magic and beauty to this production.

Celebration at Carnegie Hall: Such a loving mix of well-known and obscure Sondheim performed by the best. Too many highlights to name, and wonderful new arrangements. Any Sondheim fan should own this, and anyone who watches it will soon be a Sondheim fan. This concert shows why he is considered the greatest musical theatre composer of the 20th century (and in my opinion, ever).