Blog

Sondheim On Sweeney 25 Years Later

When Sweeney Todd first opened in London 25 years ago it was not well-received. Sondheim has always been hurt by this reception. “It was my love letter to London.” But now, he thinks he understands. “A friend of mine, the playwright John Guare, said that it was as if the British had come to the States and done a serious musical of I Love Lucy. “And we would think, Don’t they know that’s a silly comedy? Well, I think maybe, with Sweeney Todd, people thought that the Americans were taking a melodrama just too seriously. How pretentious! “

This Summer – Reruns Rule

This was supposed to be the summer that year-round TV programming took hold. No repeats, new series… “We’ve heard all these big grandiose announcements about the year-round programming and what a great strategy it is. We’ve seen no evidence to back up the rhetoric. In fact, we’ve seen quite the opposite.” CBS, the only network running reruns, is the only network doing well. “Midway through the summer season, CBS is the only major network to increase its number of total viewers, adding 3 percent to an average of 8.5 million.”

Labor Truce For French Festivals

Last summer maajor French festivals were disrupted or canceled due to protests by labor unions. After worries about a repeat this summer, the festivals are underway in peace. “With the festival season now well under way, is it safe to assume the issue has gone away? Not entirely. This is a truce, rather than peace.”

A Curious Trend – Killing The President

Art is always looking for taboos to break. And the curious convergence of this summer is assassination. Presidential assassination. “Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins may be closing, but next month, I’m Gonna Kill the President!, a satirical play by the pseudonymous Hieronymous Bang, reopens at a top-secret downtown location. Jonathan Demme has remade The Manchurian Candidate, and Niels Mueller’s drama The Assassination of Richard Nixon, starring Sean Penn, is based on the true story of a salesman who attempts to murder the president. And although the novel won’t be released until August 24 (the eve of the Republican convention), Nicholson Baker’s Checkpoint has already caused a stir: One character ruminates at great length on his desire to assassinate George W. Bush.”

The Throwaway DVD

A new “dispoable” DVD that self-destructs is being touted as an anti-piracy tool as well as a challenge to the traditional movie rental. “The discs are created using an oxygen-activated chemical, and are shipped in vacuum-sealed packages. Once the disc is exposed to air, the chemical starts working; 48 hours later, it turns black, and the DVD player can’t read it anymore.”

Congress “Cleaning Up” Movie Legislation

The US Congress is considering two bills this week that will impact the entertainment industry. “The House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the Family Movie Act, which would exempt from legal liability anyone who uses filtering software to “clean up” purportedly indecent, violent or pornographic movie content. The following day, the Senate Commerce Committee will decide whether to renew the satellite TV industry’s right to transmit network programming.”

Who’s In Line To Take Over Proms?

At the end of this summer’s Proms, Leonard Slatkin steps down as chief conductor. “It has been known for almost two years that Slatkin was going to leave, but no announcement has been made about his successor. The BBC is being cautious, aware of the fact that, with the appointment of Slatkin in 2000, it has been a case of married in haste, repent at leisure.”