那晚亞視國際台播映Broadway - The American Musical, 看了一回, 當中再一次回顧我喜愛的美國音樂劇作曲及作詞家Stephen Sondheim.在大學上Theatre 101時才知道Stephen Sondheim是何許人也, 其實一直已看過及聽過他的著作. 熟悉的著作有: West Side Story (lyrics)(1956), Follies (music & lyrics)(1971), Sweeney Todd (music & lyrics)(1979), Into the Woods (music & lyrics)(1987), Assassins (music & lyrics)(1990)等等. 他亦有替電影作曲: Dick Tracy (1990), The Fisher King (1991)等.
記得那時習作的一部份是要去看大學戲劇系的舞台劇及音樂劇, 一個學期看了數個, 當中印象最深而那個時期最喜歡的便是Assassins. 後來也買了音樂劇原聲大碟收藏.
Sweeney Todd也是頗特別的音樂劇, 早兩年在港看過Hong Kong Players的演出, 荷李活電影Jersey Girl(2004)(Ben Affleck及Liv Tyler主演)中也有一幕. 聽說Sweeney Todd電影版正在製作中, 2008年完成.
更多Sondheim資料: www.sondheimguide.com 及 www.sjsondheim.com
以下是一些Stephen Sondheim的名句(brainyquote.com):
A close-up on screen can say all a song can.
All the best performers bring to their role something more, something different than what the author put on paper. That's what makes theatre live. That's why it persists.
Hit songs did not come out of musicals. Pop-rock was creating the hits. There were very few songs that made the charts out of any Broadway musical.
When you know your cast well and their strengths and weaknesses, you can start writing for them, just the way Shakespeare wrote for his actors.
Musicals are plays, but the last collaborator is your audience, so you've got to wait 'til the last collaborator comes in before you can complete the collaboration.
Technorati tag: stephen sondheim
3 comments:
Stephen Sondheim is a musical writer that shows continual creativity throughout the years. I like Into the Woods (got the DVD). I watched the original cast in London. Absolutely fabulous! Sunday in the Part with George is also good, but I have only listened to the CDs before. I also saw Sweeney Todd in London. Ok but Into the Woods is still my favourite.
haven't seen "Into the Woods" and "Sunday in the Part with George"! tried to get tkt of "Into the Woods" in NYC a couple of years ago but was full for the whole week. wow, u must have spent a lot of time in Broadway in London, haven't seen any in UK though.
no, i was only an amateur in the area of musicals.
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