“”Stephen Joshua Sondheim (/ˈsɒnd.haɪm/) (born March 22, 1930) is an American composer and lyricist known for more than a half-century of contributions to musical theatre. Sondheim has received an Academy Award, eight Tony Awards (more than any other composer,[1] including a Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre), eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has been described by Frank Rich of The New York Times as “now the greatest and perhaps best-known artist in the American musical theater.”[2] His best-known works as composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, and Into the Woods. He wrote the lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.
Sondheim has also written film music, contributing “Goodbye for Now” to Warren Beatty’s 1981 Reds. He wrote five songs for 1990’s Dick Tracy, including “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” by Madonna, which won the Academy Award for Best Song.
The composer was president of the Dramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981. To celebrate his 80th birthday, the former Henry Miller’s Theatre was renamed the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on September 15, 2010, and the BBC Proms held a concert in his honor. Cameron Mackintosh has called Sondheim “possibly the greatest lyricist ever.””–WIKIPEDIA
As I’m about to drop close to $300 for a pair of tickets to the new Broadway production of West Side Story for my mom, I thought it might be a good time for this post.
7 Tony Awards and an Oscar? Sondheim, what a killer. As I mentioned in Part 1 of my Sondheim appreciation society, back in the day I was a playwright– 20 years worth. But even then I wasn’t a “musicals” guy. Only two got to me– Sweeney Todd and West Side Story. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for both. As much as I loved the plays, but the movie adaptations were even better.
This is a screenwriting blog so I’ll stick to that angle, looking at the scripted West Side Story (sorry guys, all sorts of pay walls between me and the screenplay, so this stage script will have to do). Interesting to see how little change there was from stage to the film versions. Below the stage script I’ll put the movie clip. Let’s start with the Opening Sequence:
ACT I SCENE ONE 5:00 P.M. The Street. A suggestion of city streets and alleyways: a brick wall. The opening is musical: half-danced, half-mimed, with occasional phrases of dialogue. It is primarily a condensation of the growing rivalry between two teen-age games, the Jets and the Sharks, each of which has its own prideful uniform. The boys – sideburned, long-haired- are vital, restless, sardonic; the Sharks are Puerto Ricans, the Jets an anthology of what is called “American.”
The action begins with the Jets in possession of the are: owning, enjoying, loving their “home.” Their leader is Riff: glowing, driving, intelligent, slightly wacky. His lieutenant is Deisel: big, slow, steady, nice. The youngest member of the gang is Baby John: awed at everything including that he is a Jet, trying to act the big man. His buddy is A-rab: an explosive little ferret who enjoys everything and understands the seriousness of nothing. The most aggressive is Action: a catlike ball of fury. We will get to know these boys better later, as well as Snowboy: a bespectacled self-styled expert.
The first interruption of the Jets’ sunny mood is the sharply punctuated entrance of the leader of the Sharks, Bernardo: handsome proud, fluid, a chip on his sardonic shoulder. The Jets, by far in the majority, flick him off. He returns with other Sharks: they, too, are flicked off. But the numerical supremacy, the strength of the Jets, is gradually being threatened. The beginnings of warfare are mild at first: a boy being tripped up, or being sandbagged with a flour sack or even being spit on -all with overly elaborate apologies.
Finally, A-rab comes across the suddenly deserted area, pretending to be an airplane. There is no sound as he zooms along in fancied flight. Then over the wall drops Bernardo. Another Shark, another and another appear, blocking A-rab’s panicky efforts at escape. They close in, grab him, pummel him, as a Shark on top of the wall is stationed as lookout. Finally, Bernardo bends over A-rab and makes a gesture (piercing his ear); the lookout whistles; Jets tear on, Sharks tear on, and a free- for-all breaks out. Riff goes at once to A-rab, like a protective father. The fight is stopped by a police whistle, louder and louder, and the arrival of a big goonlike cop, Krupke, and a plainclothesman, Schrank. Schrank is strong, always in command; he has a charming, pleasant manner, which he often employs to cover his venom and his fear.
- AMERICA
ANITA Puerto Rico... You ugly island... Island of tropic diseases. Always the hurricanes blowing, Always the population growing... And the money owing, And the babies crying, And the bullets flying. I like the island Manhattan- Smoke on your pipe and put that in! [all, except Rosalia:] I like to be in America! OK by me in America! Everything free in America For a small fee in America! ROSALIA I like the city of San Juan- ANITA I know a boat you can get on. ROSALIA Hundreds of flowers in full bloom- ANITA Hundreds of people in each room! [all except Rosalia:] Automobile in America, Chromium steel in America, Wire-spoke wheel in America- Very big deal in America- ROSALIA I'll drive a Buick to San Juan- ANITA If there's a road you can drive on. ROSALIA I'll give my cousin a free ride- ANITA How you get all of them inside? [all except Rosalia:] An immigrant goes to America, Many hellos in America; Nobody knows in America Puerto Rico's in America. [The girls whistle and dace.] ROSALIA When will I go back to San Juan- ANITA When you will shut up and get gone! ROSALIA I'll give them new washing machine- ANITA What have they got there to keep clean? [all except Rosalia:] I like the shores of America! Comfort is yours in America! Knobs on the doors in America, Wall-to-wall floors in America! [They whistle and dance.] ROSALIA I'll bring TV to San Juan ANITA If there's a current to turn on. ROSALIA Everyone there will get big cheer! ANITA Everyone there will have moved here! [The song ends in a joyous dance.] The Lights Black Out.
- COOL
[Music starts.] ACTION I wanna get even! RIFF Get cool. A-RAB I wanna bust! RIFF Bust cool. RIFF Go cool! Boy, boy, crazy boy- Get cool, boy! Got a rocket in your pocket- Keep coolly cool, boy! Don't get hot, 'Cause, man, you got Some high times ahead. Take it slow and, Daddy-o, You can live it up and die in bed! Boy, boy, crazy boy- Stay loose, boy! Breeze it, buzz it, easy does it- Turn off the juice, boy! Go man, go, But not like a yo Yo school boy- Just play it cool, boy. Real cool! Easy, Action. Easy. [This leads into a frenetic dance in which the boys and girls release their emotions and get "cool." It finishes, starts again when a Jet bounces in with the gang whistle.
