By Steven Suskin
22 Mar 2010

Pacific Overtures (1976) was nothing if not a step into new and unchartered territory. Not a successful step artistically or financially, in my book; but wildly interesting and — not on stage but on disc — ultimately rewarding. Favorite moments: "The Advantages of Floating in the Middle of the Sea," which starts out slow and understandably foreign but builds into something quite exhilarating. "Four Black Dragons," which is even moreso; a fisherman and a thief describing the approach of dragons on the sea (i.e.: the U.S. fleet), culminating in grand choral excitement. (The number, as originally staged, built to an altogether remarkable scenic effect from Boris Aronson.) "Someone in a Tree" is even more impressive, more artful, and more enjoyable. What happened in the treaty house? An Old Man who had been there tells us what he saw, watching from a tree; a Young Boy — the Old Man, back then — tells us what he sees; and a Warrior, hidden under the floors, tells us that he can't see anything but he can hear them. Sondheim constructs three tales into one, building into yet another grand choral climax. "Please Hello" is a comedy number, with five contrasting foreign admirals making the Japanese offers that they can't quite refuse. And broadly, too; don't touch the coat! The coat, no, but the hat, yes! That is, "The Bowler Hat," within which Sondheim neatly encapsulates the whole idea of Pacific Overtures. One of his finest songs, just about perfect. And let's not forget "Pretty Lady," one of the most beautiful songs in the master's canon.

I've decided not to waste any space whatsoever on Sweeney Todd, except to say that if forced (and I mean absolutely forced) to select Sondheim's greatest score — well, I'm not forced so I'll say no more. Some years back I wrote an article called "Sweeney in the Pit with Steve," which recounted a memorable night I spent in the pit of the Brian Stokes Mitchell/Christine Baranski production of the show at the Kennedy Center's 2002 Sondheim Festival. (I was wedged on a stool between the trombones and reeds, Sondheim was more comfortably situated on an upholstered chair next to the piano.) I was never able to find anyone who'd print the piece — it's long — so I eventually included it in my 2009 book "The Sound of Broadway Music." My detailed thoughts on Sweeney Todd can be found there, hopefully available from your friendly local library. (You might want to check out the 2007 On the Record column that discusses the CD reissues of Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along.)

The trouble with pressing on to adventurous musical after adventurous musical is that you are likely to run into stubbornly unmovable walls on occasion. The next Sondheim/Prince musical, Merrily We Roll Along (1981), set out to tell its story in reverse. This was intriguing musically, with themes and songs defragmenting from complex to simple over the course of the evening. Dramatically, though, it was a mess; the show — which eschewed the then-traditional out-of-town tryout — began previews in dire, and highly visible, trouble. Merrily staggered towards its opening and closed after a mere 16 performances.

Nowadays, this would have happened at a regional tryout somewhere, with time built into the schedule to make changes; Merrily, actually, has over the years been revised, rewritten and improved. Cast albums of the revised version exist, but I always return to the 1981 album. This is how Sondheim wrote it, initially; and it contains a wonderfully exciting set of orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick. (Tunick would be the first to explain that his orchestrations for Sondheim musicals sound so good because Sondheim's music is so good. Agreed; but he really did an unparalleled job on Follies, Night Music, Sweeney , and Merrily.)

Favorite moments: "Merrily We Roll Along," which Sondheim alters as he moves from 1980 to 1955. "Rich and Happy," with the hero at the height of his success but surrounded by a chorus of failure. "Like It Was," a rueful plaint recognizing that everyone "blames the way it is on the way it was, on the way it never ever was." "Franklin Shepard, Inc.", an incisive character study and nervous breakdown-in-song. "Old Friends," a triangular celebration of friendship which doesn't overlook its flaws. (Old friends "don't make demands you can't meet," sez one; "well what's the point of demands you can meet?" sez the other.) "Not a Day Goes By," another beauteous introspective ballad from Mr. Sondheim. "Now You Know," a roller-coaster of a concerted number that glosses over the bad to find good; "I mean, even cream of wheat has lumps," explains the unrequited heroine. "It's a Hit!" a glittering gem which is among my Sondheim favorites. The gentle "Good Thing Going," the hopeful "Opening Doors," and — at the beginning of the friendship and the end of the story — the idyllically pristine "Our Time."

The brick wall that was Merrily We Roll Along served to end the Sondheim/Prince era. They'd gone, to borrow a phrase from Mr. Hammerstein, about as fur as they c'd go. But there was plenty ahead for Sondheim (and Prince as well). We will continue our survey through the Sondheim shelf in our next column.

(Steven Suskin is author of the recently released updated and expanded Fourth Edition of "Show Tunes" as well as "The Sound of Broadway Music: A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations," "Second Act Trouble" and the "Opening Night on Broadway" books. He can be reached at Ssuskin@aol.com.)

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Steven Suskin's updated and expanded fourth edition of "Show Tunes" is available at PlaybillStore.com.