Season 5 of The Simpsons is one of those seasons of television where I feel like the show needed to find a way to change and grow but in the process, it would somewhat suffer in the quest to find a way to keep the series fresh.
Season 5 was the first season in which the bulk of the writing staff was filled with newcomers with only a scant few remaining from the previous seasons like John Swartzwelder and George Meyer.
The new showrunner was David Mirkin, a veteran television writer who was a fan of the show despite not having written for it. Mirkin was known for being more of a brash and cynical comic writer and after stints on showrunning a more genteel sitcom like Newhart, you can tell his sensibilities might not have been as suited for a show such as that.
After coming off of working on Chris Elliott's cult hit Get a Life, Mirkin nabbed The Simpsons gig and hired several new writers who would go on to do very good work on the show, particularly Greg Daniels who would go on to co-create King of the Hill and develop the American version of The Office.
I have talked a lot about how the early years of The Simpsons had a more frequent sentimental tone at times that might seem surprising in retrospect considering how much the show got a lot of negative feedback from more conservative viewers as it aired, but I would say Season 5 is when the show tends to slip away more from that tone and delves more into brasher, faster comedy that is often more cynical.
I also think Mirkin tended to delve more towards concepts and plot devices rather than character driven stories...and while these can still be good, I feel like the bigger and brasher plotlines sort of jarred me when I revisited the season for the first time in over a decade back in 2016.
The season isn't bad by any means...but it is probably one of my least favorite seasons from the first 8 seasons of the series.
Most of these top 10 selections are episodes that could easily be flipped around because most of these episodes don't make feel as passionate as most of the episodes have so far from the previous seasons.
I will say that my #1 selection is an episode that I do consider to be a classic.
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#10 - Deep Space Homer
Written by David Mirkin
I honestly wasn't sure if I wanted to put this episode this episode on my top 10 of the season, but I felt it was worth singling out as not only was it a prime example of the show going in a different direction, it also was the only episode to be credited solely to David Mirkin.
Yes, in the grand scheme, Homer going into space is an absolutely ludicrous plot line and one that would be referenced by the iconic Frank Grimes in the legendary "Homer's Enemy" from Season 8...but Mirkin does manage to balance the absurdity well with a solid family dynamic.
Plus, you gotta love Homer going after the flying potato chips while The Blue Danube plays. Gotta love when something evokes 2001: A Space Odyssey!
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#9 - Burns' Heir
Written by Jace Richdale
This is one of the episodes that just seemed to be primed to happen from the moment they began developing Burns as a character...or rather, the most diabolical and hilarious villain out there.
When Burns almost drowns in his bathtub when Smithers leaves him alone, he realizes he doesn't have an heir to take on his immense wealth. Smithers, who has devoted his life practically to serving Burns, assumes he would become heir but Burns feels Smithers will get the better prize: getting buried alive with Burns when he dies. That is easily one of the best Burns/Smithers moments in the show's history.
Moving on, Burns and Smiters decide to hold auditions to find an heir. Lisa is rejected on the basis that she is a girl...which she is obviously peeved about in addition to the whole charade in the first place...but as is to be expected, Bart is chosen to be Burns' heir.
By episode's end, Bart will learn a lesson about greed and wealth and the importance of family but the real punch in the face is Homer's piece of advice: "Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is never try".
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#8 - Sweet Seymour Skinner's Badassss Song
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
When I think about The Simpsons, I often marvel at the universe that was created for it. These characters are all fantastic (some less than others but I will go off the majority for the moment) and I think it is amazing how many great comic pairings were born out of the writers room.
One such pairing is that of Bart and Principal Seymour Skinner, perhaps a more endearing version that is reminiscent of Rooney and Ferris Bueller's relationship in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
After getting Skinner fired by accident, Bart soon regrets his actions and tries to find ways to get Skinner his job back.
Sure, this many not completely change everything in their relationship, but you see a certain warmth there between these two that had been arch enemies since the show premiered.
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#7 - The Last Temptation of Homer
Written by Frank Mula
Sigh... every now and then, I am willing to acknowledge that an episode is good. However, it does bother me how often that the writers did choose to dive into the well of "Homer is tempted by another woman" storyline...something that they STILL do from time to time. In fact, Olivia Colman recently did a guest spot a season or two ago as a woman pining for Homer.
In this outing, we get a pretty attractive lady named Mindy (voiced by Michelle Pfieffer) who seems to share a lot of Homer's opinions and loves about life. The major difference between Season 3's episode "Colonel Homer" and this outing is that here he actually is able to admit he is drawn to Mindy and loves how much he has in common with her. So, in some ways, this episode hits in a stronger way than other iterations of it have.
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#6 - Lisa vs. Malibu Stacy
Written by Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
I will always proclaim myself as card-carrying member of the Lisa Simpson fan club. She is the character I was always drawn to the most and she (in addition to Marge) would provide great "straight man" support to the people around her.
This episode is another one of those "Lisa takes a stand" outings that became commonplace after Season 3's "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington".
Lisa has always loved the Malibu Stacy doll, but she is quite appalled with the new version which can talk and gives off a very demeaning vibe towards women.
From here, she chooses to take on the company and wants to develop her own doll: Lisa Lionheart.
As to be expected, despite getting to create the more feminist-friendly doll in the end, she ends up losing to Malibu Stacy all because they released a version in which she wears a hat.
Does anyone still wear a hat? Apparently, Malibu Stacy now does.
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#5 - Homer & Apu
Written by Greg Daniels
As the first episode credited to eventual American Office creator Greg Daniels, "Homer and Apu" holds the distinction of being the first Simpsons episode I can vividly remember watching.
When this episode aired in February 1994, I was coming off a rather violent case of Pneumonia that left me feeling incredibly weak for quite a while. I can still recall details from that time even though I was only 5 years old.
I obviously knew of The Simpsons but never actively watched episodes due to my young age. For all I know, I probably did watch several episodes prior to this one but as memory serves (even if it may be to my detriment), this was where I remember watching and wanting to keep up with the show.
Apu has become something of a problematic character in recent years and, if I am being honest, I think it was wise to let him go. Frankly, he was never a character I loved as much as others in the first place.
This episode probably represents him at his best. It all comes down to his big song and dance number that he shares with the Simpsons family: "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?"
Also, one of my favorite Simpsons lines of all time comes from this episode. After the song and when everyone thinks the world is back in order again, the family realizes that Apu does indeed miss the Kwik-E-Mart which leads Homer to exclaim:
"Hey, he's not happy at all. He lied to us through song! I HATE WHEN PEOPLE DO THAT!"
Also, the subplot of James Woods taking over the Kwik-E-Mart as a means to prepare for an acting role feels like precursor to Family Guy and their desire to basically copycat anything The Simpsons ever did.
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#4 - Homer's Barbershop Quartet
Written by Jeff Martin
A minute-long Barbershop Quartet song about a popular car decal manages to sweep the nation and bring great adoration to Homer, Barney, Skinner, and Apu?
"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" sets up the story that in 1985-1986. Homer and his friends formed a Barbershop Quartet called "The Be Sharps" which was intended to be play off of The Beatles, even down to one of their most famous album covers.
During this time, the group wins a Grammy and gets to perform at the Statue of Liberty's Centennial Show...and of course, they soon end it all.
One thing the show does comment on, which could be viewed a cheap ploy, is that Bart asks why Homer never brought this up before...especially considering Bart was actually around 5 years old when this all happened. Conveniently, Homer never answers his questions.
The episode ends with another Beatles callback. After not having performed in public for years, The Be Sharps perform on the roof of Moe's Tavern unannounced for the public below which is a reference to the iconic rooftop concert The Beatles did about a year before they broke up for good (which you can finally see that full concert in Peter Jackson's truly magnificent Beatles Documentary Get Back on Disney+).
While the people love it, George Harrison drives by and dismisses it because it has already been done.
While this episode may have been dismissed by many at the time of its airing as being something too outlandish or that it was too cheesy in its plot, its fanbase has grown over time.
I also still stand by the fact that the "Baby on Board" song is a classic...but I also say that as someone who has a softspot for Barbershop Quartets.
They make me want a single plum floating in perfume served in a man’s hat…haha…
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#3 - Rosebud
Written by John Swartzwelder
It is kind of fitting that aside from my #1 selection, this and my #2 selection were both written by John Swartzwelder, who was one of the only remaining writers who had been with the show since its premiere and would remain until season 15.
Swartzwelder's cerebral sensibilities are strongly felt throughout his time on The Simpsons and there is no ignoring how many stellar episodes he had contributed. Here, he delves back into the world of Burns and a great attempt at giving the show's evil villain a comical desire to find his childhood teddy bear. To be expected, the bear manages to fall into the hands of little Maggie who promptly falls in love with it.
To further add to the hilarity of the episode, the show is in great form as a parody with Burns' quest to find his bear becoming a similar quest to that to find the meaning of "Rosebud" in Citizen Kane.
One random tidbit: I very much adore the quick bit where Homer has what is obviously Barney and Friends on TV and it shows Barney the Dinosaur singing a song in which the only lyrics are: "Two plus two is four" repeated over and over again.
And lastly, this episode has one of the best ending moments to the series in its history...but I will save it for the end of this post.
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#2 - Bart Gets Famous
Written by John Swartzwelder
The fifth season of The Simpsons does seem to put Bart off to the side a lot more compared to previous seasons. When the series first premiered, Bart was such a stand-out character that he had a lot of Conservative Americans up in arms (I have already told the Bush Sr. story multiple times so if you don't know what I mean, Google it!). Now I feel like this is the portion of the series where they began to focus more on other characters at more of a fair rate which I think is a huge plus.
Though, "Bart Becomes Famous" was perhaps this new writing staff's biggest success this season...and yes, a lot of that was due to the fact that Swartzwelder was at the helm.
This episode is also the show in very early meta form and the concept of Bart becoming famous as Krusty the Clown's new sidekick complete with a hot catchphrase: "I didn't do it", is in line with Bart's catchphrase frenzy with lines like "Eat my shorts" or "Aye-carumba!".
That catchphrase concept leads us to another ending which is a pure classic. I would rather let the actual clip speak for itself:
"What kind of catchphrase is that?!"
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#1 - Cape Feare
Written by Jon Vitti
This was simply no contest...and I feel like the majority of fans would agree with this selection.
Not only is this episode quite possibly the definitive Sideshow Bob outing, but it may very well be the show's definitive parody of another piece of entertainment...that being the film Cape Fear, mostly the 1991 remake directed by Martin Scorsese.
Everything about this episode is simply perfect:
-The animation styles used to evoke Cape Fear.
-The obtuseness of the jury on letting Sideshow Bob be released from prison.
Quote:
Lawyer: What about that tattoo on your chest? Doesn't it say 'Die Bart, Die"?
Sideshow Bob: No, that's German for "The Bart, The".
*Courtroom murmurs approvingly followed by a Juror stating* "No one who speaks German can be an evil man!"
-Homer not being able to understand the concept of a new surname as they get put into Witness Protection.
-The whole new credits sequence where The Simpsons becomes The Thompsons.
-The iconic and legendary rake sequence with Sideshow Bob which is the DEFINITIVE example of how a repetitive joke can actually go from being funny to just plain ridiculous and back to being funny again.
-Homer scaring Bart unintentionally with a butcher knife and a chainsaw even though his original intention was just to offer Bart some brownies.
-Sideshow Bob being foiled thanks to his love for Gilbert & Sullivan.
This episode was technically the final episode to be produced under the writing staff that consisted of the majority of the original team. What a truly stunning and hilarious episode for them to go out on!
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IN CONCLUSION:
So yes, Season 5 of The Simpsons is a bit of a conundrum for me. In some ways, it was needed because the show probably would've descended into a stale territory for more quickly than it did but at the same time, the tonal shifts take a lot to get used to at times. However, when they did succeed strongly at nailing the more brash and cynical comedy, it gave us some truly hilarious results.
Not sure what else to say, but to quote the great ending of the "Rosebud":
"Marge, I'm confused. Is this a happy ending or a sad ending?"
I feel like my love of the Christmas season truly began with my obsession for the first two Home Alone movies. I would watch them every single day to the point where I am sure most of my immediate family could quote the film along with me.
There was just something so comforting about the idea of Christmas: the togetherness, the snow, the music, the presents, the food, the candy, the decorations...and it has persisted to this day.
Even when I look around me and see so many people knocking the idea of the holiday season (and believe me, I can understand the commercialized aspect being truly horrible), I have never tired of the festivities.
For several years, I worked in a sort of retail/customer service environment and normally with that comes an incessant amount of Christmas music being blared over the speakers. While those around me often begged to have it turned off or have had certain songs be ruined for them, I viewed the music as a way to find a sense of comfort while a lot of lunacy would be occurring around me.
On my old blog, I did a post of my top 10 favorite Christmas songs but I decided to redo the list for my current blog. To be honest, I only remember a few of the songs I chose for the list so I am pretty sure there will be some new selections on this one.
Much like that list, I am not going to do a ranking but instead do it as an alphabetical list. I feel like it would be hard for me to narrow down a single song as #1.
Here are ten HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Angels We Have Heard on High
Carol of the Bells
Christmas Day
Happy Holiday/The Holiday Season
Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow
Oh Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Someday at Christmas
Underneath the Tree
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
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THE LIST:
Caroling, Caroling (As sung by Nat King Cole)
-This first entry is one of those songs I feel is so closely associated with a particular performer that I can't think of a single cover from another artist.
Caroling, Caroling is often one the first songs I play when the holiday season begins and I have never quite understood why. I do think a lot of it could just be related to the fact that Nat King Cole is one of the greatest singers to have ever lived, but it is also a Christmas song that manages to blend that sort of archaic stuffy sound that older Christmas songs had but with sort of a childish jubilance all the same time.
I also feel like the "Christmas Bells are Ringing" line had to have been an inspiration for Jonathan Larson when he wrote Rent.
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The Christmas Song (as sung by Nat King Cole)
-Back to Nat once again!
This perennial classic was once dubbed "the most performed Christmas song" by BMI and unlike my previous entry, I feel like the idea of this being the most performed Christmas song checks out. Nearly every artist has covered it, but I still think the version(s) done by Nat King Cole is/are the Gold Standard as he recorded it first in 1946, again in 1951, 1953, and 1961 which is usually considered the definitive version due to its glorious orchestrations and clearer audio.
Maybe anyone who is 93 or older will be offended that they don't get a Christmas wish. Maybe that will be the next big controversy: THE CHRISTMAS SONG IS AGEIST!!
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The Christmas Waltz (as sung by Frank Sinatra)
I have always been a sucker for anything in 3/4 time...or rather, the "waltz" time. I feel like THE CHRISTMAS WALTZ is one of those songs that does get covered fairly often but it isn't quite as overdone or heard as much as various others.
I first noticed the song years ago on the legendary album CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT that was put out by The Carpenters as it was the first full song on the album after the Overture. It helped set the tone of the album perfectly.
I also very much loved the somewhat haunting rendition done by Frank Sinatra. Both are included below!
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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (as sung by Judy Garland/Frank Sinatra)
This classic was written for the equally classic 1944 MGM movie musical MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS starring some woman named Judy Garland.....
As the story goes, Garland objected to the song's original lyrics which were certainly rather darker in tone. In fact, the whole tone of the song in the movie is a lot more somber whereas in recent years, the song is covered in more of a sweet and sentimental light.
The original opening lines were: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last; next year we may be living in the past".
Even after the revisions, many chose to further revise the lyrics...such as "we'll have to muddle through somehow" becoming "hang your shining star upon the highest bough" to simply make the song more cheerful.
Nevertheless, the original Judy Garland version remains my favorite. So much so that I only listen to it on Christmas Eve and Day as a special event. Call me crazy, I guess. I am also quite fond of the Sinatra version as well, which I will include here.
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Home for the Holidays (as sung by Perry Como)
I don't think I am alone in saying that as a kid, there was nothing more thrilling than the last day of school before a big break. I most especially loved being able to come home from school knowing that Christmas break was upon me.
As for actually going home for the holidays, I haven't done so since 2017. It isn't really by choice, but my past jobs never really allowed me the time off...or they were fairly new jobs that didn't give me the ability to take off. I probably could've traveled this year but....you know....COVID.
I do love this song and I opted to choose it for its more upbeat tone. I do want to single out another song that has a similar theme but sung in a melancholier manner: I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS.
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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas (as sung by Perry Como)
For many years, I actually considered this to be my favorite Christmas song. I would even be willing to say it would still contend for that slot.
As written by Meredith Wilson (the man who also gave us THE MUSIC MAN), this song certainly captures that joy of watching as your surrounding begin to take on a festive glow.
My favorite version of this one has to be the original done by Perry Como:
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Mistletoe & Holly (as sung by Frank Sinatra)
Much like I said with Caroling, Caroling and Nat King Cole, I feel like Mistletoe & Holly is one of those songs that I always think of being closely associated with Frank Sinatra and I don't often hear covers of it by other artists.
There is something sort of quietly cloying and classy with this one. In fact, the whole Christmas album by Sinatra: A Jolly Christmas with Frank Sinatra, is one of the best out there in opinion as it does take on a sort of classy, smoky feel that isn't common with most holiday albums.
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Oh Holy Night (as sung by Mahalia Jackson)
First of all, I will say right off the bat this is the only Christmas song on this list that actually deals with the religious aspect of the holiday. I do want to commend a few other classic hymns that I do like: O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM, IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL, and JOY TO THE WORLD...but there is simply an ultimate winner at this party.
There is something epic and majestic about O HOLY NIGHT that never ceases to amaze me when I hear it...and I love it even when Eric Cartman sings it and makes it about presents and pie.
As it stands, I will give a shoutout to the legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson for her rendition.
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Silver Bells (as sung by Doris Day)
You could say that this song is something of a companion piece to IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS in the sense that both tap into the sense of wonderment in how everything around you has been taken over by the sights and sounds of the season.
As a kid, I viewed SILVER BELLS as a boring Christmas song, especially at the expense of a song like JINGLE BELLS or SLEIGH RIDE...but once again, age has made me fall in love with this one and it was this particular cover below by Doris Day that did it.
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White Christmas (as sung by Bing Crosby)
For my final selection, I had to go with what might be the most iconic Christmas song of all time. Do you think that's hyperbolic? One major factor in me making that claim is that the original 1942 recording done by Bing Crosby (who probably took a break from beating his children just to record the song...) is the highest selling single of all time. That is a record it has now held for nearly 80 years...and it is a feat that is quite impressive.
The song was written by the legendary Irving Berlin, perhaps the most songwriter most indelibly linked to the "Great American Songbook". After completing the song, Berlin was reported to have told his secretary:
"I want you to take down a song I wrote over the weekend. Not only is it the best song I ever wrote, it's the best song anybody ever wrote."
Cocky, perhaps? Maybe...but hey, the song still remains a legend and I think he earned the right to be cocky.
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And with that, I bid you all a very Merry Christmas and a joyous Happy Holiday season.
There is a saying in Hollywood that basically goes: "I am an actor but what I really want to do is direct". You could argue that a lot of actors find great success working as director, but I think it can become more problematic with writers who choose to direct.
Someone like Aaron Sorkin made a big name for himself writing A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, and The Social Network. His work is known for being fast-paced and quippy with a political slant and a dream for an actor to sink their teeth into.
With great success comes great power in most cases so a few years ago, Sorkin was given the chance to direct his first film that was based around one of his own scripts: Molly's Game.
The results were respectful but nothing revelatory.
Last year, we got his sophomore directorial outing: The Trial of the Chicago 7 which managed to get more extensive praise and attention but, in the end, his rather pedestrian direction got snubbed for an Oscar nod. Honestly, I was thrilled for this as the final third of that film not only royally pissed me off, but the ending made me cringe with how cliche and overbearing it was.
You can tell with his latest offering, Being the Ricardos, that he is trying hard to add a little flair to his style...
Let's just get to the point, shall we...
Aaron Sorkin needs a lot of work as a director. He might get there but he just doesn't seem to have the ability maintain any kind of consistency in tone or being able to find a way to save scenes that end up dragging.
This becomes a whole other issue when you factor in that Sorkin is directing his own material. Some could argue that his script for Trial of the Chicago 7 was pure Sorkin in the worst possible ways (preachy, overbearing) but it is almost like the script to Being the Ricardos is lacking a lot of his trademark style to its disadvantage.
The film is set during a week of I Love Lucy production in which news comes out that Lucille Ball may very well be a communist.
Sorkin also bookends the film and sprinkles moments with "interviews" of older and wiser versions of the I Love Lucy writers which truly feel unnecessary and add nothing of value to the film other than it feels like a way for Sorkin to address things from the point of view of today's society.
The film also tries to focus on the history of Ball and Desi Arnaz as a couple, such as how they met and what led them to getting I Love Lucy on the air. They also briefly address Arnaz's penchant for meeting up with call girls behind Lucy's back.
Therein lies another problem with this film. Sorkin doesn't seem to know what he even wants to focus on or find a way to make any of them overly compelling. I would say that the moments between Ball and Arnaz in their early years together may make for the film's best moments, but they often feel out of place when you think the film is supposed to be about the Communist accusations.
Besides, in the end, the Communist accusations all get cleared with the help of our good friend J. Edgar Hoover......
Wait...so...J. Edgar Hoover is now a hero?
No...just stop...
Don't even try to give that man any credit. Go back and watch Judas & The Black Messiah and you will see the true horrors of that man.
As an acting ensemble, we get truly solid performances all around from the likes of Nina Arianda as Vivian Vance, J.K. Simmons as William Frawley, Alia Shawkat as Madelyn Pugh, and Tony Hale as Jess Oppenheimer.
Javier Bardem does well with Desi Arnaz but I feel like his accent work does falter at times. In the end, he was charming enough and it is hard for an actor of Bardem's caliber to give a bad performance.
It all comes down to Nicole Kidman.
Kidman got a lot of flak when she got cast in this role once Cate Blanchett dropped out (presumably over issues with Sorkin...good on her...). There is no denying Kidman is a fantastic actress and I would say that for the most part, she actually does well as Ball.
I wouldn't say she captures Lucille Ball in any kind of revelatory way, but she does manage to find moments where she captures the tone of Ball's voice and also that of the Lucy Ricardo cadence. I can see why some would find her miscast in the role, but I will commend her for what she was able to accomplish. It was a departure for Kidman and far from her worst work. She may very well get an Oscar nod and I wouldn't oppose it even if she may not make my personal lineup.
In the end, it was a mostly enjoyable film that suffered from an inconsistent and messy tone.
While at work earlier this week, I was having a discussion with a colleague who is not a fan of musicals in the slightest. I can always understand when someone may not like musicals...especially when they are often viewed in the manner of being overly frivolous.
She was curious about Stephen Sondheim as she was not really familiar with him but had a vague recollection of hearing his name before. I listed a couple of his more well known credits to her (lyricist for West Side Story, did the full score for Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods) and then mentioned how he was a monumental and revelatory figure in the musical world, and honestly theatre in general.
I talked about how he once said in an interview that he didn't necessarily want to make people unhappy but he wasn't interested in having his musicals be a place where you could forget your troubles. He wanted to make people think and challenge the audience. I also stressed he loved tackling topics that might make some do a double take when it is described to them. After referring to Sweeney Todd, I said the following:
"He even did a musical in which various assassins from over the years who either attempted or succeeded in killing a President all met in some kind of cosmic void together to sing about their dreams and goals".
Her response: "Wait...what?!?!"
And she was immediately intrigued.
So with that, welcome to my second installment of A Little Sondheim Music and I will be discussing Assassins, which is easily one of the best works in the Sondheim canon top to bottom. It is remarkable that it works as well as it does, especially considering the subject matter at hand.
The origins of Assassins began in 1979 when Sondheim was participating as a panelist at the Ostrow Musical Theatre Lab. While there, Sondheim read a script by a young playwright named Charles Gilbert Jr that was called Assassins. The play actually had nothing to do with what Sondheim and Weidman's Assassins would actually become as it involved a Vietnam vet who would soon become a Presidential assassin (sort of a Taxi Driver element there) but the opening scene would contain a darkly comedic bit in which a bright neon sign would blare out: SHOOT THE PREZ & WIN A PRIZE!
Sondheim, being known for wanting to always try bold subject matter and the challenges in which they offered, was highly intrigued by this scene and asked Gilbert permission to steal the Assassins title and this opening scene with the promise of giving him a "Based on an idea by" credit. Gilbert agreed and also hoped he could write the book for the musical. Sondheim declined as he actually hoped to write the show was his Pacific Overtures collaborator John Weidman.
I feel like describing Assassins in terms of its plot beyond the basic idea of "group of Presidential Assassins meet in some kind of dream world that transcends time and space" is a little hard to do.
The musical begins with a character called The Proprietor who begins singing the song "Ev'rybody's Got The Right" as he entices various misfits into purchasing gun's because they have right "to be happy" and to pursue "their dreams". Though The Proprietor seems more focused on enticing them to do one thing: "C'mon and shoot a president".
As various assassins from history pile in: Charles J. Guiteau (assassin of President Garfield), Leon Czolgosz (assassin of McKinley), Guiseppe Zangara (attempted assassin of FDR), Samuel Byck (attempted of Nixon), Sara Jane Moore and Lynette 'Squeaky' Fromme (both failed at getting Ford), John Hinckley (attempted to kill Reagan), the Proprietor then introduces them to the pioneer of the field: John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Abraham Lincoln in 1865.
From there, Booth quickly departs from the group and we hear a loud gunshot and the proclamation "Sic semper tyrannis!" and we get our first introduction to The Balladeer, usually played by a young man with a folksy edge who symbolizes the idea of The American Dream.
Assassins was the one musical of his works that Sondheim felt came the closest to "perfect". In some ways, I can actually understand why he may feel that way.
I already stated that I felt this was one of his best musicals top to bottom, but I do have to reiterate that if you take the quality of the libretto and place it with the music that Sondheim wrote, this may very well be his most thought-provoking, hilarious, disturbing, and entertaining work.
It has been a dream of mine for a while to get a chance to perform in this piece. Several of the roles are fantastic but I have always been drawn to that of Guiteau, the man who assassinated President Garfield on the basis that God basically told him to.
If you have not heard any of the score, below is "The Ballad of Guiteau" which is sung by The Balladeer along with Guiteau himself as he is being led to his execution. Some of the dialogue and lyrics are directly taken from recitations that Guiteau made on the day of his hanging.
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I am also fond of how they pair some of the assassins together based on common bonds or similar interests, such as how Sara Jane Moore and Squeaky Fromme often share scenes together due to how both of them tried to assassinate Gerald Ford...but then you also get Fromme being paired with John Hinckley.
In "Unworthy of Your Love", Hinckley sings of how he wants to earn the love of Jodie Foster and plans to do so by assassinating Ronald Reagan. Fromme proclaims her love for her leader Charlie Manson and is trying to earn his love via trying to commit many violent acts.
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And another offering to single out is the Barbershop Quartet-esque diddy in which Czolgosz, Booth, Guiteau, and Moore all sing the praises of their "wonder" of a friend in "The Gun Song".
(also as an added bonus, this track bleeds into "The Ballad of Czolgosz")
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IN CONCLUSION:
Prior to the eventual 2004 staging of Assassins (which was fantastic), there were plans to bring the show to Broadway in 2001 but the 9/11 made the producers feel that then wasn't the right time.
The sad truth is that Assassins is far more potent these days than when it was first produced because of the harsh divisions we now share as a country that has gotten worse and worse in the last decade. Gun violence has been on the rise at such an alarming rate so one might look at something like Assassins and think it is highly inappropriate for its subject matter. However, this is a musical that needs to be seen by a much wider audience...and I would hope that it would make people uncomfortable.
Sure, it may have hilarious moments but this is one of those rare musicals that can you leave you feeling a little uneasy about the world we live in. Sondheim always wanted to make people think and provoke discussions...and with Assassins he truly succeeded.
Next up, I am going to pay a visit to a musical in which I based my title off of and that was based on an earlier, lighter offering from the Ingmar Bergman catalog: A Little Night Music which was based on Smiles of a Summer Night.
Welcome to my new series that will be discussing and honoring various works of the greatest composer to have ever lived in the world of musical theatre: Stephen Sondheim.
In many ways, I do feel like Sondheim was without peer. He reshaped the artform of musical theatre and what could be accomplished in its structure. He truly was the Shakespeare of musical theatre and his loss is a monumental one.
Still though, he will remain immortal through his work...and I will always treasure it.
My hope with these posts will be to create a discussion around these musicals, tell a little bit about how they were developed, the original productions themselves, the score, and then expressing how it affected myself and others. I also hope that it will lead others who may not have heard or seen a single song or a production of the musical in question. Discovery can be quite fun, and I feel like the richness of Sondheim's work will often lead you to great results.
The first musical I chose is 1976's Pacific Overtures.
Right off the bat, you are probably thinking "What?" Why?" or maybe even "Never heard of it..."
Smack dab between his Original Broadway Productions of A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd came a musical that was about how Japan was forcibly pushed into becoming a westernized society when American ships arrived beginning in 1853.
On top of that, the original production, which was directed by fellow theatrical legend and then Sondheim stalwart Harold Prince, was done in the traditional Kabuki theatre style in which men also play women's parts...and there was no whitewashing here. Asian actors (and actresses would join towards the end as an ensemble) played all the roles. Not all were Japanese, but most were of Japanese descent.
Think about that for a second.
This is the mid-70s. Broadway and NYC as a whole are struggling immensely but the biggest successes of the era are musicals like A Chorus Line or Grease. Sure, Sondheim may have gotten a lot of acclaim with his productions of Company and A Little Night Music but both had their detractors. Follies, in particular, was met with a lot of disdain with its elaborate costumes and managed to lose the Tony for Best Musical to the long forgotten musical adaptation of Two Gentleman of Verona that was made by the composer behind Hair.
Amongst all of this, Sondheim, Prince, and Book writer John Weidman gave us a MUSICAL about how Japan was overtaken by western society all done in the style of a Japanese Kabuki theatre that many probably weren't even aware of at the time as a thing.
And THAT, dear readers, is why Sondheim deserves so much credit for being an innovator who wasn't out to coddle the masses or the "Bridge & Tunnel" crowd who schlepped in from Piscataway or Briarcliff Manor.
...and we haven't even gotten to the musical in which he had a barber and a pie-shop owner murdering innocent people to bake them into meat pies yet!!
Anyways...Pacific Overtures:
The Original Cast of PACIFIC OVERTURES
It must be said right off the bat that Sondheim wasn't the driven force behind the musical at first. This was actually the brainchild of Harold 'Hal' Prince.
Prince was very intrigued by Japanese theatre conventions, particularly that of Kabuki, in which the actors involved would sing and dance while wearing prominent/stylized makeup. Sondheim and many of Prince's regular collaborators were less than enthused with the idea simply because most found the idea "unusual" and "unfamiliar"...but they were persuaded to go along with it.
The story was based in 19th Century Japan, chronicling the 1853 arrival of Commodore Matthew Perry and how America's gunboat diplomacy would force Japan out of centuries of isolation.
In order to find an entryway into the world, especially in Sondheim's case as he had no real familiarity with Japanese music, the team acted as if this were a show written by a Japanese playwright who visited New York and wrote a show that blended traditional Japanese elements with moments of Tin Pan Alley flourish.
In an effort to try to humanize the story, Book writer John Weidman added two characters: a samurai and a fisherman (who had lived in the US briefly) who are friends caught up in their home country facing immense change.
In the end, I can understand the frustration that Sondheim and Weidman felt early on. Despite the effort, a lot of Pacific Overtures seems more driven by ideas rather than character development. You could argue that Sondheim loved "concept" musicals but even the grandfather of the concept musical: Company had a rather interesting character journey with its lead character of Bobby...not to mention a lot of distinctive supporting players.
When it premiered in 1976, it received mixed reviews with many describing it as feeling isolating and didactic. In his book Finishing the Hat, Sondheim didn't mince words:
"It was the most bizarre and unusual musical to be seen in a commercial setting"...at least to that date...but I would argue that we've never really seen another musical quite like Pacific Overtures.
A professionally filmed video of the OBC is available on YouTube. The audio quality isn't the greatest but I think it is worth checking out just because the production is simply too unique.
Do I love Pacific Overtures?
That's a complicated question to answer.
I definitely don't dislike the musical, but I can't deny that it can feel a little slow and dry at times. I completely understand why some might find it to be just too boring or strange, but I think that the boldness of that original staging pays off.
I have seen the show staged on one occasion prior, but that production was missing a significant amount of energy that left 90% of the material feeling merely adequate at best.
It wasn't until I listened to the OBC recording and discovered video of it that I began to see a lot of merit in the material and in Sondheim's score.
What Sondheim managed to achieve with this score is quite an admirable feat. He wrote most of it in parallel 4ths with no leading tone as to give it what he called a "quasi-Japanese style". He would then add those Tin Pan Alley flourishes in moments at the score progressed.
One particular song would stand out as being the most "western" in tone: "Please Hello".
"Please Hello" would serve as the Act Two opener, and in true Sondheim fashion, it continues the trend of his solid track record of killer Act Two openers.
Shogun Lord Abe is displeased to learn that Americans have returned wanted to settle a trade agreement.
To a tune sounding similar to a Sousa march, the American ambassador sings jubilantly speaking in condescendingly Broken English.
Soon to follow is a British Ambassador straight out of The Pirates of Penzance who was sent there with tea via Queen Victoria also in hopes to also make an agreement.
Then we get a clog-dancing Dutchman who tries to pawn off chocolate bars; a gloomy Russian who insists what they don't touch his coat ("DON'T TOUCH THE COAT!"); and then perhaps the catchiest part of the song, a dandy Can-can Frenchman arrives with word "from Napoleon ze Third" that all they want is a "detente" (essentially to ease their strained relations).
The song eventually descends into a chaotic mess that somehow all fits together with each of the ambassadors singing over each other while Lord Abe looks helpless carrying all of the paperwork that has been thrust upon him.
"Please Hello" is one of Sondheim's best songs and one that doesn't get enough attention for its lyrics and the brilliance of combining so many musical styles.
I have included a link to the song below, which shows live footage from the OBC production but with audio coming from the OBC recording.
In addition to "Please Hello", Pacific Overtures also includes the song that Sondheim considered his own personal favorite: "Someone in a Tree".
Forgive me for making this comparison because it really doesn't fully compute but "Someone in a Tree" is about how two people being somewhere without others knowing lead them to being able to know the real history of something that occurred. Think of it as an early example being in "The Room Where it Happens"......
I would recommend listening to the whole score but I would also take particular notice of the songs "A Bowler Hat", "Welcome to Kanagawa", and "Chrysanthemum Tea".
IN CONCLUSION:
Pacific Overtures does not get performed often due to a lot of the strict requirements needed in order for it to be performed properly. While many local/community theatres have whitewashed musicals such as The King and I, the same trend doesn't seem to have occurred with Pacific Overtures...which is a good thing even if it has now become one of the least known musicals from the Sondheim canon.
I think it represents some of his more complex, ambitious. and rather inventive works.
It may not be your cup of tea in the end but I would still give it a listen sometime.
Next up, I will be discussing ASSASSINS, which was the second musical in which Sondheim teamed up with Book writer John Weidman.
However, I never wanted to accept the fact that I would have to one day say that Stephen Joshua Sondheim has passed away.
What I am about to write is more of less what comes to mind. I didn't want to try to plot it out...and right now, my mind is sort of in a state of shock.
With plans to go see the current revival of Company in a couple of weeks and also prepping a post in which I intended to delve into various works of his at greater detail, I had Sondheim on my mind a lot. Although, if I am being honest, Sondheim never really leaves my mind on any given day.
I don't think I can fully express how important Sondheim was to the theatre community. Following in the footsteps of his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II, Sondheim basically reinvented the basic construct of what a musical could be.
While the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein and Lerner & Loewe may have helped bolster the idea of a musical with a strong Book/story with songs that further assisted in moving the story forward, Sondheim seemed to be more drawn to great stories within concepts that many wouldn't have dared to think could ever become a musical.
Sondheim has often been dubbed "The Father of the Modern American Musical".
And he was.
When I was 13, I first discovered Company. I can say for a fact that a lot of the emotional weight of the show didn't really land with me...nor did some of Sondheim's more flowery lyrics. However, there was something about the show that just seemed different. It felt very vibrant, irreverent, quirky, uncomfortable...and unique.
Musicals were things like The Sound of Music or Fiddler on the Roof or Annie...so, hearing something like Company was completely eye-opening...or ear-opening, if we really want to be that specific.
It took me a few years for me to really embrace some of his work but by the time I was a senior in high school, I was something of a Sondheim fanatic to say the least.
I want to include a sample of some songs of his that I have always loved. This is certainly not meant to imply this is a definitive list of my favorites but they are songs of his that I am really wanted to highlight in this moment to showcase his versatility and artistic brilliance:
"PLEASE HELLO" from Pacific Overtures
-A song that showcases the horrors of Imperialism.
"SEND IN THE CLOWNS" from A Little Night Music
-Perhaps Sondheim's most successful hit and it is beautiful in its simplicity.
"LOSING MY MIND" from Follies
-A truly bleak and devastating look into the psyche of someone who simply cannot handle her life anymore.
"EVERYBODY SAYS DON'T" from ANYONE CAN WHISTLE
-It might've flopped as a musical, but there was a delicious, cynical, and satirical edge to Anyone Can Whistle. This song was a glimmer of hope and joy amongst that darkness.
"GOOD THING GOING" from Merrily We Roll Along
-As sung by George Hearn during a production of the revue Putting it Together, this song was supposed to be from a musical within in the show...but it was basically how the character of Charley felt about his writing partner Frank.
And lastly, I want to include one song that never ceases to make me feel goosebumps every time I hear it...that would be:
"SUNDAY" from Sunday in the Park with George
-Where all of the hard work comes together. The simple recitation of the word "forever" gives me chills every time I hear it.
I just want to say this:
I cannot begin to say what a profound effect Stephen Sondheim has had on me for most of my life. His work affected me so deeply and I know that I am not alone in thinking that.
What he contributed to this world was enormous...and even if he may be gone now, he will always be immortal.
"Anything you do, let it come from you, then it will be new" - Stephen Sondheim
