Sunday, February 24, 2008

A Weekend Wrap-Up

Not to gloat or anything, but it seems I did a pretty good job picking the Oscar winners - except for Supporting Actress (did not see that one coming) and Picture. Why is it the things I do well don't pay. Ah, well...

Jon Stewart did a really nice job, I thought. Although, I could've used a tad more political humor from him.

The show itself didn't have many highlights outside of him. It was nice to see Amy Adams singing one of the Enchanted songs, and I love Kristin Chenoweth so that was a nice surprise for me. I was a trifle sad that Stephen Schwartz (also composer of "Wicked") didn't win an Oscar, but I do want to see Once now due to that Best Song win. I could've done without John Travolta.

I was thrilled that Diablo Cody won. That moment made me tear up a little.

But this weekend has been devoted more to the PBS airing of Stephen Sondheim's "Company" (if you're searching on your TiVo, look under Great Performances). It's hard not to watch this and think about married life versus single life - I mean, it's the whole thought (not plot) of the show. I confess, I'm as ambivalent as Bobby.

The nice part about the girls getting older is Sylvia wanting to watch the Oscars with me (and "Company"). It's those things that I miss most about having someone else in the house. And, in some ways, Sylvia's better than any husband who most likely would not have appreciated our swooning over Johnny Depp. Sylvia laughed at my commentary much more than I deserved. And isn't the sound of our kids' laughter the most beautiful sound ever? Unfortunately, she didn't appreciate the Sondheim interview following "Company" nearly as much. But she will.

As much as I was looking forward to watching "Company," I was - oh, heck, I'll say it - ambivalent about the cast playing their own instruments. One of the most gorgeous things about any Sondheim score is the orchestrations. I'd heard some of the songs from the cast recording on Sirius' Broadway's Best, and the orchestra had clearly been pared down from the original. However, what I learned from being able to see it was that it really brings about the best of the orchestrations. The '70's feel of the original is lost, though. Some might think that a good thing. Not me.

And, I'm sorry, but the saxophones aren't nearly as cool as the girls singing "doo doo doo doo" in "You Could Drive a Person Crazy." And what is up with Marta's coloring of "and they walk together past the postered walls" in "Another Hundred People?" She just did it again. I hate that part. But the rest of the song she does well.

And I never thought I'd get over not hearing Dean Jones sing "Being Alive." I'd seen Raul Esparza do it at the Tony's and wasn't blown away. However, watching the character develop and grow and come to the conclusion of "Being Alive" made it so beautiful...I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch that part without crying now.

As Sondheim says in his interview, you have to be willing to accept that there's not a clear plot, but there is a story. There is a development of character - all of them, actually. There's even a beginning, middle and end. But here's a sad commentary on today's culture - Sylvia wants them to make a sequel.

4 comments:

MarĂ­a said...

diablo cody is living my life. I swear. From stripper to blogger to novelist to screenwriter to Oscar winner. MY LIFE. Damn her!


And how hot is Javier Bardem's accent.

Anonymous said...

So what is this "Company" you speak of? I love PBS but miss most of the good stuff!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree about Jon Stewart and more political humor last night. That is what he's best at...so why not include more at the Oscars? It's all everyone's talking about anyway.

LunaNik said...

I was actually thinking about you last night as I watched the Oscars because I know how much you enjoy them.

I got all teary eyed during what's-her-names Supporting Actress win...she just seemed so genuinely surprised and happy as did the Best Song winners