Playlist For Sunday, Jan. 14th, 2018: That Woman Is Me

Whenever skies look gray to me, and trouble begins to brew, whenever the winter winds become too strong, I concentrate on...Sondheim. Zactly! Amidst shoveling, salting, then RAINING, and slushing, I find the existence of "A Bowler Hat" and "The Glamorous Life" frickin' uplifting. I like the complications, the nervous energy, the yes/but/no-ness of his melodies and  lyrics. Even though, he "loves to write in dark colors about gut feelings," Sondheim doesn't let those emotions go too sweet, or too sour. Like life (and winter's) grayness, it ain't one way or the other. It's usually both.

''You've got a lot of wrong notes in there.'' That's a Leonard Bernstein quote, his assessment of Stephen's score for A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, which seems odd NOW, with all the stuff that came later. How 'bout the "wrong notes" in Sunday in the Park, in Sweeney? And how can Leonard call this pot black?

As a fan, these Sondheim editions of 2 on the Aisle are easy. They write themselves. Which is good, because while it's off writing itself,  I can make another pot of coffee, take down a Christmas tree, order a new printer, plan a hip replacement and torment my cat. Life's tough in January; we need Stephen to tell us it's gonna be alright.

Oh, and P.S.: For all those not-so-crazy about SS Broadway fans, I've tossed in a Bock and Harnick bone, and a Cy Coleman cookie. :)


Side By Side By Side/What Would We Do Without You (Dean Jones, Ensemble,
      Company)
A Comedy Tonight (Zero Mostel, Company, A Funny Thing Happened On
      The Way To The Forum)
The Little Things You Do Together (Couple Ensemble, Company)
Sorry - Grateful (George Coe, Charles Kimbrough, Charles Braswell,
      Company)
Everybody Loves Louie (Bernadette Peters, Sunday In The Park With
      George)
It Would Have Been Wonderful (Len Cariou, Laurence Guittard, A Little
      Night Music) 
I Remember (Charmian Carr, Evening Primrose)
We're Gonna Be All Right (Millicent Martin, David Kernan, Side By Side
      By Sondheim/Do I Hear A Waltz?)
A Bowler Hat (Isao Sato, Pacific Overtures)
Beautiful (Barbara Cook, Euan Morton, Sondheim On Sondheim/Sunday
      In The Park With George)
Good Thing Going (Lonny Price, Jim Walton, Merrily We Roll Along)
I've Got It All (Madeline Kahn, John Cullum, On The Twentieth Century)
Five Zeros (George Coe, Imogene Coca, John Cullum, On The
      Twentieth Century)
The Legacy (John Cullum, On The Twentieth Century)
The Ballad Of Sweeney Todd (Len Cariou, Company, Sweeney Todd)
Pirelli's Miracle Elixir (Ken Jennings, Company, Sweeney Todd)
Wait (Len Cariou, Angela Lansbury, Sweeney Todd)
Days Gone By (Ludwig Donath, Daniel Massey, She Loves Me)
I Resolve (Barbara Baxley, She Loves Me)
Grand Knowing You (Jack Cassidy, Ensemble, She Loves Me)
The Glamorous Life (Audra McDonald, Go Back Home)
Johanna (Bernadette Peters, Sondheim Etc.)
There Is No Other Way (Ricardo Tobia, Alvin Ing, Pacific Overtures)
Who's That Woman? (Phyllis Newman, Elaine Stretch, Betty Comden,
      Yvonne DeCarlo, Lee Remick, Barbara Cook, Follies)
Old Friends (Lonny Price, Ann Morrison, Jim Walton, Merrily We Roll Along)
Being Alive (Dean Jones, Company)