I enjoyed darn near all of Six by Sondheim, the new HBO documentary about you-know-who…with two reservations. Or maybe "hesitations" would be the right word. Anyway, they're small.
One was that new music video rendition of "I'm Still Here" by Jarvis Cocker. If Mr. Sondheim liked that — and I'm assuming he did or it wouldn't have happened — I would love to hear why. The disconnect between performer and lyric has never seemed greater to me in any performance of a Sondheim tune. Cocker has style and talent but what he doesn't have is any relevance to that song. James Lapine, who helmed the documentary, said the songs were chosen to "serve the storytelling" of Sondheim's own story, and Sondheim himself often speaks of the importance of his songs as being true to character. How, I wonder, does that apply to that particular staging, casting and interpretation?
Okay, tiny quibble. Here's a little larger one. I love and respect Stephen Sondheim and I'm starting to worry. A lesser man's ego would have long since exploded with all these tributes and honors and, in some cases, fawning so out of proportion you question its sincerity. I do, anyway. But even if it is all earnestly meant…is this, like, the farewell testimonial for a guy who's never going to write anything again? Sounds like it.
Sondheim is 83 and still seems sharp. I'd like to think he has another show or two in him…or maybe more songs, not necessarily in the context of a full Broadway musical. Maybe not…and if not, fine. He's earned his retirement. But the only times I ever see or hear of him these days are when someone's kissing his ring. That is, after getting him to tell the story of the afternoon when Oscar Hammerstein taught him everything…an anecdote of his which has now had more performances than Follies.
Now, I happen to think the guy really is that great but I wonder how healthy it is for everyone to keep saying it. I know a guy who wrote a couple of Broadway musicals that had reasonable success and if you praised him like Sondheim gets praised these days, this fellow would never write another song as long as he lived. He wouldn't dare because no matter how good it was, it could never possibly live up to this reputation he'd have achieved. Or if he did do something, it would only be because all the honors had convinced him he was infallible and anything he did was good enough. When you have that attitude, you can't help but go down in flames.
I guess this isn't so much about Sondheim — a man I don't really know except as someone I admire. We've spoken a grand total of once for about a minute and maybe — and I hope this is so — he's immune to this. But I've met talented people whose work was, I suspect, damaged by being elevated to godlike status.
Either their belief in their own abilities reached a self-destructive mass…or they were paralyzed by the compliments, unable to create much of anything. One even said to me once, "Everyone thinks I'm a genius. And I will be, as long as I don't do anything that disappoints anyone." That's a heavy burden for a creative talent to shoulder. It's certainly a great reason to not try anything new — to either imitate your past successes or, to play it really safe, do nothing.
Sondheim doesn't owe the world any more than he's given us but it would be nice to hear more. It's not likely that anyone could revolutionize the musical theater yet again at his age…but if anyone can, he's the guy. The documentary was great. I'd like to think he will still do something that will make it not the final word.
Here's some video of everyone praising it and him at the preview party…
