How Sondheim & Larson Woke Up A Generation

[@becsterbrisbane6275]

I'm sorry, but I'm still not past the "Larson sat in on the development of Into The Woods"....mind. Freaking. Blown! I cannot imagine just how much Jonathon- had he lived to be obviously much older today- would have adored Lin Manuel Miranda and what he's done today to theatre

[@withalittlehelpfrom3]

So great to think that, while Jonathon was writing the rock musical, hip-hop was still this young art form that would also be turned into a revolutionary show! That, just across Manhattan and especially into the Bronx, the new form of Broadway was germinating.

[@kpdelaney6460]

yeah I was shocked when I heard that; such an amazing musical to shadow

[@yasnaynavarrete7411]

The forces of the universe (call it God or any other) work in very misterios ways. I actually think that Jonathan being gone allowed Lin Manuel to rise to where he's today. I got the same feeling when Selena Quintanilla was murdered, but from that tragedy we discovered JLo. Is not even close to being the same, and maybe I'm wrong, but I really feel that way

[@LPJack02]

RIP Stephen Sondheim (March 22, 1930 - November 26, 2021), aged 91 And RIP Jonathan Larson (February 4, 1960 - January 25, 1996), aged 35 You both will be remembered as legends.

[@IbokRock811]

I love love love the LEGACY (to quote Hamilton) that gets passed from Hammerstein to Sondheim to Larson to Lin!!! Just beautiful - thank you for continuing to make these videos and getting into the nitty-gritty about what makes musical theatre so COOOL!!

[@calebleland8390]

"What is a legacy?"

[@Attmay]

They just keep getting worse with each generation.

[@robhiro]

I love how this is not just about Jonathan. It's also very much about Stephen and Lin. Love all 3 of em especially Jon.

[@stevec404]

That all of this ended at 35 for Larson...and still continues today, is his signature epitaph. I personally shake my head with sorrow at all of the things I could have done, yet did not do. This is raw inspiration to go for it NOW!

[@digitool5944]

the advice of "write what you know" could also be taken as being tick, tick, Boom! as that is what he wrote next and it is literally what he knows

[@HowardHoMusic]

True.

[@FirstnameLastname-rs4oo]

This is one of the most mind blowing videos I’ve ever seen. Learning about the interconnected-ness of Jonathan’s work blew me away. The level of intricacy that went into each song, each line said by his characters, how they were so methodically and carefully planned to have multiple meanings… I’m lost for words. I wonder how much more he had to offer. He was bustling with ideas that he wanted to share with the world but was being suppressed by those who didn’t want to provide him with the facilities to present his work. I almost never write comments like this, but I’m honestly lost for words at how in-depth Jonathan went. He is a genius. And hats off to you for putting such a well presented video, I’m sure it wasn’t easy, and though it might not get millions of views, it means something more to those of us who saw it. Sorry for being so dramatic and going on a rant, I just had to get that out.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Thank you so much! I agree with everything.

[@HaunaMyKiki]

I recommend that everyone check out The Jonathan Larson Project. It's a concert series that was performed at 54 Below a few years back, which showcased a _ton_ of unreleased songs that had been archived until that point. Some are admittedly better than others, but just that small sampling of his work is proof that he would have been more than just a one-hit wonder had he lived!

[@kazza6078]

Even just the image of sondheim as a jedi master/trainer from the thumbnail is so perfect I can't even explain what joy that brought me.

[@sean-riley]

Larson’s comment on how musical theatre is still 60 years behind is still true to this day

[@MusicLover676]

When I was studying music in high school, my teacher brought me into the world of musical theatre. For so long I've missed how she would show me all these little moments in musicals that made them special. Since finding your channel I've felt that part of me feels happy again. Thank you for bringing your passion and knowledge together to share with us, it has sparked my love of music again and I am very grateful

[@arianahunt1073]

I just watched tick tick boom. I saw Rent in 2004 on Broadway. RIP Jonathan Larson, RIP Stephen Sondheim. What a legacy they left us.

[@redkb]

Your production quality keeps going up and up! I love the interviews and transitions, and of course the content spectacular. When can I go see your musical?

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL...you'll be the first to know! Thank you so much for your enthusiasm every time!

[@adam-yy4ne]

Oh hey RedKB. I think i saw u somewhere fellow cuber

[@FlusteredBushStudios]

I just love the fact that Johnathan Larson brought rock and pop music to theatre which inspired Lin Manuel Miranda to bring hip hop and rap music into theatre, truly amazing

[@checocartoons342]

6:20: I love how Miranda’s Twitter picture is the Coffee Kid from Encanto 🤣

[@AMoniqueOcampo]

It is amazing how much musicals and theatre have influenced my life even tho I've never been in a musical. I so wish that quote in 10:18 was put into the Tick, Tick, Boom movie.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Same. It really shows how smart he was about music. I mean, he almost sounds like a musicologist there! I'm sure I would've enjoyed a conversation with Larson about genre and music analysis.

[@kylecao2553]

Howard, you are an incredible educator and communicator. I'm a fellow Asian-American theatre kid currently MDing a college production of Tick Tick Boom and this was incredibly informative. I can't wait to see what you do next.

[@AxelQC]

I'll tell you why Broadway cannot lead pop music anymore: money and reach. It costs a lot of money to put on a show. The audience size is limited, so ticket prices are expensive. Young people cannot afford Broadway tickets, but old people can. They want to see comfortable shows they like, so the shows are written for the rich, old people who can afford tickets. They want revivals or adaptations of known quantities. Meanwhile, pop music went on the radio, then on MTV, then on CDs, then on iTunes, and now on KZbin. Lil Nas X became a star on KZbin with no money. He didn't have to convince Broadway producers to stage "Old Town Road". He just made it himself and popped it on KZbin for almost nothing. Broadway is just a few blocks in one big city. The Internet is everywhere. If Broadway couldn't compete with the radio in the 1960s, how can it compete with KZbin in the 2020s?

[@HowardHoMusic]

Good point. To be clear, Larson wasn't saying he wants Broadway to lead pop, just that pop should have a place on Broadway, which at the time he was around it really didn't.

[@normanklein3155]

Young girls made the Musical "Wicked" as there was a core group that would attend it ten to twenty times. I also remember young kids badgering their parents into bringing them to see Matilda.

[@Starburst514]

​@@normanklein3155Not to mention since Hamilton there's been a huge spike of kids liking theater. Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, Heathers, Hades town, and others around that time, the money issue is a thing but a lot more young people are liking theater again

[@phxqwerty]

Howard Ho should have hundreds of thousands more followers than he does. You're a genius in your own right, Howard.

[@pilaralarcon6768]

YES!! We need to recommend him to our friends, everyone i've talked to about howard loved him!

[@phxqwerty]

@@pilaralarcon6768 I completely agree!!!

[@fdiw]

Seriously I'm going through the comments now and shocked there are only 40?! It should be 4k but evech one here is so thoughtful and great questions. His fans are a reflection of the quality of his work. Quantity will come in time I'm sure

[@robertjackson5645]

Since we lost Mr. S.... I keep thinking what to say/think/feel...essays & life & ego to the side, it's simple, FIVE words: THANK YOU FOR THE JOY!!!!! For me, Covers EVERYTHING.

[@doctorwholover1012]

Loving the idea that shows like Six the musical are technically following the original tradition/intent of musical theatre being based on popular music of its time, its a nice thing to backpocket against people dismissing it for not being 'musical enough' to be considered "real" theatre

[@wormish_squirmish_III]

I think you can definitely see this sort of influence of a well-read-rebel in some pop/indie music that's come out in the past decade or so. Bastille has consistent references to classic romantic literature, bands like the Oh, Hellos use a score of different obscure biblical and Greco-roman motifs, and those are just the ones I personally pay attention to. I feel like this type of art encourages learning, those 'Oh! I know what that means, I remember it from that one song!' moments. I find myself never being able to come to a real conclusion about this type of art because it's constantly evolving with what i personally know, and I think that's a really significant way of encouraging the analyzation of artwork.

[@tsotry1842]

i never caught the "you've got to be carefully taught" as a reference in hamilton before! i keep learning new things about hamilton that make me appreciate lin's talent so much more

[@alexnorton6850]

I'm loving these analyses of how we got to where we are today musically - I've never been able to find anything which can teach musical theatre history in a way which is engaging to me and actually sticks, so thank you for these!

[@scharb]

Hammerstein's mentor, in turn, could be said to be the Gershwins, whose mentor was the then-vibrant Yiddish Theater district.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Very cool. Thanks for sharing this!

[@hannahwebster5606]

This video was excellent. I loved seeing the continuity between the different works as each writer pays homage to a previous one.

[@jc841pd]

This is an incredible video. You’ve highlighted so many through lines from Sondheim to Larson to Lin and weaving not just through themes in their work but also experiences in their lives. The synthesis of all these are so much joy to watch.

[@peterstevens5288]

Wow this is a really well made video, thought this was made by a whole journalism production company, not just one musical theater nerd. I've subscribed and hope to learn more about Sondheim!

[@hmartinez91]

Man - I’ve been here since your first videos. Your quality has immensely grown. The depth has hugely developed. You’re definitely one of the creators I crave for videos and learning from.

[@JustMeJH]

Great breakdown! It got me thinking about my own work. There’s a lot to unpack here; I’ll be watching this again. Graphics were spot on too-they really helped tell your story. Well done.

[@selenamcmahan9234]

Ok so Sondheim was taught by Oscar Hammerstein. Sondheim later wrote west side story . Then sondheim taught Jonathan Larson he wrote tick tickets boom and rent. West side story and tick tick boom inspired In the heights by lin manuel miranda and Hamilton. In conclusion Lin was inspired by Johnathan Larson. And Jonathan Larson was taught by Sondheim. Who was taught by Oscar Hammerstein.

[@lenochod6]

Until the movie Tick, tick... boom! I honestly did not have much knowledge about musicals. But I do not know but now I am obsessed. And it all started with Jonathan Larson so thank you for your videos they are excellent for people like me who do not know much about this world but become obsessed because of tick, tick boom :). And also Jonathan Larson read Václav Havel? That is mindblowing, I am from Czech republic and still amazes me how much Václav Havel left in our world, what a legace and finally something positive about Czech republic.

[@amyginsburg]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and insights. Your videos should be considered companion pieces to the respective musicals you cover. Musical theater is entertaining but there's so much more to this art form. You enable a greater understanding and healthier respect among those of us who want to understand and go beyond the joy of watching a great performance. When you explain a concept and it resonates, that joy is amplified and it becomes excitement. You are a gift to those of us who have a love of learning. I hope that your musical makes it to the stage some day soon!

[@tm_kh]

Love seeing Joe Iconis’ name on that tree. These videos bring me such joy. Thank you Howard.

[@barneylovesyou8878]

I CANNOT BELIEVE I JUST FOUND OUT YOUR TITLE REFERENCES LOUDER THAN WORDS OH MY GOD

[@itsthemaggieshow]

As an aspiring musical theater writer, this was really amazing and helpful, thank you

[@noahatlas5240]

about to weep when you mentioned the thruline of running out of time between tick tick boom and rent. God. Musical theater is too good

[@fdiw]

This was incredible and softened my look at rent. It's problematic but so is grief and given the time it was made in I can understand the story structure being what it is. Also explains the musical connection between today and the previous boom wonderfully. I wonder if along with pop music the animation medium also took what would have classically been stage musicals, i.e. beauty and the beast

[@johnhenry6160]

How is it problematic?

[@bennorton4831]

This video deserves 100 millions views!!! Thank you so much for making this!!! Much love!!!

[@yasnaynavarrete7411]

Amazing video! I've just finished watching the film and I'm greatful I found this well elaborated and not too long documentary on the life of those great composers. Thank you for sharing your content with us

[@lunalin9870]

Omg Sondheim as a force ghost, Thank you

[@Olivia-Little-Dove]

Wow! Wonderful video essay. Larson and Sondheim are heroes who had a huge impact on my life. Thanks for this beautiful exploration of their legacy

[@kazza6078]

Why do you have to blow my mind and make me cry every time? But instead of why I mean thank you

[@pintlemounted]

Now I want to have superbia put on

[@leslieinadress]

Wow! I’m in Godspell right now and I can see a lot of this “formula” in the revival. It works. What a great documentary!

[@mimull1378]

This is such a amazing video and I absolutely love Jonathan Larson and the fact that he inspired Lin just makes him even more amazing, so this migth seam a bit out of pocket but 3:34 "pardon me are you Aaron Burr sir?"

[@kazza6078]

Excellent animation! Excellent video. Love them all

[@Kittybird]

As I was watching this, I also had the thought, if he hadn't died at that moment, had lived to see Rent become the amazing piece it is...how would that have affected things? There is a effect that death has on people we don't always consider. We are inspired by people even as we memorialize them. We celebrate them. We imagine the work they would have done, if they had lived, and yearn to hear or see it and then have a spark in ourselves to reach for greatness...even if it is out of reach. R.I.P JL R.I.P SS Thank you.

[@lestergreelack3131]

Hi man. Till todat I consider myself as one of the greatest Larson's and Rent experts in Poland. Your movie proved me that I was wrong. I have never seen such proffesional documentary on KZbin. I am flabbergasted. Great work!

[@HowardHoMusic]

Wow, thank you! What do you mean I proved you wrong?

[@guitaraobscura8802]

It's interesting to me that the 90s had another adaptation of the same novel/opera as Rent with the film La Vie de Boheme in 1992 directed by Aki Kaurismäki. Looking at the timeline of things, it was probably just a coincidence but still interesting to me nonetheless.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Larson had already started working on Rent before that point. But yeah, that is interesting.

[@camilaaguilar3715]

this is BOMB, thank you for this

[@Torsa10on10]

This is the best content I have seen on KZbin in a very long time. Thank you Howard. ❤️

[@mayabairey]

Not me rewatching all the Howard Ho videos this week 🥰

[@DavidClay]

This is one of my favorite channels!

[@wicesphagnum6983]

Thank you for the video! I'm twenty-eight (with the half...) and I am thinking about time constantly. The Time, the Future, the Opportunities... It feels like you have a lot of time but at the same moment you feel that you are wrong and it is almost the finish line. (Yeah, and some geopolitical movements make it so much better. As usual)

[@The.Lilomay]

Thank you for making this video I started to fall in love with musical theatre becoz of Rent And then most Sondheim works and most recently Lin And now I will think of it as I love this linage of composers as my favorite

[@Ummmmmmmm6no]

I’m trying to watch this while doing my makeup and I’m fighting so hard not to cry because Sondheim’s and Larson’s works have been through my life with me. Their music understood me at times I and no one else understood me. Their works have helped me through the toughest times of my life and also helped me express joy at my happiest. Then through in LMM who is a freaking genius and now I have to re-do my makeup because I can’t take it all! Where would be with them?

[@Ummmmmmmm6no]

Oh no, now I’m at the part talking about AIDS. My uncle passed away from AIDS in the 90s so it’s just so close to home.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Same here. Without Larson and Sondheim (and now Lin), the world would be much more lonely. Sorry about your makeup, but also thank you for sharing your experiences.

[@paulwilliamson2118]

Great work Howard!

[@KidAstronaut]

Great. Now I'm crying again. Thank you for your legacy Jonathan Larson. Changed the world.

[@mr.balloffur]

Love this video, he was such a talent. He must be so proud!

[@_Tizoc_]

I wonder if a better comparison for bands would have actually been the Sex Pistols considering: 1. Larson clearly considered them an influence mentioning them in La Vie Boheme. 2. The amount of people in attendance at that Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall show was even fewer people and and even high % of them went on to start wildly influential bands.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yeah, that works!

[@lizzyrank5405]

I will say I have an appreciation for pop music in theater now. Even though I love it I always thought they just did it cause it sounds nice and dint actually thing on why it should be there. This is why I love channels like this.

[@StephaniedeBritoLeal]

I love LMM but I also like to think we have many incredible people making incredible musicals: Hadestown is a beautiful tragedy, Six is fun and pop and does the bridge of pop and theatre in such an amazing way (this channel covered it three times!), Natasha and Pierre brought the arena way to musicals.... It's. There are amazing things happening around LMM too. ❤

[@robinellsworth]

Incredible mini-doc! Thank you for this!

[@sleepysteev2735]

Artistic lineage is such a cool thing to examine. The evolution of musical theatre can be traced directly from Hammerstein to Sondheim to Larson to Miranda. Each a voice for their generation.

[@wassamattawityucca]

Thank you so much for another amazing video, Howard!

[@nathanbouldin2475]

I totally made it into a Howard Ho video. Bucket list check!

[@HowardHoMusic]

LOL

[@JosephSciola]

Well, I was a sobbing mess by the end of this. It just hit me, and it hit me hard. It was very well done

[@iam_jeremy]

This video is so great! Thank you for creating this for us! I subscribed to your channel!

[@camillethompson6686]

That was brilliant, thank you!

[@siimakyaks]

This video is perfection! Thank you.

[@myster_g3226]

I want to give this video a hug.

[@danielw349]

I would love to see you analyse Pasek & Paul for a new video!

[@xx_coco_xx8433]

This is amazing can you do the encanto songs (they were written by Lin Manuel maranda)

[@HowardHoMusic]

Yes, I'm planning something on that!

[@xx_coco_xx8433]

@@HowardHoMusic waiting on a miracle and Dos Oruguitas made me cry so hard

[@Mrfearon97]

Loved this. Great work.

[@j.marthawachulec6029]

What an amazing video. Thank you for making this

[@sailingsam3815]

Thanks for this amazing piece

[@franc5148]

i'm crying you're crying we're all crying

[@HowardHoMusic]

So much....so much...

[@paulasacilottovalentemorei454]

Loved this!! Congrats

[@RachelSofaer]

Really interesting!

[@aloisguian-illanes6499]

loved this video!!

[@Julenuri]

I'm not the one that will post the best comment, but thanks you. The video moves me. And makes me think a lot about Larson. :)

[@farimehr4103]

This video is amazing thank you

[@SkatKat]

Thank you.

[@NicoRaimont]

Video too fire

[@talikup]

Can you make a video breaking down the music from enchanto? Because both enchanto and in the heights have music written by Lin, it would be interesting to see the overlap.

[@HowardHoMusic]

Just you wait...

[@lotus1186]

thank you for this video!!!!

[@gilangsetyawibawa185]

Can you make a musical analysis of Encanto?

[@Seal0626]

6:20 oh hey, I know him!

[@carolinemedeiros425]

Amazing!!!

[@jauipop]

And also is it weird that I have a love for Lin Manuel Miranda... But also an aversion to him because of how popular he has become and his appearance everywhere... ?? It feels like we need to accept that Lin Manuel's appearance on anything is AMAZING... But is it? I kind of think it was like back in the 80s/90s. that anything Andrew Lloyd Webber did was amazing.

[@jauipop]

Might have to add that I watched all this happen from a distance in both Australia and Malaysia. And as an Asian where it was hard to get parts in these shows.. Would be interesting to see a video on an analysis on how minorities work in musicals.

[@HowardHoMusic]

I have thought A LOT about this topic too!

[@jescan4]

He is everywhere right now. This past year has been very heavy with him because some things were supposed to be released in 2020. We are getting two years worth of material- years in the making-all coming out now and he’s being asked to promote and provide commentary on back to back projects.

[@Salvie7112]

I know for a fact I am not the only one that immediately googled lin playing jon

[@musicinme99]

Can you do some videos on the songs from Encanto?

[@HowardHoMusic]

Just you wait!

[@susannunes6196]

Peace and Stay Safe....

[@cwjedi]

What's that Velvet Underground song that was played?

[@HKFern]

May i know where this interview was from? At 21:44….

[@HowardHoMusic]

It was produced by Netflix, but for some reason, they did not make this video public.

[@HKFern]

@@HowardHoMusic Thanks very much for letting me know. Hopefully they'll release it eventually. Also, really great explanation ... I'm not familiar with musical theatre/Broadway at all (not from the US and only started hearing about musicals once Hamilton was on spotify), but I was able to keep up quite well!

[@lucainaudi3701]

Where did you get the clip on Jon at 1:49?

[@TeddyLeitner]

Where can I find the 1990 version of tick... tick... BOOM! ? I can only find a clip on KZbin

[@rochestas]

Man, we lost a serious mentor with Sondheim…

[@gerardyatcilla4839]

💕💕💕!!!

[@tahzibizimungu7677]

0:01 Spiderman? What does Spiderman have to do with Rent?

[@HowardHoMusic]

I got the opening clock footage from Pixabay! Does it look Spiderman? I'm super curious now.

[@tahzibizimungu7677]

@@HowardHoMusic It actually is the actor that played Spiderman in a film called Tick, Tick, Boom!, a biography of Johnathan Larson.