Stephen Sondheim - 1994 Actor's Studio Interview - Liz Callaway

[@LizCallaway]

Thanks for posting this. I'll always cherish being a part of this.

[@steveokie69]

Liz, how did you come to perform at this event?

[@stevekatz215]

You were amazing. Thank you.

[@ellenorchid01]

You performed so splendidly and with the maestro looking on!

[@PianoWallaby]

Your performances here are my favorites of each piece. Thank you for your attention to detail and your timing -- your exquisite timing.

[@barrybayer6125]

@@steveokie69 assssßßswwééeêêê

[@katiewurtzel33]

May Stephen Sondheim's memory, and his genius, be for a blessing.

[@neifert7]

You can see the fatherly love Stephen has for Liz Callaway and Jim Walton when they are performing. Liz and Jim were in the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along when they were basically teenagers, so they literally grew up with Stephen and his work.

[@jaydee970]

I've spent 3 days watching Stephen Sondheim tribute videos and crying. I needed to take a break. Then I ended up here. I'm so glad. This one is worth all of the tears.

[@steveokie69]

I know what you mean.

[@jjaniero]

been doing the same

[@egeemnz1]

Me too! I suspect there are countless others currently in a deep Stephen Sondheim dive these days. I think this makes us all Sondheim Soul Siblings

[@MondoMiami]

I hope you are able to get the help you need.

[@nicholasfox966]

People eventually mocked and satirized James Lipton for his eccentricities, but this remains the greatest single interview of Stephen Sondheim. Lipton doesn't unload the same three or four questions that Sondheim has been incessantly asked for five decades, and he (Lipton) betrays a fondness and intimate knowledge of Sondheim's work that makes for a scintillating and insightful conversation, even for rabid Sondheim fans who think they know everything about the great man.

[@kennethbrady]

I agree. This interview will be required viewing 100, 200 years from now. Maybe more, if we make it there:)

[@jjaniero]

I always thought Inside the Actors Studio jumped the shark when Jennifer Lopez was his guest, but this interview makes me forgive all

[@AngelalLloyd]

I agree!

[@tonyconniff]

Look up the interview with Adam Guettel.

[@nicholasfox966]

@@tonyconniff Yes, that’s also a wonderful one. I just find something incisive about Lipton’s questioning here that makes it even more revealing.

[@agnes2mro]

Memorial run through YT -- doing okay until he said, "Welcome!" and I just lost it -- what a genius! What a loss.

[@youngheart17]

44:04 Welcome, Stephen. Rest in peace.

[@riverebec1]

I have no doubt God lovingly said "Welcome...home"! Afterall, Stephen Sondheim was just on loan to us. Thank you, God. RIP Mr. Sondheim.

[@trashleigh87]

This is a bloody gem of an episode.

Yeah...hes an American treasure. "Art is craft...not inspiration..." a superb craftsman

[@tonyhayes4980]

Ashleigh sure is

[@mister_vegas]

Imagine how satisfying it was for Sondheim to hear three laughs during the June-April part of "Barcelona." The first laugh starts at 15:20, the second at 15:38, and then a third laugh at 15:44 after the audience had a moment to replay the joke in their head. Amazing.

[@TheMissingLink1]

When Liz and Jim look at Steve during the final moments of "Move On" - WOW. Really teared up there. So powerful.

[@minarik01]

Rip Mr Sondheim. Thank you for gracing this planet and us with your unending brilliance.

[@patrickharner]

"He changed my life- very importantly- by making me aware that art is craft, not inspiration." Wow! around 5:34

[@highbaritone]

I’ve been lucky to have done five of his shows. Fell in love with his words and music while studying opera at university. I have spent my life loving both art forms. How lucky I have been.

[@joannefairclough7960]

What lovely words, Donald, and I am sure your experiences with his work will stay with you and you'll feel that I'm sure even more potently now! By the way, I'm a Melbourne gal and a huge Anthony Warlow fan all my life but you also made a terrific Phantom and have had an amazing career! Wishing you all the very best!

[@rebeccarentoul1459]

You have spoken to what is innermost of the human experience. The poignancy of coming to terms with ourselves, our limitations, and our aspirations, held in the mastery of the work, as Joy that aches like grief. You are the Great love story of the American musical. You have touched our hearts in an extraordinarily rare way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. What an incredible interview, interviewer, and two of your most beloved performers with their stunning interpretations of your music, that you so clearly adored. Let your music play on, Encore!!

[@dculp9284]

Kind of funny that Lipton jumps right from Sweeney to Sunday in the Park with George when two of the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along are there on stage.

[@twheeler1980]

If I could wish someone lived to 92… my heart is broken 😞. Such a legacy! Thank you for all your work!

[@mmgogre9973]

I greatly agree, with a few alterations… I would wish Sondheim to live in perpetuity in good health, and great joy. However, barring that possibility, I am deeply appreciative of the beautiful gift he’s left us of his spirit and essence in the words and notes he’s shared…. May he be carried to his eternal performance on the perfect notes and utterances he gave us. Rest in perfect symphonic bliss, Sir.

[@NARoze99]

Watched this when I was a kid and always loved when they sing to him.. makes me cry even now.

[@tedtalksrock]

Oh I felt the same way...wept! With all the love we all feel for this treasured man.

[@nickbigd]

I can't believe I have missed this for all these years. Amazing gem.

[@jjaniero]

me too. i can never forgive the network for constantly rerunning the jennifer lopez interview but not this

[@SPrescott2611]

The performances of his pieces are perfect! Must have been nerve wracking for both singers and the accompanist with the composer/writer sitting inches away!

[@HG-pi3qp]

How have I never seen this - thank you

[@legendaccount3247]

Held it together for most of the interview but Move On always gets me and when Liz and Jim looked at Sondheim during the ending I started bawling

[@ellenorchid01]

Wonderful interview plus performances by two great musical theater artists. James LIpton was a fine interviewer.

[@bingbongtoysKY]

YES BRITTEN!!! 🎉🎉🎉great video

[@richardbernstein9215]

i could listen to Stephen Sondheim endlessly...i am a true SONDHEIMMANIAC!!

[@steveokie69]

Me too

[@annienoelle4964]

this episode is so incredible

[@claireabella1]

44:32 send in the clowns (posting for myself, love her performance)

[@Jacquelyn-v6c]

AWESOME MAN!!!!!🎉🎉🎉 MR. STEVEN !!!❤❤❤❤❤

[@bernardcleary4330]

Rest in peace, Maestro. Thank you for everything.

[@peterslegers6121]

Great interview and the part from 53:36 Sunday in the park with George, with Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin as George, was a real treat.

[@lovabledrollgeek]

I now feel deeply cheated that we never got a production of Sunday in the Park with George with Liz Callaway as Dot.

[@dmcharrett]

Bio her website says, "Regional and international credits include Dot in Sunday in the Park with George" wonder where that was?

[@ndemone]

Absolutely not! She doesn’t have the vocal weight or sex appeal and she’s not that strong of an actress.

[@peggynewton3904]

How lucky are we that Stephen Sondheim exists???

[@2906nico]

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.

[@strooomon]

Liz Callaway. Heaven. Hope Mr Sondheim hears you. RIP

[@gljm]

Rest In Peace Stephen Sondheim, March 22, 1930 - November 26, 2021

[@leandromartinez-romeroferez]

Un documento maravilloso para las personas que adoramos a Sondheim. Gracias.

[@anthonyfowler8634]

Stunningly eloquent and masterful at delivering life’s gifts. You are welcome to be your favorite breed of canine upon your return.

[@VincentGreen74]

I’m so glad this exists.

[@mikejanus3654]

Thanks for finding and posting this.

[@jonathanrio6587]

AWESOME interview and Liz Callaway is an added bonus!!!!

[@MattWeisherComposer]

It was a very “Sondheim” thing for him to say “Elevator Operator.” Brilliant man.

[@Gnostic72]

And they RHYMED

[@oldvlognewtricks]

@@Gnostic72 Not quite a rhyme, but close. It would need to be ‘operator poperator’ to rhyme correctly. Edited to provide a correct example - thanks to Robert.

[@rob.berliner]

@@oldvlognewtricks ...incorrect. That would be what's known as an "identity." "-vator" and "-rator" form a perfect rhyme.

[@oldvlognewtricks]

@@rob.berliner Not unless the third syllable is the primary stress where you’re from. Sondheim’s delivery certainly isn’t like this, as he clearly stresses only the first syllables. Merriam-Webster also suggests this isn’t the case, giving: ˈe-lə-ˌvā-tər ˈä-pə-ˌrā-tər. I would be astonished to hear ˌe-lə-ˈvā-tər ˌä-pə-ˈrā-tər - and would call it a mis-stress if it were used that way in a lyric. Unless this is a misunderstanding about the definition of an identical rhyme?

[@rob.berliner]

@@oldvlognewtricks I’d definitely argue that there’s, at bare minimum, a secondary stress on the third syllable of each word, which is enough for me (and most ears) to recognize that as a perfect rhyme. “elerator operator” is not a perfect rhyme because-beyond any question of where the emphasis goes-the sound that’s recalled is identical, hence that couplet being known as an identity.

[@stephaniezimbalist3757]

Fantastic upload. Thank you. That was beautiful to see him tear up when the singers directed some very poignant lyrics at him.

[@larrygates2438]

Thank you for publishing this interview. What a genius. What a thoughtful man. What a gift he was to the musical world!

[@wesleywolhuter2592]

Climb High Climb far Your aim the sky Your goal the Star 🌟. That was our official motto at my primary school , I R Griffith Primary School in JHB South Africa! 🇿🇦

[@shaunnolan]

What a bloody joy this is. I wish I could print it out and annotate it lol, but I guess videos don't work like that. Thank you for uploading it!

[@MsDonttrythisathome]

You could do a comment where you 'annotate' by putting in timestamps, then describing, then adding in your comments (yes, in your comment 😂). Do it! We'd love to see it!

[@johnps30]

@Shaun Nolan - Right under the lower right corner of the video is a ". . ." icon; click on that and select Open Transcript. Then place the cursor at the beginning of the transcript timestamp, depress the shift key, and keeping it depressed drag your mouse to the end of the text. Right Click on the highlighted text. Select Copy to put it in NotePad OR select Print - either to a printer or a pdf.

[@julieandrews730]

Wonderful. Tears, but laughter too.

[@cruisindownthestreetinmy6490]

in case you want the songs! 14:00 barcelona 19:45 could i leave you 27:20 pretty women 31:21 sunday in the park with george 37:28 move on 44:33 send in the clowns

[@cruisindownthestreetinmy6490]

39:38

[@this_Joe_Smith]

I am so thrilled to be seeing this, Thank You!!

[@AnthonyOTooleMusic]

like #700!! thanks for uploading this, hearing both Stephen Sondheim AND James Lipton talk is immensely enriching.

[@cor-z8m]

Genius personified.

[@mymx5az]

I checked out 33 and a third records, better known as long playing records (LP's) from the city library and play them on an old record player, over and over, and hear something beauty and new each time between the pops, crackles and hisses of the worn out LP's.

[@NateButlerFresnoCA]

This is a brilliant Master Class. Thank you for sharing it!

[@marisadiotalevi7636]

Good grief, I wept through most of this.

[@wirthwhilemedia]

I have heard these songs endless times.. Somehow I cry every damn time. He is a true musical genius, so few are.

[@davidkaahaaina7848]

Indeed, Steve, welcome!

[@mrusso252]

Loved seeing Burt Bacharach sitting there in the audience. I've often reflected how both them composed rhythmically irregular and open-ended songs. Now we've lost both of them.

[@jotaeme7436]

Does anyone else notice a strong similarity with some parts of "Could I leave you" and a motive from into the woods that appears in several songs?

[@lesliholtguerrero3054]

crying, so tender, so beloved.

[@suzannemyers7159]

So amazing!

[@willmcmillan1430]

What a fine interview!! Thank you, Nymph Errant!

[@jpetersgoyanks]

Both gone, both not forgotten… 1 is a genius.

[@callmealx]

I love Sondheim.

[@mikemorrmikemorr]

3:15 George Plimpton in the audience

[@CubFlanagan]

@mikemorrmikemorr Thank you for providing the name! I only know him as one of the shrinks from Good Will Hunting.

[@lorrainechandler7864]

Intelligent,sweet man.💙

[@lulamidgeable]

This guy really does his homework for the interviews.

[@TheRobertEllismusic]

this man is the personification of oblique

[@Pyrethryn]

I really feel for these performers, it would be my nightmare to sing/play Sondheim's music when Stephen Sondheim is sitting less than 10 feet in front of you.

[@jordan11752]

And they honestly kill it

[@susanpayer3472]

Except he’s like a father to them…he theatrically raised them.

[@oldvlognewtricks]

@@susanpayer3472 And I can’t imagine that lessens the pressure all that much.

[@rmac1042]

I lost it at the end of “Move On” when the performers looked right at Steven that love in their eyes! Onions time!

[@Pyrethryn]

@@jordan11752 Oh no, I didn't mean for my comment to disparage the performers- you are absolutely right, they kill it. All I was saying was I would be petrified lol.

[@lilypoon1175]

Genius.

[@kindnessfirst9670]

If you didn't hear or know of any of his work you could still tell he is brilliant by what he says here alone.

[@MikeN275]

Wow! Hearing Pretty Woman sung by a lyric tenor is even more disconcerting keeping the content in mind. The student's questions are grand. Sondheim's frustration with the wall to wall music "operettas" is very sensible when explained.

[@robjack2804]

Favourite moment: Callaway sings "Leave you" NOTE PERFECT. Not often done. Non-ish singing role. He turns in chair & smiles.

[@jojogarcia8766]

"Art is craft, not inspiration."

[@70Dallas70]

Thank you. Wonderful to revisit this!

[@kiel1875]

Really enjoyed the video and hearing him go into details of the process and the musicals. I wonder why they didnt tall about into the woods at all, if this was shot in 1994. Does anybody know??

[@kindnessfirst9670]

BLESS you for posting this!

[@sfmc98]

I literally *tried* to not watch the whole thing. "An hour?!" Screw that. Before I knew it, it was more than half over. I honestly did skip through the musical numbers just so I could hear him speak. And this was after listening to three days of Fresh Air. I'm not even a Sondheim "fan"! Truth be told, I barely had an idea who he was and I'm a fully grown adult. I've see Into the Woods and parts of West Side Story and that's about it. I just can't say how much I enjoy hearing him speak. He is (or I guess, was) a natural teacher.

[@TheMaestroCraig]

That's great to know. I do think you should go back and watch the songs because they are very well sung and acted without being showy. It's a classy performer who can achieve that mix that I think is necessary in this sort of setting where it's more about analysis of the piece and it's admirable the way Liz and JIm respected this.

[@RobJazzful]

In 1995, I asked him about this show. He called it, “Portrait of a Man Uncomfortable in His Own Skin.”

Les Mis killed this art form...Sondheim had a unique handle on life in NYC, and by extension post war US. The big specatacle-turned-touring company took over that intimate form

[@henryanderson6752]

While I like Les amis I totally agree. Les Les, while better than the composer and lyricist’s other show Miss Saigon, is much less emotional than Miss Saigon because it feels more intimate. Also; Les Mis, Phantom, and Miss Saigon with their giant spectacles (the Barricade, the Chandelier and the Helicopter) kind of killed intimate musical theatre for a while. I believe that Passion (maybe my favourite Sondheim/musical show ever, I haven’t decided) would have had a better run if it wasn’t for the Les Mis/Phantom/Miss Saigon expectation of massive spectacle that still persists to this day. After all, why is BeetleJuice so popular? Hope that made sense.

[@tonyhayes4980]

Great

[@PhilVerryChannel]

He finally got to the meat and potatoes at the very last of the interview segment. I would have rather have perhaps one or two numbers less and more of Stevens explanatios.

[@Highspeed110]

47:57 Lisa, an actor. Is she known today ?

[@steveokie69]

Sondheim quick to bring attention to her use of the word “like.” I wonder if she took it to heart.

[@Highspeed110]

@@steveokie69 She didn't notice his mock, or she chose to ignore and push ahead?

[@nawnwn6426]

@@steveokie69 i don't understand. What is wrong with that?

[@steveokie69]

@@nawnwn6426 Who said there was anything wrong with that? Not me.

[@nawnwn6426]

@@steveokie69 oops I misunderstood. Sorry

[@dogberrieink]

40:54 gets me every time :'(

[@luteful]

9:54 A what kinda rhyme? Apocathetic? I googled that and just got a bunch of pages for "apathetic" etc...

[@steveokie69]

I can't find it either. Did James just make that up?

[@fittyJackson]

Apocopated rhyme.

[@yfructose]

@@fittyJackson ...but he says 'apocopetic', which, like 'apocopic', is an adjective pertaining to 'apocope', while 'apocopated' is the adjectival past participle. :-)

[@randalllaue4042]

Will we get to hear his attempted pieces? Or should they remain unheard?... he mentions “Mary Poppins” ... curious.

[@richardmayora1289]

Nymph Errant? Is this reference to the Cole Porter musical?

[@steveokie69]

It is indeed!

[@richardmayora1289]

@@steveokie69 I worked on the first US production. It was at Equity Library Theater in 1982. It was so exciting since the audience was filled with people who were so curious about a Porter musical no one had ever seen.

[@steveokie69]

@@richardmayora1289 I’ve read it was his favorite score. It certainly is a great one. Take care.

[@tonyconniff]

How can anyone stand James Lipton? To him... it's all about him.

[@jpetersgoyanks]

It’s precisely the English languages difficulty to work with in music that makes it so great in music. Art thrives against impediments.

[@michellestone1261]

Lol... He looks like "MOSES" 😂🤣🤣🤣

[@chebachaka]

George Plimpton?

[@steveokie69]

Yes, George Plimpton in the house!

[@bondfool]

Seeing James without a beard is very strange.

[@MrKaraokeguy88]

And only using glasses for reading

[@sicilyny5375]

Creative genius doesn't fit in a nice neat box. He was a true original iconic genius and too bad he didn't pass his genes on. Who will take his place now, if that's even possible?

[@cliffworks748]

its Ravel more than Debussy

[@Oncearanger88]

Sondheim moves a lot when he talks. Does he have something like Parkinson’s or something? Or is he just a hand talker?

[@MondoMiami]

He does it to make people think he’s “complicated.”

[@WillScarlet16]

Either God said 'Welcome' or there's a standard poodle named Stephen just being born somewhere;

[@sandrashevey8252]

I disagree. I think Hammerstein stands alone. Doesn`t need music. His lyrics are pure poetry. `I`m as corny as Kansas in August, I`m as normal as blueberry pie`. Very American in a way that sends up America. I sure hope Hammerstein is studied in the schools as a native American poet. `If you excuse an expression I use`. Read it in the Yiddish `You should excuse the expression`. So very American and very Jewish. While being un-American and un-Jewish. Sondheim needs music. `I Feel Pretty` `Maria `Tonight` nothing without the music. Lyrics are just fill when Bernstein writes the score. In `Gypsy` again the score moves the lyrics. Sorry Sondheim!

[@steveokie69]

For both composers some of their lyrics read well and some don’t. A blanket statement just doesn’t work (though it’s much easier to make). For example, read “I Remember” by Sondheim. It’s lovely as verse. Can you really see anyone sitting down to read Oscar’s “The cow man and farmer should be friends”? On paper it’s childish. On stage it’s fun. So it really depends. Their words were written for music, not to stand alone. If some do, it’s a bonus for us all.

[@sandrashevey8252]

@@steveokie69 In the main Hammerstein is readable on paper. Sondheim is not.

[@steveokie69]

@@sandrashevey8252I am glad you enjoy them so. There is a book of Oscar's complete lyrics. If you don't own it already, here's the link. www.amazon.com/Complete-Lyrics-Oscar-Hammerstein-II/dp/0375413588/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Oscar+hammerstein+lyrics&qid=1622794882&sr=8-1

[@sandrashevey8252]

@@steveokie69 I know most of his lyrics by heart. I should do a book (self published ebook) on my esteem for Hammerstein`s lyrics (poetry) By the way you mention `The Farmer and the Cowman` as an example of lyrics which are not quotable without music. WRONG. There is one line that is classic, absolutely classic and every single school child (around the world) show memorize it. `I don`t say I`m no better than anybody else But I`ll be damned if I ain`t just as good`. Aryans and Jews/ Palestinians and Israelis. By the way, Who are You?

[@steveokie69]

@@sandrashevey8252 You should do that book. Sounds like a fun project. Take care.

[@boblinden4488]

We lost an icon.

[@phyllispetras2181]

1994

[@fractaltheatre]

That wide vibrato is very difficult to put up with. I had to turn the sound down.

[@mattdeans9873]

He's not only a genius, he's gay. That's another one for out side!

[@steveokie69]

We've only really one SIDE here on planet earth...we're all humans, A genius like Sondheim benefits everyone, whether they know/like his work or not.

[@eviesmail5447]

Did he have a skin disease ?

[@ea6102]

Looks like he has a cyst on his forehead but that's about it

[@henryanderson6752]

I think that camera/lighting was bad.

[@MondoMiami]

I think he finally had that giant boil on his forehead lanced.

[@suzannepowers1051]

Likely dry skin, like I have.

[@KenDanieli]

Sondheim tells the same stories over and over in every interview

[@steveokie69]

He's typically asked the same questions over and over again.

[@hoodyboody]

You can see how fed up he gets with answering the same questions, and with people applauding him. Every interview people ask the most uninspired questions like "What are your influences?" (as was the example in this video) and he just rushes through the response, basically cutting them off. The guy says he loves to teach, but all he seems to be doing is answering inane questions. It seems like he's not challenged anymore.