Putting It Together

Joel Fram is currently conducting the orchestra for Company on Broadway! This new production, directed by Marianne Elliott, has made the bold choice to cast the lead character as a woman. Joel joins Kyle to discuss the process of creating this new adaptation of Company. You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat , by going here: https://amzn.to/2LB9ZJo Our sponsors...

Mark Eden Horowitz is the editor of a new book called "The Letters of Oscar Hammerstein II." Kyle talks with Mark about Oscar being Sondheim's mentor, his funny interactions inside his correspondence, and what you learn about a man after reading 10,000+ letters. You can pre-order The Letters of Oscar Hammerstein II here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-letters-of-oscar-hammerstein-ii-9...

Is this the perfect way to end Act One? It's certainly a memorable and provocative way to do it. Who doesn't like a little cannibal based humour? Cindy Liu joins Kyle to discuss the puns and the pastries of A Little Priest. Cindy's podcast, Bottomless Broadway : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bottomless-broadway/id1457465060 Its Twitter : https://twitter.com/bottomlessbway And Instagram : h...

What sudden realization is Sweeney Todd coming to? And how does that affect the rest of the show. Shannon Dohar joins Kyle to figure that out and marvel at how different actors have interpreted this song. You can listen to Shannon's podcast, So Much Stuff to Sing , here: https://somuchstufftosing.libsyn.com And you can follow Shannon on Twitte r: https://twitter.com/sdohar You can purchase Stephen...

The Judge and Sweeney finally meet! But does everything go as planned? Stephanie Lim joins Kyle in discovering how this song plays with the audience's expectations while simultaneously revealing deeper character traits. You can find out more about Stephanie by going to her website : http://www.stephaniejlim.com Or follow her on Twitter : https://twitter.com/superspiffyslim Or on Instagram : https:...

Is the Beadle the absolute worst? Matt Steele helps Kyle figure that out! Plus a discussion on even when there's multiple people singing there's an exploration of characters and their motivations. You can learn more about Divos! (now in Canada!) here: https://www.divosthemovie.com You can follow Matt on Twitter : https://twitter.com/ItsMattSteele And on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/itsmat...

Travis Moser adores cabaret. He joins Kyle to discuss why, how he came to love musical theatre, and which Sondheim songs he enjoys singing the most. Check out Travis' website : http://www.travismoser.com You can also follow him on Twitter : https://twitter.com/tjmoser Or on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/travjames/ You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat...

Just like the birds she sings to, Johanna flits around trying to figure out how to escape. Will a kiss from Anthony fix anything? Philémon Heutte returns to talk with Kyle about Johanna's true motivations, and how two characters can sing at each other but not hear each other. Philémon writes for Musical Avenue : https://www.musicalavenue.fr You can find them on Twitte r: https://twitter.com/musica...

A song about delayed gratification. Shane Wilson joins Kyle to discuss how this song doesn't seem to be important until it's revealed how important it actually is. Listen to Shane's podcast The Completists here: https://vokalnow.com/show/the-completists Read his writing over at 366 Weird Movies : https://366weirdmovies.com/author/shanewil/ You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics,...

This song is messed up. Will C. White returns to try and make sense of it. William's podcast The Classical Gabfest : https://cgf.buzzsprout.com William's website : http://www.willcwhite.com William's Twitter : https://twitter.com/willcwhite William's YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/willcwhite You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat , by going here: https:...

Pirelli makes his entrance with a flourish! Now he has to prove that he's as good as he says he is. Jonathan Chisolm returns to discuss the effectiveness of his bad Italian accent and why it was good that the second half was cut out of the show. Jonathan's YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/user/Grune123 Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/jschisolm22/ Twitter : https://twitter.com/jschisolm22 Fa...

How can you possibly rhyme anything with elixir? Sondheim found a way! Matt Koplik returns to discuss why this song is so fun and what it tells us about the character of Toby. You can listen to Broadway Breakdown here: https://podtail.com/en/podcast/broadway-breakdown-1/ And you can follow Matt on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/mattkoplik/ You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book...

Eleri Ward released an album of Sondheim covers called A Perfect Little Death. She joins Kyle for a quick chat about how she found success, her love of musical theatre, and what songs she wants to cover next. Visit Eleri's website here: https://www.eleriward.com You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat , by going here: https://amzn.to/2LB9ZJo Send feedback to put...

The first time a song named Johanna happens in Sweeney Todd it's sung by Anthony. He loves Johanna, but why are there those discordant notes? Is his love of Johanna mirrored by the judge? Matthew Sampson returns to discuss the song and offer insight on why this song haunts the rest of the score. Matt's website : https://sampsonmusicstudios.com You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyri...

Anthony is back! He sees Johanna and falls in love immediately. Luke Crichton joins the podcast to discuss how this song tells us a lot about Anthony and how it complement "Green Finch and Linnet Bird." Visit Luke Crichton's website here: https://www.crichtonmusic.co.uk You can also follow him on Twitter : https://twitter.com/MusicCrichton Or on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/crichtonmusic/...

Johanna feels like a caged bird. But is she just a character that is meant to be saved? Christine Chen returns to the show to discuss that and why Sondheim picked the birds he did for this song. Christine's Blog : https://acrossthearch.wordpress.com Christine's Twitter : https://twitter.com/AcrossTheArch Christine's podcast, Bottomless Broadway : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bottomless-br...

Is Sweeney really that lonely that his only friends are a his razors? Thom Sesma returns to try and answer that question. Thom also uses his past with playing Sweeney Todd as a way to explain how he interprets the lyrics. You can go to Thom Sesma 's website: https://www.thomsesma.com Or follow him on Twitter : https://twitter.com/ThomSesmaNYC Or Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/thsesma/ You c...

Stephen Sondheim plays a huge role in the film Tick, Tick... Boom! Eric Matthew Richardson returns to discuss why teachers are important and whether the movie works. Check out The LEA Project : https://leaproject.dev Eric's website : http://www.ericmatthewrichardson.com Twitter : https://twitter.com/TheEMRMusic You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat , by going...

After Mrs Lovett reveals she makes the worst pies in London she settles down to tell Sweeney the story about his wife. But how does she know? Margaret Hall joins Kyle to discuss some Lovett theories and also the influence of Paul Gemignani on the show. You can find more information about Gemignani: Life and Lessons from Broadway and Beyond at Margaret's website : https://www.margaret-hall.com You...

Mrs. Lovett is one of the all time best theatre characters. Lucas Rougeux joins Kyle to discuss this iconic character and how the song Worst Pies in London serves to show us more about how her true motivations. You can see more of Lucas' work on his website : https://ljrart.squarespace.com You can also follow him on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/lucas.j.rougeux/ You can purchase Stephen So...

The rebuttal to No Place Like London. Karen Unland returns to discuss Sweeney Todd's worldview and how this song has echoes throughout the show. You can follow Karen on Twitter : https://twitter.com/KarenUnland And you can listen to the podcast she does with her daughter called That's a Thing?! here: https://thatsathing.transistor.fm You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finish...

Are you an optimist or a pessimist? An Anthony or a Sweeney? Adrianna Boris joins Kyle to discuss the first song that advances the story in Sweeney Todd and how its echoes are heard throughout the show. If you want to learn more about Cincinnati Music Theatre you can go here: http://cincinnatimusictheatre.org You can follow Adrianna on Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/mrswillshakes/ Or Twitte...

Stephen Sondheim was good friends with Leonard Bernstein. In this Sondheim Adjacent episode William White returns to help Kyle understand exactly how Bernstein transformed the world of music in the 21st century. William's podcast The Classical Gabfest : https://cgf.buzzsprout.com William's website : http://www.willcwhite.com William's Twitter : https://twitter.com/willcwhite William's YouTube : ht...

The Ballad of Sweeney Todd starts off the show but then it's returned to a few times throughout. Taylor Darden joins Kyle to discus how this sets the tone of the musical and why it's used so effectively. You can find out more about Taylor Darden on his website : https://www.taylordarden.com/ You can also enjoy his Sweeney Todd parody video on YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4wxvj2ujJ1M...

To set the stage Kyle reads the first chapter of the original tale of Sweeney Todd, then explores the inspirations for the music that will be discussed at length this season. You can purchase Stephen Sondheim's first book of lyrics, Finishing the Hat , by going here: https://amzn.to/2LB9ZJo We are using three productions to frame our discussion of Sweeney Todd. The Original Broadway Cast (1979) st...