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I am watching the DVD of Sondheim's Putting It Together right now because I am sick and not working. It was somewhat based on recommendation and somewhat based on curiosity...but it's kind of campy and sweet. George Hearn's still got it. That is going to stink when he gets to a certain age and his baritone isn't quite in the shape it used to be.
My best friend refused to believe him as anything other than Sweeney Todd. When I told her he won the Best Actor Tony for playing a drag queen, she flipped. Can I write that now unironically? Flipped? Yesterday I caught myself saying both "Cripes" and "Holy Cats" and nobody called me out on my severe uncoolness...although the fact that I'm watching a DVD of Sondheim's Putting It Together and figuring out that Sondheim wrote a freaking Madonna song just now pretty much outed me in that first sense.
Carol Burnett plays Hearn's wife in this. It's not much of a show with a structured plot; just a revue of Sondheim's songs about relationships set at a cocktail party on an art deco set with an older couple (Hearn and Burnett) mingling with their younger counterparts (Brit stars John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall). For some reason Balki from "Perfect Strangers" plays this weird, Greek Chorus-like character who introduces the scenes and comments on the action. He's pretty much what you'd expect from Balki singing Sondheim. And you've got Carol singing "The Ladies Who Lunch" and Hearn handling "Pretty Women" and the younger kids doing a cleaned-up version of "Unworthy of Your Love." And Balki gets all the comedy songs, too. "Buddy's Blues" and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" and such.
Man. I think the most disturbing thing about him is that the high school in the movie Clueless was named after the guy. He also was Amy Heckerling's lover for awhile. Can I say that? Lover? I have a woman?
I've been driving the fam crazy with The Drowsy Chaperone quotes. At some point I was really worried to bring it over into the office two days ago with "I'm singin' a song an old Negro taught me! A Dixie remedy for Wedding Day jitters!" Which so isn't me. Although I prefer my water cold, my seat warm, and my comedy seriously irreverent.
Anyway, yes. This is one for the Neflix queues. If you like your Sondheim, anyway. And Carol Burnett. It's weird to think this role was originally played by Julie Andrews. And Balki was Christopher Durang(!). And the stud (Barrowman) was Reverend Camden from "Seventh Heaven." All I know's about Barrowman was that he played Bobby in Company with Emily Skinner and Matt Bogart. And he's got a quite interesting cameo in the Producers movie (the newer, abysmal one, not the classic for the ages) as the Nazi tenor.
And Balki. Balki.
Sweet.
My best friend refused to believe him as anything other than Sweeney Todd. When I told her he won the Best Actor Tony for playing a drag queen, she flipped. Can I write that now unironically? Flipped? Yesterday I caught myself saying both "Cripes" and "Holy Cats" and nobody called me out on my severe uncoolness...although the fact that I'm watching a DVD of Sondheim's Putting It Together and figuring out that Sondheim wrote a freaking Madonna song just now pretty much outed me in that first sense.
Carol Burnett plays Hearn's wife in this. It's not much of a show with a structured plot; just a revue of Sondheim's songs about relationships set at a cocktail party on an art deco set with an older couple (Hearn and Burnett) mingling with their younger counterparts (Brit stars John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall). For some reason Balki from "Perfect Strangers" plays this weird, Greek Chorus-like character who introduces the scenes and comments on the action. He's pretty much what you'd expect from Balki singing Sondheim. And you've got Carol singing "The Ladies Who Lunch" and Hearn handling "Pretty Women" and the younger kids doing a cleaned-up version of "Unworthy of Your Love." And Balki gets all the comedy songs, too. "Buddy's Blues" and "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" and such.
Man. I think the most disturbing thing about him is that the high school in the movie Clueless was named after the guy. He also was Amy Heckerling's lover for awhile. Can I say that? Lover? I have a woman?
I've been driving the fam crazy with The Drowsy Chaperone quotes. At some point I was really worried to bring it over into the office two days ago with "I'm singin' a song an old Negro taught me! A Dixie remedy for Wedding Day jitters!" Which so isn't me. Although I prefer my water cold, my seat warm, and my comedy seriously irreverent.
Anyway, yes. This is one for the Neflix queues. If you like your Sondheim, anyway. And Carol Burnett. It's weird to think this role was originally played by Julie Andrews. And Balki was Christopher Durang(!). And the stud (Barrowman) was Reverend Camden from "Seventh Heaven." All I know's about Barrowman was that he played Bobby in Company with Emily Skinner and Matt Bogart. And he's got a quite interesting cameo in the Producers movie (the newer, abysmal one, not the classic for the ages) as the Nazi tenor.
And Balki. Balki.
Sweet.
posted by Gypsy at 4:26 PM
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