What justifies a character singing one idea for 3 minutes on the screen? I get impatient and want the story to carry on. I don't get impatient in the theatre. Stephen Sondheim More Quotes by Stephen Sondheim More Quotes From Stephen Sondheim TODD: The history of the world, my love -- LOVETT: Save a lot of graves, Do a lot of relatives favors! TODD: Is those below serving those up above! LOVETT: Ev'rybody shaves, So there should be plenty of flavors! TODD: How gratifying for once to know BOTH: That those above will serve those down below! Stephen Sondheim flavor favors world I firmly believe lyrics have to breathe and give the audience's ear a chance to understand what's going on. Particularly in the theater, where you have costume, story, acting, orchestra. Stephen Sondheim acting giving believe There's a hole in the world like a great black pit and the vermin of the world inhabit it and its morals aren't worth what a pig could spit and it goes by the name of London. At the top of the hole sit the privileged few Making mock of the vermin in the lonely zoo turning beauty to filth and greed... I too have sailed the world and seen its wonders, for the cruelty of men is as wonderous as Peru but there's no place like London! Stephen Sondheim lonely zoos men I don't write songs apart from theatrical pieces. I'm not interested in writing songs qua songs. Stephen Sondheim pieces writing song Everyone would like to be on Broadway, cause if a show works, you make a great deal of money and it allows you to write other shows. Stephen Sondheim broadway causes writing When the audience comes in, it changes the temperature of what you've written. Stephen Sondheim overweight temperature audience A close-up on screen can say all a song can. Stephen Sondheim screens song Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night. Tonight there will be no morning star. Stephen Sondheim stars morning night For me it's more fun to find an unexpected moment for a character to sing when you don't expect them to. Stephen Sondheim unexpected fun character Everyone tells tiny lies, what's important really is the size. Stephen Sondheim tiny important lying I'm sure many writers have these strange, tiny little habits. Stephen Sondheim tiny strange littles Having just the vision's no solution, everything depends on execution Stephen Sondheim execution depends vision Friendship, obligation and greed are not good enough reasons to write anything. Stephen Sondheim not-good-enough greed writing If you're dealing with a musical in which you're trying to tell a story, it's got to sound like speech. At the same time it's got to be a song. Stephen Sondheim musical song trying I liked my father a lot, but I didn't see him very often because my mother was bitter about him. He remarried, and I used to have to sneak off to see him. Stephen Sondheim bitter mother father There's a hole in the world Like a great black pit And the vermin of the world Inhabit it ... And it goes by the name of London. Stephen Sondheim black names world You get used to the exact amount of space between lines. You write a word and then you write an alternate word over it. You want enough room so you can read it, so the lines can't be too close. Stephen Sondheim lines space writing The art of making art, is putting it together. Stephen Sondheim art-is together art I'm a lazy writer. My idea of heaven is not writing. On the other hand, I'm obviously compulsive about it. Stephen Sondheim writing hands ideas I get some flak for and some resistance from colleagues for because I'm interested in storytelling. I mean what I like about songwriting is songs used to tell a story. Stephen Sondheim stories song mean
