Customer Reviews

Stephen Sondheim's Passion (Original Broadway Cast) [VHS]

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've commented, on my review of the magnificent Original Broadway Cast Recording, that Passion has a beautiful score. It's my favorite of Sondheim's works, which is really saying something. So, I was very quick to get the DVD transfer of the original production as soon as it was out.

From end to end, Passion is of a single piece. The scene transitions and the dropping in and out of song are incredibly smooth, and Lapine's book is more refined and generally more enjoyable than his work on Sunday in the Park... or Into the Woods. The performances are marvellous, particularly Donna Murphy as Fosca, who comes off even more spectacularly here than in the cast recording. Jere Shea and Marin Mazzie more than hold their own, but Murphy is undoubtedly the star. Her character is so compelling that the story really makes sense.

But the great thing about the filmed version of Passion is how appropriate it was. It is exquisitely filmed - moreso than Sunday or Woods - and the direction lets you get close to these amazing characters. The costumes are gorgeous from end to end, and the physical acting was often fairly subtle on the stage. That means that it all came off the better on film. And the way the musical was produced was absolutely appropriate for film. It feels like you're seeing a really interesting filmic version sometimes rather than a staged production. That's the real triumph of this DVD: it feels like the show was meant for it.

If you even remotely like Sondheim or serious works of musical theatre, you owe it to yourself to buy this DVD as soon as possible.

I liked this musical very much! I remember watching the Tony Awards the year that the original production won the Award for Best Musical over "Beauty and the Beast"--the more likely contender for the top prize; and I thought it was a mistake until I had seen the original cast program. I had only heard the cast album of "Beauty" and once I saw "Passion" I saw "Beauty" as an overblown, juvenile production for the kiddies and I don't see how it could have been nominated. I think that Jere Shea is very good-looking gentleman with a good voice as Georgio, Marin Mazzie is a beauty of an actress as Clara and then there is Donna Murphy in her Tony Award-winning performance as Fosca, the unattractive yet passionate older woman reaching out desperately for Georgio's love. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Sondheim--the Broadway genius who wrote the score.

For a long time, both the original Broadway cast recording and the taped version of Sondheim's chamber opera masterpiece, "Passion", were out of print. I wore out my VHS copy sometime in the late 1990s. I have an original print of the CD. I've heard stories that copies of the CD went on eBay for upwards of $100. Now, within the span of a year, the CD was rereleased, and the film was transferred onto a fantastic DVD, which all Sondheimite's should own.

"Passion" tells a devestating story: Giorgio (Jere Shea), an Italian soldier in the mid 1800s, is transferred from Milan to a small provincial town, leaving behind his married lover, Clara (Marin Mazzie). When he reaches the town, he meets Fosca (the absolutely unbelievable Donna Murphy, in the best musical theatre performance of the latter half of the 20th century), the sickly and ugly cousin of his superior (Gregg Edelmann). She falls instantly in love with him, but he wants only to be friends. His heart belongs to Clara, who will never leave her husband. What follows is one of the most beautiful scores in recent memory, and Sondheim's most accomplished score to date.

Mr. Shea is terrific as Giorgio, and Ms. Mazzie knocks it out of the ballpark as Clara. In smaller roles, Mr. Edelmann, Tom Aldredge, and Linda Balgord also shine.

On October 20, 2004, at the Ambassador Theatre in NYC, "Passion" was reproduced for one night only. Ms. Murphy and Ms. Mazzie reprised their roles, and the excellent Michael Cerveris, who starred in the Kennedy Center production in 2002, played Giorgio. It was magical. Let's start lobbying today for a recording of this performance!

Passion is truly the most gorgeous musical I have ever before seen. From the moment I received the cast recording I listened to it relentlessly, deeply engaged in the story of Giorgio, Fosca and Clara. The music is wonderful and this particular cast is superb (although I feel the London cast with Maria Friedman and Michael Ball is a bit better). I enjoyed Passion on video much more than Sunday in the Park with George or Into the Woods, although I did enjoy both of those videos very much as well. Buy Passion now because there's no denying that it's not the "hottest" musical around and will therefore probably not be available for very much longer. You won't regret the purchase. It's magnificent. Sondheim has done it yet again.

Yes, you should get this DVD because it preserves the Tony-winning original production of Stephen Sondheim's "Passion." Yes, the show is excellent and probably works better on video, where the lack of opportunities to applaud aren't so jarring. Yes, the seamless transition from song to speech and back again proves surprisingly effective and engrossing. All of these are compelling reasons to buy this DVD.

But the biggest and best reason for buying this DVD can be summed up in two words: Donna Murphy. Oh my God, her Fosca is unbelievable!!! Her Tony-winning performance is unforgetable and will stick with you for weeks (maybe even months) after you first see it. I have never been so moved by a character in a musical before. She had me near tears, and I hardly ever cry while watching a show. I cannot begin to put into words the kind of depth Murphy brings to the tortured soul of Fosca, the longing for acceptance, the rudeness, and yet the unbridled love that Murphy layers into her performance. She steals ever scene she's in, and if the show had her on stage constantly for its almost two hours you wouldn't hear me complain. In fact, the notes of the insert have book writer James Lapine reminded everyone that the show is actually about Gregio, not Fosca, showing just how much attention Murphy must have gotten. I didn't really follow theatre back in 1994 when the show opened, but I imagine Murphy was the talk of the season and she deserved every compliment paid her and more. Her Fosca is a master class in acting, not just for musical theatre but for all theatre, and I can only sit in awe of her. Absolutely stunning.

In making a filmed version of their Tony Award winning musical "Passion," Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine end up solving one of the main problems of enjoying the show. The camera provides the requisite sense of intimacy that makes this story a more powerful experience because we are spared the distance of watching it from the seats. "Passion" does not have scenes of spectacle that fill the stage. It opens with two lovers in bed, singing directly into each other's faces, and that scene establishes the template for the best moments in the rest of the show.

The story comes from Ettore Scola's 1981 film, "Passione d'amore," which is based on the novel "Fosca" by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, which Sondheim saw in 1983 and felt compelled to turn into a musical. Giorgio (Jere Shea), is a handsome young captain in the Italian army who is having an affair with the beautiful but married Clara (Marin Mazzie). He is then stationed far away from his love, but the two continue to communicate by letters (there are a lot of epistletory songs in "Passion"). There he meets Fosca (Donna Murphy,) the cousin of commanding officer. She is a homely, sickly woman, who has never been been taught how to love, but she falls completely for the young captain. Giorgio refuses her advances and tries to escape her attentions, bluntly telling Fosca that he will never return her feelings. But in the face of her undeniable passion, he finds that his heart and his mind are changing.

I had owned the CD of "Passion" since the musical first opened on Broadway because if Stephen Sondheim wants to write a musical I want to listen to it. I consider his "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" to be his masterpiece, and just listening to "Passion" it is clear that this musical is not that musical. To repeat the recurring criticism of some of Sondheim's work, that there is nothing for the audience to hum on their way out of the theater, might be inelegant and decidedly unoriginal but it is on point. Listening to the CD made little impression on me, but the same cannot be said for watching this DVD. Again, the experience is much better than it would be watching the show live, because when the camera comes up on these characters in close ups and two shots, its makes the story and the music much more powerful.

The performances by the two female leads are superb, and Shea's performance suffers a bit in comparison (not his singing, but his rather wooden acting), but that does not really matter. "Passion" is about "love," and not just any type of love, but "Love that thinks everything is pure, everything is beautiful, everything is possible..." Sometimes beauty is not just in the eye of the beholder, but in the ear as well.

First, I must say that comparing Sondheim shows to each other is ridiculous. Would you tell a plumber that you liked his sink installation in one house more than in another? Each piece is completely different and should be judged on its own merits.

Passion explores the themes of love and beauty from a darker perspective than we are accustomed. The performances are quite good--particularly Donna Murphy's portrayal of Fosca. With the DVD, you get a chance to get closer to Fosca and experience the emotions with her. Ms. Murphy is able to find beauty in desperation. She convincingly takes her character on the immense journey from self-loathing to the belief that she is worthy of love. Her portrayal is nothing short of astonishing.

Marin Mazie looks and sounds lovely, and Jere Shea seems to start out a little wooden (although he is paying a soldier and wooden is a desirable trait in soldiers) but has some beautiful and heartfelt moments at the end of the show.

If you are a fan of Sondheim, love stories, or excellent acting, this CD is well worth the price. I guarantee that you will think about the show long after it has ended--and that's the mark of good writing.

I have had the CD to "Passion" for a while now. I had only listened to it once. Out of all the Sondheim cast recordings that I have (I have 12) this one just didn't appeal to me as much as "Follies" or "Company." But yesterday I bought the video and though the music is definetly in my opinion hard to listen to on CD comes to life when it is put together with visions of beauty and grace. "Passion" does deserve to be joined in the ranks of the other great Sondheim shows. And I was a fool to bench it without giving it a chance. Performances are extraordinary and staging is incredible. Now if only "Follies" was available on video also.

I am mesmerized by this production. I must first say that I was not familiar with the more recent Sondheim works, and on first viewing I found some of the melody inaccessable / difficult - but only on first viewing.
My main reason for the purchase was the chance to see Marin Mazzie in her role. I had heard her clear, lovely voice on radio, and so I thought it was fair to gamble on the higher than average purchase price. This production was filmed for PBS shortly after the Broadway run of the show closed, and all of the principle cast are captured here. Marin, along with Donna Murphy and Jere Shea have all earned a place in my heart - they truely and deeply touched me.
The consequences of filming the staged presentation are that, in order to preserve the flow of the presentation, several cameras were used, and this resulted in an abundance of narrowly framed sequences and claustrophobic compositions. This is not entirely inappropriate given the subject matter. It was not possible to pull back for full vista views of the stage without revealing other cameras. The company comments on this in a lively and humourous commentary track.
The music, the voices, are uniformly glorious. After I identified the themes associated with the principle characters, and after I understood their intertwining magic, I succumbed (like Fosca?)to the rhapsody. This is more than a DVD. This is beguiling and beautiful performance captured for all time.
You owe it to yourself.

The mixed reviews the VHS tape (and soon DVD) of PASSION are understandable. One person commented the show was "slow and boring." While it is true that it is very European in style and yes, at times, it does try your patience. But ... stay with it to the end and you will succumb in much the same way the leading man does to Fosca's passion.

The music weaves together in a tapestry rich in melody and emotion. No, these are not simplistic tunes in the Andrew Lloyd Webber vein. Sondheim is not a songwriter: He is a trained and intelligent composer who draws references from Stravinsky, Ravel, Gershwin, and the Russian masters. He knows where to use melody and - more importantly - when to make the music more angular: Fosca's aria "I Read" would be a good example of this.

Not everyone will respond to this show: Even on Broadway people laughed at inappropriate moments and found the story hard to believe. Those looking for Disney-styled glitz and musical comedy tap dancers would be deeply disappointed. PASSION is not a musical comedy. The label that most often comes up in relation to PASSION is a "chamber opera" and perhaps it does belong in an intimate opera house instead of on Broadway next to CATS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST.

In the 2002 Sondheim celebration at the Kennedy Center in Washington, PASSION was easily the best of the six productions offered and yet it was the slowest selling show and while many audience members gave it a standing ovation, others sat in stoney silence.

No matter what your initial reaction to the material may be, you will no doubt find yourself think more about PASSION than other "lighter" entertainments. The charcter of Fosca will haunt you long after the play has ended as will the music. You will find yourself returning for a second and third look (and listen) and with each viewing you will appreciate the many layers in James LaPine's spare script and the subtle perfomances by each of the cast members.

The film preserves the show's intimate staging though at times I did wish the camera would pull back and give us more full stage shots. It's a minor quibble about a major Tony winning musical that is preserved with it's premiere cast. (This is one of only 3 Tony winning musicals of the 1990s that has been preserved on video along with CRAZY FOR YOU and FOSSE. Hopefully before too long videos of Broadway's top shows will become standard practice, in much the same way as the original cast recordings!)