Sondheim: Talking Through His Hat (Part 1)

In my continuing attempt to distract attention from the dull and tedious nature of my blog, here is another Gilbert drawing--this time from London Society, November 1868. It represents a typical Briton on holiday in Boulogne. There, you feel better for knowing that, don't you?

Mind you, there's a distinct possibility that this entry may be more interesting than recent ones. I've been intending to write something about this for a few days. Stephen Sondheim's new book, Finishing the Hat, has got excellent reviews (deservedly) and has also earned a bit of attention because of Sondheim's... caustic, shall I say?... comments on his fellow lyricists. Oscar Hammerstein, Alan Jay Lerner, Noel Coward, Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin: there's scarcely one of the lot who escapes his critical ire. He is also very critical of his own work (especially his early work on West Side Story); but I must add that he is often unjustifiably proud of his later lyrics. I don't think I will ever quite forgive him for attempting to rhyme "liaisons" with "raisins" in A Little Night Music.

However, that's by the way. The book also includes an essaylet about Gilbert. The essaylet is uncommonly easy to miss, because it is not mentioned on the contents page or in the Index. As a matter of fact it may be found on page 324. The title is: "W.S. Gilbert: An Unacquired Taste."

It does seem a little unfair to discuss the essaylet, because Sondheim makes it very clear that he is merely giving expression to a personal prejudice: "Gilbert's lyrics are sometimes clever and inventive, they have energy and charm, and they bore me to distraction--literally.... Although I admire Gilbert's skill at verbal patter to some extent, in large doses (that is to say, a whole score) his charm wears tedious on me.... I have rarely found a Gilbert lyric funny...."

Unfortunately this has repercussions. Not long ago, on 25 November, Emma Brockes responded in the Guardian agreeing that "It's about time someone pointed out Gilbert and Sullivan aren't funny." It's all about ignorance. It's also about the fact that Sondheim has created his own rules for writing lyrics which he now asserts are universal and for all time.

I want to write more, but I'm out of time. I'll return to this later. Who knows, by then maybe I'll even have a follower!