February 6, 2009

Alternate Endings

I know how excited you all get when I blog about "Company," but hey...it's consuming my life right now, so dem's da berries. :)

Last night a bunch of us went out after rehearsal for one of our Group Therapy (read: going out and complaining/worrying/stressing) sessions and we were talking about the different scenes and how the characters relate to one another. We were discussing how the two scenes that sort of bookend Act I are some of our favorites, and probably because they are so extreme in content. The Harry/Sarah scene is hilarious, while the Amy/Paul scene is much more serious and emotional.

Someone mentioned that at one point, Sondheim had written a song called "Multitudes of Amys" to end Act I while still fleshing out the show and how he wanted Bobby to develop. The current song, "Marry Me a Little," is BEAUTIFUL, and our Bobby sings it so freaking well, but of course my curiosity got the best of me this morning, so off to YouTube I went to see what I could find.

I found a clip of John Lloyd Young (of "Jersey Boys" fame) singing "Multitudes of Amys" in a cabaret-style setting.

It is absolutely beautiful, which isn't a big shocker. It's this blogger's opinion that anything Sondheim writes is pure genius.

I still prefer "Marry Me a Little" in context of the show, because I simply prefer the direction that it takes the characters of Paul and Amy. But, I like knowing what might have been. :)

See for yourself!

John Lloyd Young singing "Multitudes of Amys:"


Raúl Esparza singing "Marry Me a Little:"

2 comments:

  1. I can't watch the videos right now, but I actually know the song "Multitudes of Amys". It's on a Mandy Patinkin album I've had for years and years. But I never knew the context of the song, or what it was about. Now I'll have to go home and listen to it again, with the backstory in mind.

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  2. I actually found, upon further research (cover all your bases before you blog, OperaWife!), that there was a 3rd song that Sondheim cut from the end of Act I called "Happily Ever After." Despite the title, it was fairly cynical. I think "Marry Me a Little" actually shows just how genius Sondheim really is, because it's a perfect blend of the emotions expressed in the other 2 songs. "Multitudes of Amys" is a bit of a stretch for Bobby to have made that conclusion at the halfway point in the show, and "Happily Ever After" is just a bit too cynical.

    *happy sigh*

    I love this show.

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