Stephen Sondheim tells of seeing the very first public performance of CAROUSEL (in New Haven, I think) and of being so overwhelmed that he soaked Dorothy Hammerstein's mink stole with tears. Sondheim isn't known for being sentimental or emotional in his songs or his interviews, but when he talks about Oscar Hammerstein it's obvious that he still reveres and loves the man.
"Stone-cold sober I find myself absolutely fascinating!"---Katharine Hepburn
Yes, Harold Robbins, I've heard that story as well - a 15 year old Sondheim sobbing all over Mrs. Hammerstein's mink coat - I'm sure she was thrilled.
As you know, he hated Rodgers with a purple passion. I love his candid comment in a Time or Newsweek interview in 1973 about the pair, calling Hammerstein "a man of limited talent and an infinite soul" and Rodgers a "man of infinite talent and a limited soul." Of course, Rodgers said he watched Sondheim "grow from an attractive little boy into a monster" when he was interviewed in 1965 (after "Do I Hear A Waltz?" opened, I think).
Ah, the theater!
If you can't improve the silence, DO NOT SPEAK!
I didn't think he hated R & H that much...didn't he acknowledge his debt to them many times?
I liked his quote comparing Carousel with Oklahoma: "Oklahoma is about a picnic. Carousel is about life and death."
I would like to read taht interview. I, like most, am a fan of both Rodgers and Hammerestein and Stephen Sondheim and would love to read Sondeheim's comments on R and H.
"What do you want me to do, draw a picture? Spell it out!"