FROM SCORE TO STAGE

Content dictates form. If we have learned ANYTHING from Stephen Sondheim it is this. Content dictates form. It's a simple idea but crucial. What it means is that the composition of a piece needs to reflect the situation at hand. So while it might be fun to write a comp...

From Score to Stage is excited to announce our new collaboration with TheoryWorks! Here at From Score to Stage, we believe that the score is an invaluable resource to the actor, so to provide more background on the concepts discussed here, keep an eye out for new Theor...

Happy 4th of July, folks! Let's celebrate by taking a look at 1776, one of my favorite musicals about the Founding Fathers! Amazingly, I do have to qualify that statement since 1776 is by no means the most famous musical about Colonial America these days. 1776 pre...

Guys, I adore A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder but it KILLS me that the love triangle is never actually resolved.  In the final scene, Monty is released from prison (spoiler alert!) and into the waiting arms of both Sibella and Phoebe.  Monty considers his feelin...

When I was in high school, I had the opportunity to meet E. L. Doctorow. The author was leading a discussion about his work, and when asked about Ragtime he began to explain how the novel was born. Apparently, he was sitting in his home in New Rochelle, suffering from...

I've always felt that the Witch is one of the more interesting characters in Sondheim's Into the Woods.  Although she is ostensibly the villain of the show, she has these moments of incredible vulnerability (more on that later).  Not to mention, she is actually one of...

There are three major musical motives in Into the Woods: the wish, the beans, and the fanfare.  All three play a significant role in the narrative with the result that by the end of the show, practically every character has incorporated all three into his or her musica...

Before we jump straight in with an analysis of Cinderella's musical language in Sondheim's Into the Woods, we need to make sure we're all on the same page when it comes to the score itself.  If you haven't already, I highly recommend taking a look at my full score anal...

The Baker’s Wife from Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods is one of the most emotionally and morally complex characters in the musical theatre canon.  It would be wise for any actor attempting the role to study the score, for a better understanding of her distinct musica...