Which is Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece?

Follies!

Pacific Overtures is my favorite, but objectively Sweeney Todd is his masterpiece.

A Little Night Music?

Pacific Overtures. Sweeney is way overrated. That original production of PO at the Winter Garden was glorious. we shall never see its like again.

How about something familiar, something peculiar, something for everyone?

0% for Pacific Overtures!

Company

His gay SM dungeon in his townhouse, a short walk from hustler bar Rounds.

Not much love for _Assassins_?

Why the fuck would I feel the need to vote for just one masterpiece?

I reject the premise of the question, as he wrote several masterpieces.

If the question is which is his magnum opus, I'd have to say Sweeney Todd—with Follies hot on its heels. (Although, like another poster, my personal favorite is Pacific Overtures.)

Thank you for putting it better than I did, R11. Steve wrote many masterpieces, but Sweeney really was his magnum opus. And, like R3, I question why the brilliant A Little Night Music (or Passion for that matter) wasn't on the list.

I definitely should have said "magnum opus" rather than "masterpiece", and i just plain forgot A Little Night music. Sorry.

I purposefully left off Passion. There was no room in the poll for all his musicals (I also left off The Frogs), and I doubted anyone would vote for it since it's not very popular. I did leave an "Other" option on purpose.

Now your questions are answered, r12.

The Frogs will be done by Master Voices in their upcoming season for those who are interested. I have a friend in the choir and though I believe they sing nonsense syllables she claims their music is wonderful.

Thank you, R13.

Sunday in the Park with George has the most beautiful music in my opinion, but it’s so hard to pick.

I am interested to hear all of the love for Pacific Overtures. I’ve only seen one production, probably about 15 years ago and was completely underwhelmed by it, but was very moved by “There is no Other Way.”

You are not impressed by the obc? Except for the terrible 'Next' which was god awful even in the original wonderful production it is pretty great.

Most of act 2 of Sunday is just terrible. They should have dropped the modern bits and made it a one act.

Night Music, Follies, and Sweeney just can't be stack-ranked. Company and the newer Merrily are the solid second tier.

[quote] Most of act 2 of Sunday is just terrible.

Yes, everyone hates “Putting it together” and “Children and Art” and “Move On”

The songs are good. The context they're placed in are terrible.

It's insanely hard to pick, but I'll go with the spirit of the thread. I do think Pacific Overtures if my favorite of his scores. It's just exquisite. Saw an excellent production in Washington D.C. a few months ago.

As for the best overall show, I think it's A Little Night Music. Of course, Sondheim is 'first' when discussing his shows, but Hugh Wheeler's book for Night Music is one of the best written... in Broadway history? As a whole, I think a strong production of Night Music is perhaps the most thoroughly entertaining and satisfying of the Sondheim musicals. I hope we get a full scale revival (with full orchestra) sometime soon. Perhaps the success of the Sweeney revival will convince the same producers to give Night Music a full revival.

I agree the songs in Act II are good but the book really suffers in Act II. But that is sometimes true of other Sondheim shows too.

If R11 is going to pretend to be a pedant, she needs to learn that a true pedant would retain the correct Latin word order and write "opus magnum," because it does not occur to us to change what is classically correct in a language we read daily.

Did he write Applause? Because if so, then that's my answer, otherwise it's Phantom!

The original Broadway production of Night Music was gorgeous and can never be matched.