Picking Sondheim's Brain

It'll probably surprise a few readers to know I love musicals. It probably won't surprise people to know that I like musicals on the darker, more snarky end of the spectrum, like Chicago, Assassins, and the musical adaptation of Evil Dead (which featured blood pumped on stage through a visible garden hose and a number called the "What the Fuck Tango").  The form is, in and of itself, so artificial and so goofy that I think it lends itself especially well to a really surreal experience that, if it's done right, can be moving, creepy, and downright hilarious. That said, I will gnaw my own arm off to avoid sitting through a whole Gilbert and Sullivan musical.

There's a lot of amazing thought that goes into these things. Here are the creators of Assassins breaking down the pace, the tone, the strategy, and the music of a jazz-handed upbeat revue about murdering presidents (video link).