Rating: 
Summary: The dark side of love
Review: Say that this is a musical is too easy. If we thought that Sondheim had done his best in Into the woods or A little night music. We were wrong. P?ssion is more than a musical, is a little musical jewel.I heard the last song in moment in my life when I was alone in a foreign country. Yes, I know it sounds too melodramatic, but it is true. The music was heartbreaking but the best are the words. WHY IS LOVE SO EASY TO GIVE AND SO HARD TO RECEIVED. Those words express perfectly well the main idea of the musical. And if you read the novel you could see that Sondheim has undernstood the spirit of the book. So if you are a romantica or if you simply love a great performance, enjoy donna Muyrphy, great Marin Mazee and the outstanding music. A keeper, a definitive keeper.
Rating:
Summary: The dark side of love
Review: Say that this is a musical is too easy. If we thought that Sondheim had done his best in Into the woods or A little night music. We were wrong. Pâssion is more than a musical, is a little musical jewel. I heard the last song in moment in my life when I was alone in a foreign country. Yes, I know it sounds too melodramatic, but it is true. The music was heartbreaking but the best are the words. WHY IS LOVE SO EASY TO GIVE AND SO HARD TO RECEIVED. Those words express perfectly well the main idea of the musical. And if you read the novel you could see that Sondheim has undernstood the spirit of the book. So if you are a romantica or if you simply love a great performance, enjoy donna Muyrphy, great Marin Mazee and the outstanding music. A keeper, a definitive keeper.
Rating: 
Summary: Music is incredible, acting is sometimes wooden
Review: Sondheim's score for Passion is one of the most musically complex in recent musical theater. The mixing of major and minor keys -- depending on who is singing at the time -- is not really innovative, but the complexity and transitions between the keys as different characters take up different phrases in the songs is outstandingly done. The lyrics aren't as clever as in other of Sondheim's shows, but they convey the various emotional states beautifully. The book by Levine is well put together, with no obvious flaws. Of the cast, Donna Murphy easily deserved her Tony award for the role of Fosca. Her treatment of the character moving from appreciation to obsession to more tender loving of Georgio is remarkable, and her deep singing voice is a perfect complement to the music. The supporting characters are also fairly strong. However, Jere Shea as Georgio is a case of bad casting. His expression -- as well as his acting -- are wooden, and he is obviously not up to the task of expressing the range of emotions necessary for the character. All that can be said in his credit is that he physically fits the part -- a man who would be considered attractive in Italy in the mid 1800s. Vocally, he has a competent voice, but, again, lacks emotional expression. Marin Mazzie gives a competent performance. While her voice is easily up to the demands of the score, her facial expressions as she sings are distracting. How can a person who is grimacing as much as she does in the opening number be belivable when she sings about "all this happiness?" All said and done, the score, book, direction, and female lead all complement each other wonderfully. However, the male lead and his paramour let the show down and prevent a "5 star" rating.
Rating:
Summary: Sondheim is musical theatre's Shakespeare
Review: Stephen Sondheim has accomplished what Shakespeare accomplished hundreds of years ago. I understand the mixed reviews that "Passion" gets. It polarizes audiences, as it should. "Passion" is a revolutionary piece of musical theatre. In fact, most of Sondheim does is revolutionary and so was Shakespeare's work back in his day. I guarantee when Shakespeare first presented the love story of Romeo and Juliet people were as polarized as we were when we first saw "Passion". Yet, we look back at "Romeo and Juliet" and we consider it the most accomplished love story the theatre has ever seen. Musical theatre is an art form that is still relatively young. The first musical was only in the late 19th century. Stephen Sondheim has done a service for the art of musical theatre. His shows, particularly "Passion" continue to set new benchmarks. It is clear that Sondheim's goal is to constantly raise the bar of musical theatre and strengthen the art he loves. "Passion" is a remarkable work of art. Evidence is in the score and the book and from that the performances. The lyrics in this show are expressive and insatiable.
"There is a flower, that offers nectar at the top,
Delicious nectar at the top,
And bitter poison underneath,
The butterfly who stays too long,
And drinks too deep,
Is doomed to die,
I read to fly to skim,
I do not read to swim," What other musical allowed a "method" actor like Donna Murphy to shine? When has a musical brought you to tears the way this one has? Never. We're so accustomed with Disnified musicals. We need to stop it. I can't wait for the revival of "Passion", for I know that we will be a different audience then. We will be able to appreciate art for art. Thank you Mr. Sondheim, for always putting the art in front of your pockets.
Rating:
Summary: Sondheim is musical theatre's Shakespeare
Review: Stephen Sondheim has accomplished what Shakespeare accomplished hundreds of years ago. I understand the mixed reviews that "Passion" gets. It polarizes audiences, as it should. "Passion" is a revolutionary piece of musical theatre. In fact, most of Sondheim does is revolutionary and so was Shakespeare's work back in his day. I guarantee when Shakespeare first presented the love story of Romeo and Juliet people were as polarized as we were when we first saw "Passion". Yet, we look back at "Romeo and Juliet" and we consider it the most accomplished love story the theatre has ever seen. Musical theatre is an art form that is still relatively young. The first musical was only in the late 19th century. Stephen Sondheim has done a service for the art of musical theatre. His shows, particularly "Passion" continue to set new benchmarks. It is clear that Sondheim's goal is to constantly raise the bar of musical theatre and strengthen the art he loves. "Passion" is a remarkable work of art. Evidence is in the score and the book and from that the performances. The lyrics in this show are expressive and insatiable.
"There is a flower, that offers nectar at the top,
Delicious nectar at the top,
And bitter poison underneath,
The butterfly who stays too long,
And drinks too deep,
Is doomed to die,
I read to fly to skim,
I do not read to swim," What other musical allowed a "method" actor like Donna Murphy to shine? When has a musical brought you to tears the way this one has? Never. We're so accustomed with Disnified musicals. We need to stop it. I can't wait for the revival of "Passion", for I know that we will be a different audience then. We will be able to appreciate art for art. Thank you Mr. Sondheim, for always putting the art in front of your pockets.
Rating:
Summary: Another Sondheim Success
Review: Stephen Sondheim has brought the musical world many masterpieces over the years, but few have the ability to invoke emotions quie like that of his own, Passion. The story, a breathtaking look at the very lengths people go to find passion in their lives and, at the cost of their own sanity or lives, the peace that feeling of passion brings to one's life. So great, that despite the consequences of that one moment, it makes everything in life mean more. The main character, Giorgio (Jere Shea), a young officer in the army, is parted from his beautiful married mistress, Clara (Marin Mazzie), and sent to a remote base in Italy where he meets the sickly, frail, Fosca (Donna Murphy), who becomes obsessed with making him love her. Through the ensuing incidents that Fosca uses to try to make Giorgio hers, he slowly learns that love isn't the well thought and strategically planned, fun-loving romp that he had with Clara, but true passion is actually insatiable, smothering, and endless, making it even more fulfilling than he could have possibly imagined. All of the elements combined make Passion an unforgettable experience and a truly wonderful and entertaining video that allows you to cry openly and unregrettably for the tragic consequences of the characters choices and actions. ENJOY!!
Rating:
Summary: A special show for a special audience
Review: The mixed reviews the VHS tape (and soon DVD) of PASSION are understandable. One person commented the show was "slow and boring." While it is true that it is very European in style and yes, at times, it does try your patience. But ... stay with it to the end and you will succumb in much the same way the leading man does to Fosca's passion. The music weaves together in a tapestry rich in melody and emotion. No, these are not simplistic tunes in the Andrew Lloyd Webber vein. Sondheim is not a songwriter: He is a trained and intelligent composer who draws references from Stravinsky, Ravel, Gershwin, and the Russian masters. He knows where to use melody and - more importantly - when to make the music more angular: Fosca's aria "I Read" would be a good example of this. Not everyone will respond to this show: Even on Broadway people laughed at inappropriate moments and found the story hard to believe. Those looking for Disney-styled glitz and musical comedy tap dancers would be deeply disappointed. PASSION is not a musical comedy. The label that most often comes up in relation to PASSION is a "chamber opera" and perhaps it does belong in an intimate opera house instead of on Broadway next to CATS and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. In the 2002 Sondheim celebration at the Kennedy Center in Washington, PASSION was easily the best of the six productions offered and yet it was the slowest selling show and while many audience members gave it a standing ovation, others sat in stoney silence. No matter what your initial reaction to the material may be, you will no doubt find yourself think more about PASSION than other "lighter" entertainments. The charcter of Fosca will haunt you long after the play has ended as will the music. You will find yourself returning for a second and third look (and listen) and with each viewing you will appreciate the many layers in James LaPine's spare script and the subtle perfomances by each of the cast members. The film preserves the show's intimate staging though at times I did wish the camera would pull back and give us more full stage shots. It's a minor quibble about a major Tony winning musical that is preserved with it's premiere cast. (This is one of only 3 Tony winning musicals of the 1990s that has been preserved on video along with CRAZY FOR YOU and FOSSE. Hopefully before too long videos of Broadway's top shows will become standard practice, in much the same way as the original cast recordings!)
Rating:
Summary: exquisite
Review: The most honest, exquisite and forthright examination of the nature of true love. Wonderful performances, otherworldly score, an incredible musical experience. *****
Rating:
Summary: Sad Story Saved by Soaring Sopranos
Review: The movie version of Steven Sondheim's "Passion", although much toned down for the stage-to-television transition (the first song "Happiness" that takes place in bed and is sung by Clara (the beautiful Marin Mazzie) and Giorgio (the dashing Jere Shea) which was done completely nude in the stage version is censored by a strategically placed sheet and chemise) succeeds wonderfully in depicting the tragic love story. The story revolves around the lives of three characters: the passionate, married Clara; the in-love soldier Giorgio; and the sickly, obsessive Fosca (played by Donna Murphy). Even though some viewers may not enjoy the story, the vocal talent is undeniable. Mazzie, Shea, and Murphy are all equally impressive with flowing voices and infinite ranges (as displayed in one of the film's highlights, the song "Trio"). Nice work all around.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, Soaring
Review: The set, the costumes, the songs are all magnificant. This one act show flows along at a great pace. A must have video for any Sondheim fan, in addition to anybody who enjoys musical theatre.
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