Every so often, I get the chance to shoot or edit a video. Mostly, for my own enjoyment. Occasionally, for others.

QuickTime is needed for these clips.

A few years back, Circle Theatre staged Stephen Sondheim's musical Merrily We Roll Along.

From Sondheim.com:

Based on the play by George Kauffman and Moss Hart, this musical (with book by George Furth) tells of the disintegration of the friendship of successful songwriter Franklin Shepard, his lyricist Charlie Kringas, and novelist Mary Flynn. The action moves backward through time, from 1980 to 1957.

Between each major scene there are transitional segments that guide the show back through the years.

Many productions use slide projections with the dates displayed, but the director, Rodney Vaccaro, wanted to use moving images. I was given free reign with content, and, well, here they are.

The audio is taken from the York Theatre revival of the show.

All of the video footage is in the public domain. Some of the still images are my own photographs.

In the spring of 2005, Grand Rapids Civic Theatre produced Stephen Sondheim's Gypsy.

From Sondheim.com:

Gypsy is based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, a famous burlesque stripper. The musical focuses on her overbearing mother, Rose, the quintessential stage mother, as she pushes Gypsy (then known as Louise) and her sister June into life on the vaudeville circuit, forever trying to break into the big time.

Inspired by the televised production of the show, the director, Penny Notter, wanted to have not only the memorable Gypsy Overture, but a visual overture, as well, to further bring the audience into the world of vaudeville, burlesque, and Gypsy Rose Lee.

I was disappointed in the televised version, which was just a glorified opening credit sequence. I hit the library and the internet for research materials. My dear friend, Gary Hill, was also a valuable source of material.

I wanted the visuals to match the themes and tone of the music. Sync was not that important, as the live orchestra's purpose in this show was not to be a soundtrack. The only parts that I wanted to be in sync were the theme changes.

The audio is from the Broadway revival of Gypsy.

The film footage is in the public domain. The stills are used within the context of fair use.

This is just a clip of the best polka band in the world, Brave Combo.

WYCE brought them in to play at Ten Bells.

Buy their CDs!