You Could Drive A Person Crazy - Company revival

[puppetmaker77]

As much as I love this version of the musical, which I DO, I like the original version of this song better. The saxophones are clever, but it loses that catchy cute sound that the vocal harmonies had.

[GreysSuperFan1001]

This has got to be the most interesting staging of anything I've ever seen. The fact that the actors are playing the score as well is just brilliant!

[Trixblitzen]

Why is it that I feel pretty much exactly how these women describe Bobby...?

[tayneshia]

I was fortunate enough to be able to see both this production and the Sweeny Todd revival. I agree that the use of the instruments worked much more seamlessly in Sweeney Todd. This felt a little more forced, but it was a v ery poignant moment, indeed, when Bobby finally "joins the rest of the world" and plays and instrument himself during Raul Esparza's excellent rendition of "Being Alive".

[sacredlunatic]

@tayneshia I disagree, about the instruments. This show is already designed to be presented as a slightly surreal trip through Bobby's mind and memory. The added surrealism of the instruments is easy to accept.

In Sweeney Todd what I really want is to be totally caught up in the world that is being created and the instruments did nothing to further that. If anything they served to take me Out of the imagined world and make me more aware that I was in a theatre watching a play.

[ggfanjase]

it's snappy and cute, I prefer it to the OBC TBH.

[lifeisart37]

the saxophones are a nice touch. great rendition.

[angrywiggler64]

"Bastard!"

"You goddamn cockroach!"

"Grow some balls, you son of a bitch!"

"DIE!!!"

that part had me on the floor. I love this adaptation. =]

[inconceivable008]

i just adore this musical...and dang it, i love david hyde pierce, but i have to say that i can't understand why raul didn't win this tony. silly.

[robbertstoop]

This is great, musically spoken! Women who can sing and play the sax, a totally new version; I love it! Fuck all the other versions, this is a new version and that's how you should be looking at it.

[nycruise]

Ugh! I appreciate creativity and new ways of interpreting things - but UGH! Some may like the sax instead of vocal "doos" - OK - but the changing of lyrics to be PC when Sondheim himself is unabashedly GAY is INSULTING (to US GAYS!).

[Squallboy1]

I know exactly what you mean...but I don't have a problem with it. Sometimes musical theatre just doesn't follow through with the times, and you have to change it to still make it relevant. If the original lyrics were held, then these women would just be viewed as 3 insensitive jerks, rather than angry girlfriends (which is what they should be, right?)

[ianiml414]

Those lyrics were actually changed first for the 1995 revival. And Squallboy1 is exactly right. Not only is the word "fag" more insulting nowadays, but the phrase "not a person's bag" is completely irrelevant today.

[nycruise]

"Not a person's bag" may be totally irrelevant today - but then again, so is this whole musical. Like that other '70s work of Sondheim, "Follies", in trying to be "hip" for its time, this musical is hopelessly ground in its era. The business with couple smoking pot for the first time, the fact that the couples are all hopelessly hetero, the fact that Bobby is chasing 3 women, one of whom is a "stewardess". And hey "fag" was offensive back then too - that's what made this musical "edgy".

[MRxWONDERland]

its not negative to gays...its all about why he doesn't connect with them, and they're saying they'd understand if he was gay, but he's not so they don't him.

[punkrocknation12345]

Sondheim made those revisions himself, it wasn't the choice of the director.

[IamtheUke]

They don't use gay in anyform of insult. It actually sounds much better then the other lyrics. And makes much more sense if you are doing a modern take on the musical. Which is exactely what they are doing here.

[CrazyDreemz]

i just met Kelly yesterday in LA @ Phantom. she is so sweet

[Squallboy1]

Everyone seems to prefer the vocal "do-doots" over the Saxophones. I happen to disagree. The pinch of the Saxophone matches the tone of the song better. It's not as pretty, true, but this isn't supposed to be the prettiest song in the show, so who cares? I think the Saxophones are very witty and, obviously, they blend in with the theme of instrumentation in this staging.

[aqua1993]

I agree, it's kind of like "Ladies Who Lunch", it's not meant to be so pretty. Someone also mentioned how the saxes sounded out of tune, but they really do add to how you interpret the song. They give it a bold, annoyed kind of feel.

[KlassyKamikaze]

This song was originally a throwback to the Andrews sisters. Without the vocalized do-doots, it kills the original intention of the song in my opinion.

[Squallboy1]

The INTENTION of the song is to assist in telling the story. The story is that Bobby is driving these girls crazy. I think that this song tells the story quite nicely. Forget about all of those other versions; this is how they chose to tell it now, and I think it's effective.

[punkrocknation12345]

I love the saxophones, a brilliant idea imo.

[ManfredDeJesus]

I don't like the idea of the saxophones, the girls seem shackled to them, they kinda get in the way of the number. Flat performance too

[punkrocknation12345]

i see your point, but i think it worked with the whole idea of the orchestra on stage. also, it makes me feel like they're expressing their anger towards him like how the blow the "do do's" at him.

i also felt that the original version wasn't angry enough, this is a song about how much this man bothers them, and they were always singing cheerfully and being happy and dancing, just didn't do it for me.

[carriewhite410]

They've done the whole instruments-controlled-by-acto­rs things in two Sondheim revivals....I mean, with Sweeney Todd it seemed to work, but this is a little different...

[omerific55]

@carriewhite410 i completely disagree. i think they utilize instruments in a really creative fashion in this revival. the instruments that each actor plays or .. doesn't play, for that matter, not only makes the show that much more entertaining, but gives you some insight to their character. for example, barbara walsh only playing the water glass. or raul esparza not playing an instrument until he sings "being alive." i think it makes the performance that much stronger.

[suckerforluv83]

i find it interesting that they made this song politically correct with the omission of the "bag/fag" lines and opted for "I could understand a person, if he said to go away; I could understand a person, if he happened to be gay." Not sure I like it...

[MichaelCrawfordsFan]

I love this show.

[mzdebbee]

Art................to Create.............I wonder if that person above would tell the creator of the Universe to create balls........for him to play with instead of typing negative comments...such a waste of energy...

much love to anyone that darezzzzzzz to bee ...

as Shakez pear.....Sayzzzzzzz

Lovzzzzzzzzzzzzz The bEEEE

and BEE Crazy

the BEST of THE better are!!!!

[BestArtsMusic]

I deleted the earlier comment that you reference. I allow negative comments that are constructive, but it was rude and didn't even make sense.

[Ronz51]

This is such a fun performance. It's a bit of genius to substitute the saxes for the "Do-Do-Do-Do". Makes it much more fun.

[KlassyKamikaze]

The doo doots were better. They made it reminiscent of those female trios from the 40's a la the Anderson sisters. I'm a saxophone player and thought this song was the only time when I didn't agree with the cast playing their own instruments. I love the other songs, but the saxophones substituting the "do-doots" killed it for me.

[KlassyKamikaze]

Oops I meant Andrews Sisters

[Ravenwing1970]

Actually, the problem with the saxes is that they're out of tune. I didn't notice the first time I heard the song, but I knew something was off. If the saxes being out of tune was intentional, I'm not sure I see the purpose.

[KlassyKamikaze]

I noticed that they were out of tune too and mentioned it on another vid of this performance. On the album, the saxes are in tune, so being out of tune intentionally is not the case. The vocalized do-doots were so much better. The song was supposed to be a throw back to the Andrews Sisters style trio.

[elphbwckd]

who cares what it was a throwback to! inspiration is just that; inspiration. if it was the same it would be copying not inspired by...and who cares how they chose to do it. vocally or with instruments it is pretty much the same, just another interpretation...

[justanotherrandom432]

I loved the saxes. I play the sax myself, and I tried to do what they did here and I just couldn't manage to sing and play! I'm jealous of these girls!

Whoever came up with the idea was a genius!

=D

[felicity1titanic]

I love the performance of this song on 'Hey! Mr Producer!' DVD with Ruthie Henshall and Lea Salonga, alongside Maria Friedman and another actress who's name I don't know! Don't know if it's on youtube but it's great!

[MDSCFALNM]

It was Millicent Martin. There are a couple of great clips on YouTube featuring Millie Martin and that is one of them.

[keepthemusicplaying0]

Hahaha, great song!! Thanks for posting :-)