Why is this musical me | MUSICAL WRITER REACTS to Sunday in the Park with George - PART THREE

Añadido: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]When you're stuck for life on a garbage scow, only 40 ft long from stern to prow, and the crackpot in the bow, well, rough.

[00:00:12]The planks are rough, and the wind is rough, and the master's drunk and mean and rough.

[00:00:22]What is going on? Hello and welcome. My name's Nick Flicks. I'm a composer and a vocalist, and we're going to be looking at Sunday in the Park with George, part number three. So far, it's a very rich show, and uh there's a lot to look into to analyze it, but it's been really interesting for me to listen to. Um really enjoying it so far. It's like a puzzle of a of a show that every little piece paints another picture. Pretty cool. So, if you've been enjoying the react so far, please hit a like on the video. It helps with the algorithms.

[00:00:56]And also, if you really like the content, check out my Patreon, which you can vote on what react series we do next. All right, let's get into it. This is Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, number part number three. Let's do it. For you.

[00:01:09]>> I studied you from afar.

[00:01:11]>> No. When?

[00:01:11]>> When?

[00:01:14]>> you shall be mine.

[00:01:14]>> When? Good day.

[00:01:17]Well, he did not so much as ask. No respect for a person's privacy. Yeah.

[00:01:24]>> I'd sit for him anyway.

[00:01:26]Probably that's why he did not ask.

[00:01:33]Oh, good block there.

[00:01:35]Oh.

[00:01:36]Hello. They spoke.

[00:01:38]Oh. Lesson number eight. Yes, I am.

[00:01:43]Pronouns.

[00:01:45]Mhm.

[00:01:45]>> My writing is improving. I even keep notes in the back of the book.

[00:01:50]Good for you.

[00:01:52]How long has it been?

[00:01:53]>> your painting coming along?

[00:01:56]It seems like it's been a long time.

[00:01:58]Slowly.

[00:02:01]Do you find you're getting more work done now that you have fewer distractions in the studio?

[00:02:09]Sad.

[00:02:11]I would say it's not his choice.

[00:02:18]It has been quiet there.

[00:02:20]Dot, I made your favorite.

[00:02:21]>> Good day.

[00:02:24]Cream >> puffs.

[00:02:29]>> [music] >> I thought this was red, but now I'm just thinking it's painting.

[00:02:38]If the head were smaller, if the tail were longer, if it faced the water, if the paws were hidden, if the neck was darker, if the back was curved, more like the parasol.

[00:02:57]>> [singing] >> The voice More shade.

[00:03:09]More tail.

[00:03:12]More grass.

[00:03:14]Would you like some more grass?

[00:03:19]Rough. Rough.

[00:03:21]Planks. The week has been rough.

[00:03:26]Rough. When you're stuck for life on a garbage scow, only 40 ft long from stern to prow, and the crackpot in the bow, well, rough.

[00:03:38]The planks are rough, and the wind is [music] rough, and the master's drunk and mean and rough. Rough.

[00:03:49]What is going on?

[00:03:51]He's becoming a dog, but he's not a dog.

[00:03:55]That's like me when I talk to my cat.

[00:03:57]Hey Meowdel, how are you? That's how I talk to my cat always, actually.

[00:04:02]But he's really getting into character.

[00:04:04]I'm just getting a little confused.

[00:04:06]Why?

[00:04:08]the dog changed. Also, just want to let everyone know that. So, part of me always thought that this is like all happening with his imagination. Or at least parts of the show randomly enter his imagination, especially when people aren't in the this scene.

[00:04:22]Like the tree disappearing wasn't in the scene, and also Sorry, with other people involved. And now the [snorts] dog uh isn't a people, so maybe that's why the dog changed. Um just interesting to me. I just two things that have changed literally, like the tree getting disappeared, and the dog literally changing and at adding more grass. Like things in the setting that have actually changed um when he is alone. Just interesting things. I'm going to go back to this.

[00:04:49]I'm What? Why are you becoming a dog?

[00:04:55]Rough. The planks are rough, and the wind is rough, and the master's drunk and mean and rough. Rough.

[00:05:03]With the fish and scum and planks and ballast, the nose gets numb and the paws get callous, and with splinters in your ass, you look forward to the grass on Sunday.

[00:05:18]The day off.

[00:05:20]Woof. Woof.

[00:05:21]Woof.

[00:05:21]Woof.

[00:05:24]It's a high woof, by the way.

[00:05:25]>> needs to be thicker, perhaps a few weeds, and some ants, if you would. I love fresh ants.

[00:05:34]Woman around on Sundays, >> [music] >> poking among the roots under rocks, close to the ground on Sundays, >> [music] >> studying all the shoes under the rocks.

[00:05:46]Everything's worth it's Sundays, the day off.

[00:05:52]It's a face cream, piece of chicken.

[00:05:55]Here's a handkerchief that somebody was sick in. There's a thistle, but the cow Lots of dripping from the loony WITH THE PALETTE.

[00:06:08]WOOF ON THE DAY ON SUNDAYS.

[00:06:11]Woof from A LADY'S LAP AS LAST.

[00:06:14]WOOF FOR THE WEEK ON SUNDAYS. SUNDAY.

[00:06:17]Woof to forget the week just past.

[00:06:19]Woof. Everything's worth it's Sunday, the day off.

[00:06:25]Stuck all week ON A LADY'S LAP.

[00:06:27]NOTHING TO DO BUT YAWN AND NAP.

[00:06:30]CAN YOU BLAME ME IF I YAP?

[00:06:32]WOOF.

[00:06:33]How much attention a dog CAN TAKE?

[00:06:38]BEING ALONE ON SUNDAY, breaking a bone on Sunday.

[00:06:47]Let me stop for a second. Okay.

[00:06:50]It's It's like a weirdly jazzy uh There's no There's no way to describe this song to any normal human being.

[00:07:00]I like thinking about Some things I like to think about sometimes is like how singable is the song, which is just kind of fun to like think about. This song seems to be actually probably, maybe, could be one of the most ambitious audition songs you can possibly have. If it's like an an audition that has no like requirements on like show or whatever, and you're and you maybe even like have to sort of be a comedic role. It could be an audition for a comedic role.

[00:07:30]>> [clears throat] >> And then you're like, "What are What are you auditioning with?" Um dog song from Sunday in the Park with George. I think everyone be like, "What?" That could be the most ambitious song ever. I mean, he has become two different dogs as a human, and they both They both have very different ways of talking and communicating and singing. You have to become the dog.

[00:07:55]Like he's He is both dogs at the same time right now. It's almost like when I sort of when I sing like music sometimes, I have like students and whatnot. I I you know, I work with four-part harmony. And so sometimes I'll be like, you know, um I don't know. What's an example?

[00:08:12]Like um Oh, what is that?

[00:08:16]Good news. I got a crown of being in that kingdom. Ain't that good Ain't that good news. I got a crown of being in that kingdom. Bum. Ain't that good news.

[00:08:24]Ain't that good news. I got to lay down.

[00:08:27]I'm like bass. I'm like ten uh soprano.

[00:08:29]He has become literally both parts at the same time. And it's seamless for him, which to me is like I see that in him as an artist. He's just communicating what is coming through his mind in real time.

[00:08:43]But my question is, why? Why is this happening? I know he's drawing, but he I guess he for him he needs to become the character to draw, and maybe that's why everyone has their own personality. Oh.

[00:08:57]Okay, that's cool. That's like a interesting way to story tell. Cuz really all all this stuff is going on, but really nothing has gone on in in like besides his narrative.

[00:09:09]Breaking a bone on Sunday, settling for a spoiled dessert.

[00:09:14]Everything's worth it's the day off.

[00:09:20]Something fuzzy. Something furry.

[00:09:23]Something pink that someone tore off in a hurry. What's the puddle in the middle?

[00:09:29]What's the puddle where the poodle did the piddle?

[00:09:36]>> [applause] >> Pretty very interesting song.

[00:09:41]So, I think purpose for that song for me is that it that did help explain that uh this a lot of this show I don't know how much, but a lot of this show is like mental for for George. Like it's It's a mental depiction of what is happening with George to tell his story of what's happening on Sunday with him.

[00:10:05]It's a very interesting way to story tell.

[00:10:10]>> [music] >> And now this character gets his own personality.

[00:10:18]Or not.

[00:10:23]>> [music] [singing] >> Oh, I see.

[00:11:31]I guess they couldn't afford a second soldier in the cast.

[00:11:42]>> [laughter] [screaming] >> Jeez, go find your mother and go throw STONES AT HER.

[00:12:20]WHAT? Oh my goodness. Why you de- I mean, you probably um can't say that.

[00:12:26]Um and also sh- he is choking her. How did he just become a terrible person?

[00:12:31]Like I know he was like a like he's supposed to be sort of like ooh, salacious and stuff at the beginning, but now he just became like a terrible human being.

[00:12:41]Terrible human being. He's choking his daughter.

[00:12:44]Saying go throw stones at your mother.

[00:12:46]Although he did say don't throw stones at ducks, so maybe he's a good person.

[00:12:50]If you're a person that respects like and shows the like the animals of the show more than the humans, then you think he's a good guy right now.

[00:12:57]Versus the other people.

[00:13:03]>> [laughter] >> Like one human was harmed in the making of this. Zero ducks were harmed in the making of this.

[00:13:12]>> [screaming] >> If you're listening on good headphones, um I do think they had a stereo set up for the for the miking of this. And I just hear like in the backs of my ear like little tiny clicks and um like don't like the horns of the they're on the right side and you know, I just hear surround of this it's very well produced.

[00:14:00]The cello in my right ear.

[00:14:11]>> [snorts] >> Mhm. That's true.

[00:14:42]>> [music] >> True.

[00:14:56]Working on Sunday again?

[00:14:59]You should give yourself a day off. Why?

[00:15:02]Sunday's time to replenish. Is his day.

[00:15:05]Or does your well never run dry?

[00:15:07]>> [laughter] >> Drawing my servants.

[00:15:12]Certainly, George, you could find more colorful subjects. Who should I be sketching?

[00:15:17]How about that pretty friend of yours?

[00:15:19]No. Why did I see her arm in arm with the baker today? The baker.

[00:15:25]She is a pretty subject.

[00:15:30]This guy's the worst, dude. I I Sorry for the This guy's the worst.

[00:15:35]Who does that? Oh, I saw your lady with another man. How do What's going on there? It's like no one Don't talk to me about it. Why would you do that? You suck.

[00:15:45]>> Your life needs spice, George. That's rude, too.

[00:15:48]>> That is where you will meet prospective buyers. Have some fun. The work is bound to reflect the fact.

[00:15:53]>> like my work, do you, Jewels?

[00:15:55]I did once. You find it too tight.

[00:15:57]People are talking about your work. You have your admirers. I'm using a different brush stroke. Always changing.

[00:16:02]Why keep changing?

[00:16:03]>> Because I do not paint for your approval. Mhm.

[00:16:09]Thank you. And I suppose that is why I like you.

[00:16:12]Good to see you, George.

[00:16:17]Mhm.

[00:16:20]Mhm.

[00:16:22]I have nothing to say about that.

[00:16:24]Mhm. Jewels.

[00:16:27]I would like you to come to the studio sometime. See the new work.

[00:16:31]For my approval?

[00:16:32]>> No, for your opinion.

[00:16:34]Oh, that's so cool.

[00:16:36]Very well.

[00:16:44]He changes outfit?

[00:16:46]>> [music] >> Wasn't he brown? Oh, no, he's the same.

[00:16:49]Right?

[00:16:53]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Jeez.

[00:17:35]He's random.

[00:17:37]wins >> [music] [singing] >> Oh, he looks bad.

[00:18:02]>> [music] >> She's such a good singer, it's crazy.

[00:18:23]>> [singing] >> Why do you think my Uh Louie the baker.

[00:18:32]That's her surprise for George at Listen, I'm no gift giver, but I think that's a terrible surprise.

[00:18:44]>> [music] >> Wow.

[00:19:01]>> [music] >> That's called um a tritone.

[00:19:07]It's just weird that we're really outlining that tritone in such a heavy way because that's like a not very pretty interval.

[00:19:16]>> [crying] >> And it's it's not very pretty um cuz there's a lot of tension involved in it.

[00:19:29]And uh it's just interesting. Why Why sort of at the pinnacle of the phrase we're hitting that tritone. Almost like this tritone is it's pro- it's maybe supposed to resemble falsehood um regret maybe. I'm just trying to think like why why would this be outlined?

[00:19:48]That doesn't sound good. If it was like "No!"

[00:19:52]And it's like That's nice, but and even You know, those both could work in that set setting, but because we're here it's like you why? Why would you outline a very tension filled interval?

[00:20:07]That's twice we've heard that.

[00:20:12]And outlined >> [singing] >> Oh, the bread.

[00:20:23]Okay. Okay. [laughter] All right, relax.

[00:20:37]Say dough.

[00:20:38]>> [music] [music] [music] >> Mhm.

[00:21:15]>> [music and singing] >> And then we do I like this medley. It's very nice.

[00:21:24]If I just say >> [singing] [music] >> I'll I'll go back. If I had to name like a theme, a central theme for this show so far, I would say it's this one. This one feels like the main theme.

[00:21:36]I feel like we started with it.

[00:21:38]I've heard it before.

[00:21:39]I don't I'm talking about now.

[00:21:42]And it's nice. It's It's a nice like Every time I hear it, I'm like, "Oh, that's nice." It might It hits my heart a little bit.

[00:21:50]How about you?

[00:21:54]Such like a melancholy >> [singing] [music] [music] >> Ooh, yeah.

[00:22:13]Yeah, we heard this before.

[00:22:16]>> [singing] [music] >> Aw.

[00:22:41]>> [music] >> Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. Mhm.

[00:22:54]>> [music] >> Uh wait a minute.

[00:22:58]Wait a minute.

[00:23:01]That was interesting.

[00:23:03]That That's where the tritone was supposed to happen again, but it did the thing I said that would be better. It did Sorry.

[00:23:14]It did Um So, this is called a perfect fifth.

[00:23:18]That's a That's a very good like It's a su- super normal interval like you hear everywhere. Even in this chord, you know, it's in so many different things, but the tritone, it's not. It That's a tension filled interval. So, instead when he's when she said Louie do do do do do >> [singing] >> George do do do do do it fixed it.

[00:23:45]There's no coincidences for a skilled composer like Sondheim.

[00:23:50]There's That's not a coincidence. As I was saying before, every line that mentioned Louie had tension.

[00:23:57]As soon as George is mentioned no tension.

[00:24:04]Boom. Boom. Boom.

[00:24:07]So cool. Listen to it.

[00:24:14]>> [music] >> Me?

[00:24:28]Oh, and that's the last note she sings, too. It's the fix. Cuz I was like if she really does if she really goes and makes that super apparent, then that is noteworthy. If if it's not, then then maybe it can be not like a a mistake, but but maybe it's it's just like a thing that happens in the song, whatever. But because the song ends on that, that to me all that makes it apparent because it's the ending.

[00:24:58]It's the last note she sings. So, I think I think we're on to something for that one because that's to for it to end the song That's the last note he wrote for the song. Song ends. Boom.

[00:25:09]It's the fix.

[00:25:11]You know, so I think that I think that's pretty cool.

[00:25:14]>> [music] >> That's George. That's Louie.

[00:25:16]Which one sounds better to you?

[00:25:19]Or Interesting. Oh, I love Sondheim.

[00:25:24]It's like a brain puzzle every time you listen.

[00:25:27]Which is also the terrible thing about Sondheim. The thing about Sondheim, I've said this in a different video, but he respects you as a listener. Like even if you're not like a music theorist or you haven't spent you don't have a master's degree in music education and you haven't spent a lot of time working on, you know, music in your life.

[00:25:43]Sondheim makes it so you feel the things he is conveying, but he does it in a way that doesn't waste your time. He does it in a consumable way and he respects you to understand it. He doesn't He isn't dumb it down for the average listener.

[00:25:59]He respects you as a person. He expects everyone to come to his shows and leave understanding why the music was written that way. And I think he does a great job at that. I mean, to me it's super complex, but you don't need to know that. You don't need to know that. You can still understand it and feel like you're enriched by the music. So, I think he writes for the contemporary listener to feel the high quality of like enriching music. So, really really awesome awesome stuff. I hope I'm right about I mean, you guys tell me if if I'm over analyzing or if you feel like that's that's something that's pretty cool. I think even if I'm wrong or whatever, the fun thing is I There's there's ways to experience music that isn't the just listening. Like a lot of people listen to music and go, "That's nice."

[00:26:45]And that's that. But for me, I'm like, "Wow, what value can I derive from the amazingness of this art?" Um and this is just a wrap I'm wrapping up the video, but I remember one commenter a long time ago said that that's going to that's just a terrible way to listen to music.

[00:26:59]Like music doesn't have to be analyzed every time you listen to it. And for me, it's just like, "Yeah, but that's what makes it fun to me." And that that might not be your version of fun, but for me, I find it to be interesting and captivating and um and every time I consume art, I try to like, you know, get in the the mind of the composer. And I think that's the most fun part about it is I I love, you know, a lot of different musicians and Sondheim is a composer I've learned to love.

[00:27:23]And for me to just enter his mind is almost like the same thing we're seeing with George here. Is we're kind of entering George's mind through this musical. And that's the that's the artist, obviously, that the we're in the mind of the artist at the same time. So, through art we almost become our idols and our artists that we love. So, that you know, I just wanted to put that little nuance into that idea.

[00:27:48]Um but anyway, thank you so much. You guys are um if you made it this far, you made it through that rant.

[00:27:54]You're epic. You're so cool. You can use the code word in the chat to let me know that your cool. If your comment says the word somewhere in it, the word potato then I know you made it this part of the show. That means that you're my people.

[00:28:07]You get me. All right, that's going to be the react. Appreciate you guys and I will catch you on the flip side. If you can, leave a comment. If you can, leave a like. It helps with the algorithms and I appreciate you very much for being here. All right, that's going to be the react. I'll catch you in the next one.

[00:28:21]And a huge thank you to all of my patrons. All of you make this possible.

[00:28:26]I appreciate all the support.