I saw the original cast of FOLLIES, and loved everything about that show, especially its score. I saw several other productions of it, over the years, and mostly hated all of them. The original staging and, especially, the original performances, are singular, imo.
I hate his music. However, so many people love it, and he has influenced a lot of people who basically write these run-on, go nowhere tunes that I never, ever want to hear again. Not that Sondheim hasn't written a good tune or two, but his influence, imo, ruined musicals. I cried by eyes out...
I actually blame Sondheim for ruining Broadway musicals. I did see COMPANY the week it opened, and while I didn't like it, I was thoroughly impressed with Dean Jones, and even bought the album. PBS aired the film of the recording, and I loved that way more than the show itself. I've never...