Someone in a Tree (For Mr. Sondheim)

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by WillScarlet

Gallery

This was drawn as another tribute to Stephen Sondheim, after he passed away.

Pacific Overtures is a pretty obscure musical of his about the first American visit to Japan, from a Japanese POV. The most famous moment comes when the narrator (Tanuki, seated at left) mentions that there has never been an official Japanese account of the first meeting, an old man (the Fox) comes on and says he saw the whole thing as a little boy in a tree. But he can't remember any details about the meeting - he just remembers being a little boy in a tree. And the point of the song is those details are part of history too.

The song 'Someone in a Tree' is one of my favorite Sondheim songs - the tune is a bit repetitive, but it keeps building and pulling you along with it, and it's sweet and touching to see the Old Man singing with his Younger Self - "I was there then," he sings, and his young self sings back "I am here still." It's profound and unique, a lot like some prog-rock tracks, though I don't think Sondheim would appreciate the comparison.

"Not the building but the beam/
Not the garden, but the stone/
Only cups of tea/
and history/
and someone in a tree."

Keywords

male 1,263,143, fox 261,352, anthro 243,484, boy 87,367, kitsune 19,261, child 13,043, tree 9,724, tanuki 9,135, illustration 9,068, music 8,745, japanese 2,326, raccoon dog 1,997, song 1,405, japan 1,048, theater 397, musical 293, japanese raccoon dog 211, fox kit 83, fox cub 63, japanese clothes 52, foxkit 48

Details

Type: Picture/Pinup

Published: 2 years, 5 months ago

Rating: General

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