Color and Light - Stephen Sondheim, Claybourne Elder

Order

Design

Composition

Tone

Form

Symmetry

Balance

More red…

And a little more red…

Blue blue blue blue

Blue blue blue blue

Even even…

Good…

Bumbum bum bumbumbum

Bumbum bum…

More red…

More blue…

More beer…

More light!

Color and light

There’s only color and light

Yellow and white

Just blue and yellow and white

Look at the air, miss

See what I mean?

No, look over there, miss

That’s done with green…

Conjoined with orange…

Nothing seems to fit me right.

The less I wear, the more comfortable I feel.

More rouge.

George is very special.

Maybe I’m just not special enough for him.

(sung)

If my legs were longer

If my bust was smaller

If my hands were graceful

If my waist was thinner

If my hips were flatter

If my voice was warm

If I could concentrate

I’d be in the Follies

I’d be in a cabaret

Gentlemen in tall silk hats

And linen spats

Would wait with flowers

I could make them wait for hours

Giddy young aristocrats

With fancy flats

Would drink my health

And I would be as hard as nails…

And they’d only want me more…

If I was a folly girl

Nah, I wouldn’t like it much

Married men and stupid boys

And too much smoke and all that noise

And all that color and light…

Aren’t you proper today, miss?

Your parasol so properly cocked, your bustle so

perfectly upright.

And you, sir.

Your hat so black.

So black to you, perhaps.

So red to me.

None of the others worked at night…

So composed for a Sunday.

How do you work without the right

Bright white light?

How do you fathom, George?

Red red red red

Red red orange

Red red orange

Orange pick up blue

Pick up red

Pick up orange

From the blue-green blue-green

Blue-green circle

On the violet diagonal

Di-ag-ag-ag-ag-ag-o-nal-nal

Yellow comma yellow comma

Numnum num numnumnum

Numnum num…

Blue blue blue blue

Blue still sitting

Red that perfume

Blue all night

Blue-green the window shut

Dut dut dut

Dot Dot sitting

Dot Dot waiting

Dot Dot getting fat fat fat

More yellow

Dot Dot waiting to go

Out out out

No no no George

Finish the hat finish the hat

Have to finish the hat first

Hat hat hat hat

Hot hot hot it’s hot in here…

Sunday!

Color and light!

But how George looks.

He could look forever.

There’s only color and light

As if he sees you and he doesn’t all at once.

Purple and white…

What is he thinking when he looks like that?

And red and purple and white

What does he see?

Sometimes, not even blinking.

Look at this glade, girls

Your cool blue spot

His eyes.

So dark and shiny.

No, stay in the shade, girls

It’s getting hot…

Some think cold and black--

It’s getting orange…

But it’s warm inside his eyes…

Hotter…

And it’s soft inside his eyes…

And he burns you with his eyes…

Look at her looking.

And you’re studied like the light

Forever with that mirror.

What does she see?

And you look inside the eyes

The pink lips, the red cheeks…

And you catch him here and there

The wide eyes.

Studying the round face, the tiny pout…

But he’s never really there

Seeing all the parts and none of the whole

So you want him even more

But the way she catches light…

And you drown inside the eyes…

And the color of her hair…

I could look at her forever I could look at him forever

It’s going well.

Should I wear my red dress or blue?

Red.

Aren’t you going to clean up?

Why?

The Follies, George.

I have to finish the hat.

Damn!

The Follies.

Will she yell or stay silent?

Go without me or sulk in the

corner?

Will she be in the bed when the hat and the grass and the parasol have

finally found their way?

(sung)

Too green

(spoken)

Do I care?

(sung)

Too blue

(spoken)

Yes

(spoken)

Too soft

(sung)

What should I do?

Well…

Red