Yet another item in a long list of things I apparently missed: Last year, Scott Rudin attempted to block Stephen Sondheim's new show with malicious cease and desist orders, claiming to have exclusive rights to the show that he didn't have. Sondheim and company sued for damages and won a preliminary injunction against Rudin. Rudin countersued, claiming breach of a contract that doesn't exist (though the actual details of his production arrangement with the show are not discussed in the article). Late last year, they settled, returning Rudin's $200,000 investment in the show and disconnecting him from the effort. The show, entitled Gold! (formerly Wise Guys), has been rescheduled to open in June 2003 at Chicago's Goodman Theatre. Both links have a good amount of background information and are worth a read, if you're catching up like I am.

Rudin has produced other Sondheim shows in the past, including Passion and the revival of ...Forum. He's better known for film production, of course, and while I've heard nothing but bad things about what he's like to work with, he's obviously tolerated for having a good amount of power in the industry.

Nobody told me Passion is available on VHS, either. I thought the whole point of this weblog thing was for you to keep me well informed. Was I mistaken?