The title is taken from a song in one of Sondheim’s weirder productions — even by Sondheim standards. Wonder how many of the artists will reference Evening Primrose?
I always dreamed of being part of a Sondheim birthday concert. In my dream I got to leave my house, but ??♀️.
Honored to join this lineup on Sunday night! ?https://t.co/jny7Xjewmy— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) April 23, 2020
Legendary Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim will be toasted with an all-star birthday concert, streaming live on Sunday, April 26 at 8PM ET. Hosted by Raúl Esparza, with musical direction by Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and coinciding with the 50th Broadway anniversary of Sondheim’s Company, Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration can be seen for free on Broadway.com and the Broadway.com YouTube channel.
This once-in-a-lifetime event, benefiting ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty), will include songs of inspiration from the Sondheim catalog performed by many of the artists who delivered iconic turns in his musicals, including Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, Audra McDonald, Christine Baranski, Donna Murphy, Kristin Chenoweth, Sutton Foster, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Kelli O’Hara, Aaron Tveit, Maria Friedman, Katrina Lenk, Michael Cerveris, Brandon Uranowitz, Elizabeth Stanley, Chip Zien, Alexander Gemignani, Iain Armitage, Stephen Schwartz and, from the cast of Pacific Overtures at Classic Stage Company, Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma…
Directed by Paul Wontorek, Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration is being presented in support of ASTEP, the organization conceived by the event’s musical director, Mary-Mitchell Campbell, and Juilliard students to transform the lives of youth using the most powerful tool they had: their art. In times of turbulence and trauma, the arts provide a space for healing, a platform for connectivity and an outlet to express ourselves. They’re also crucial to the development of mindfulness, an important element of mental health, especially in times of struggle. More than ever, ASTEP artists are needed to create that space for the most vulnerable among us. In this current moment of crisis, the youth we serve are navigating food scarcity, economic hardships and home safety, among a host of other issues. Serving them has been the primary mission of ASTEP for 14 years, and with your support, the organization will continue to be here for the needs of students and partners as we learn to adapt to this precarious new reality
Stephen Sondheim's 90th Birthday, "Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration", this Sunday, April 26 at 8:00 PM! https://t.co/8uU2y7n1FE
— Bernadette Peters (@OfficialBPeters) April 21, 2020
We’re excited that @BenSPLATT is one of the many stars set to toast Stephen Sondheim on tomorrow’s TAKE ME TO THE WORLD: A SONDHEIM 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION! Get amped for his performance by watching him as SWEENEY’s Mrs. Lovett. #Sondheim90Concerthttps://t.co/a255n10quC
— broadway.com (@broadwaycom) April 25, 2020
.@AudraEqualityMc is one of many stars lined up for TAKE ME TO THE WORLD: A SONDHEIM 90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION. Enjoy this flashback performance of “The Glamorous Life,” then tune in to see what she has up her sleeve on Sunday night! #Sondheim90Concert https://t.co/mCeFcb1RJw
— broadway.com (@broadwaycom) April 25, 2020
August West
Can’t wait to watch this celebration tonight!!
Two great interview segments with Stephen Sondheim
CBS This Sunday Morning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNVKbOOA7Mw
PBS NewsHour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTw9JZkuIzU
ThresherK
Never heard of Evening Primrose, but I did know the bottom one was Audra McDonald before reading any of the description.
Sondheim is 90. I’ve been worried for some time about the future of musical theater. Who is the Great American* Songbook composer who is not a direct successor, but just good at hitting that space of great integrated songs with shows that are sometimes out there, and also commercially popular enough?
Is the theater just becoming too niche for something like this to happen?
Example: I really enjoy Jason Robert Brown, and will go 100 miles to see Parade, but how many good shows do the songwriters today have in them?
(*or not American, just theater/standards/etc)
Chyron HR
Why would you waste your time with the lesser composer when you can watch the 100% official sequel to Phantom of the Opera?
Ramalama
Disappointed that Betty Buckley’s not on this list.
meander
This news changes my watching plans for tonight.
Sondheim Sondheim has been on NPR’s Fresh Air a few times, each gives a detailed review of his bio, working approach, and include delicious musical clips.
The Fresh Air interview with Lin-Manuel Miranda also has some fun discussion of Sondheim’s work (Miranda has received some coaching/instruction from Sondheim), notably the importance of word choice when writing for complex and long singing passages (certain sounds work better than others).
Although I’m generally not a fan of medleys or ‘best of’ collections, I really like the cast recording of “Side By Side By Sondheim” from 1978, which has 20+ Sondheim songs. It’s just a handful of singers and two pianos, very clear and uncomplicated. Fun fact: singer Millicent Martin played Daphne’s mum on Frasier (and was brilliant).
Another fun fact: Anthony Perkins starred in the production of Evening Primrose recorded for television in 1966. He has a nice voice. The DVD is in the Netflix DVD library.
Brachiator
@ThresherK:
This looks like fun. Live? So I guess 5pm Pacific Time.
The rise of popular music has pushed jazz and classical music aside, and popular culture may be doing the same for theater. Talented people still want to be in the theater, but I don’t know if the numbers are decreasing.
Also, what will happen with going to the theater, and to movies, in a post pandemic social distance society?
NotMax
Speaking of things musical, Mr. Rainbow’s cranked out a new one.
Another Scott
@Brachiator: Hasn’t there been continuing for decades that Broadway musicals are dying because, among other things, they are so expensive to produce?
Cheers,
Scott.
Uncle Cosmo
Has anyone ever penned a better two-line description of the world since 2016? Even if unintentional?
MattF
Maybe not known outside the cryptic-puzzle world, but Sondheim is a talented puzzle maker. Rumor has it that he’s got a knack for music as well.
Dan Myers
What ever happened to that young man who wrote those sing along lyrics to WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY?
NotMax
Feel a tad obligated to link to something Broadway. Not from Sondheim, but boy oh boy the gal’s got a set o’ pipes.
zhena gogolia
@Chyron HR:
Are you kidding, or are you the only other ALW fan on this site?
I have to admit, I’m a bad fan. After watching Phantom last week and LOVING IT, I started Love Never Dies (I adore the title tune), but after five minutes I said to myself, uh, I really don’t want to spend another Saturday night with Erik.
Looking forward to tonight’s Sondheim with so many great artists, including LMM.
patrick II
I was out and about when BJ did its streaming movie thread last week. So I am posting this on this open thread. Both “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy” and “Smiley’s People” are free on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNXsEx73JaDXlb-yBcx02Jw this location. It is a full eighteen hours of John Le Carre and Sir Alec Guinness, for those of you who are looking for something to do.
Chyron HR
@zhena gogolia:
Love Never Dies is only watchable in a group making fun of it, but yes, Andrew Lloyd Webber is also a cromulent composer of musical theatre.
Cowboy Diva
@Chyron HR:
if this is damning ALW with faint praise, I’m right there with you. If this is disparaging Esteban Río Nido, fight me. To quote the great Nutt, “come on if you think you’re hard enough.”
Brachiator
@Another Scott:
Movies are expensive to produce, but you have (or had) a mass audience for them.
Theater used to be a kind of middle class aspirational thing. It is far less so today. And we also rarely see theatrical productions adapted into musicals.
raven
I’ve never been into this kind of music but about 14 years ago we were at a conference in Chicago and wandered up to the big bean in the late afternoon. There was a big hubbub at the bandshell and we wandered over and learned it was a big FREE Sondheim celebration so we grabbed some lawn and watched. People were going nuts and we enjoyed it. . .so there!
Brachiator
@Another Scott:
Also, I meant to throw in that some friends saw “Hamilton” while on vacation in London. And, apart from the going to England thing, the tickets were cheaper and easier to get than for a US theatrical run.
NotMax
@Cowboy Diva
Did someone say nut?
:)
raven
I found a review, damning with faint praise?
rikyrah
M y absolutely favorite song of his.
I understand it more as I get older
https://youtu.be/1UJtMG7Eexk
opiejeanne
@Brachiator: When ALW’s Phantom came to LA and SF there were articles full of advice about what to wear and what to expect. I think there was the thought that the word “Opera” in the title intimidated some people, which was a bit of an insult.
I saw it in SF and the singers and the production were wonderful, and I’m not a big fan of ALW in general.
A couple of years later my youngest was in the Maury Yeston/Arthur Kopit’s “Phantom”, which was brilliant. This is the Other Phantom that was finished and about to be staged when they heard that Weber was writing a Phantom, so they shelved it for a couple of years until there was pressure to produce it. It opened to rave reviews.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_(musical)
Cowboy Diva
@NotMax: It depends on how people are separated?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLbZTjt_dGY&feature=youtu.be&t=1670
Bruuuuce
@rikyrah: “…Clowns” is a terrific song. Nobody does it as well as Dame Judi Dench.
Cowboy Diva
Brachiator
@opiejeanne:
Everyone I know who has seen Phantom enjoyed it. And it is not just that are fans; they were able to see great productions with the cast in top form.
Nora
@ThresherK: Lin Manuel Miranda’s on his way, I’d say.
WaterGirl
@Nora: Exactly who I thought of!
Nora
@Bruuuuce: Thanks for sharing that. I think it’s the best performance of the song I’ve ever heard. Brought tears to my eyes.
Bruuuuce
@Nora: You’re welcome. It’s from a terrific tribute to ALW called “Hey, Mr Producer!” Worth watching all of, especially for Tom Lehrer coming out of musical retirement.
NotMax
@ThresherK
Tin Pan Alley is curiously commodious.
zhena gogolia
@Bruuuuce:
Okay, you confused me, because ALW did not write that song (Sondheim did), but I guess the tribute was to Cameron Mackintosh, who worked a lot with ALW.
mrmoshpotato
It would be good if someone slapped Ellen after all this is over.
This video is a work of genius.
Another Scott
ObOpenThread…
ICYMI, David Atkins at WaMo – Yet more on rebutting Bernie’s campaign strategy:
Quite often in the past I have thought that Atkins was almost unreadable, but these two pieces on Bernie’s campaign have struck me as being exactly right.
Click on over.
Cheers,
Scott.
oatler.
There’s a 1971 version of “Ladies Who Lunch” with Elaine Stritch on Youotube.
Another Scott
@mrmoshpotato: +1
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
zhena gogolia
@mrmoshpotato:
That is funny. I missed the whole Ellen thing. I don’t think I want to know.
PJ
@ThresherK: Sadly, Adam Schlesinger died of coronavirus at the beginning of the month. He might have been able to expand the popularity of the Broadway musical.
patrick II
@zhena gogolia:
I think it was just a matter of Ellen sitting in her luxurious home with her full height picture windows behind her saying “This is like being in jail”, followed shortly thereafter by a guy on the street because he couldn’t pay his rent.
Bruuuuce
@zhena gogolia: Mea culpa. ALW played such a large role in that program(me) that I did confuse them. I plead long and faithful service and youthful exuberance
randy khan
@ThresherK:
You might want to check out this guy, I think his name is Lin-Manuel something.
zhena gogolia
@Bruuuuce:
I was just thinking Sondheim would be pissed!
Shana
@Uncle Cosmo: I have always thought that Send In The Clown is one of the hardest to get right in a performance but saw it done perfectly once. Judi Dench as Desiree at the National in London. There’s a cd of that show that I urge you all to check out.
Cheryl from Maryland
@patrick II: Also Barchester Towers from the early ’80s for those who are Alan Rickman fans (his first definitive role as a slimeball).
mrmoshpotato
@zhena gogolia: It’s towards the beginning when she says having to stay in her massive house is “like being in jail.”
rikyrah
@Bruuuuce:
????
Shana
@Shana: And I see Bruuuce got there first.
Scuffletuffle
@Cheryl from Maryland: yes, quite delicious and a well done production overall.
MoxieM
Look! I made a hat, where there never was a hat!
MoxieM
PS. I was lucky enough to see the whadyacall the run throughs just before the formal performances with Patti Lupone on Tuba as Mrs. Lovett, Michael Cerveris as Sweeney + on Guitar, etc. It was a very very small cast in a small theater. Just incredible. This was before Tim Burton got his filthy hands on it and butchered it in the movie. Gawd! A little priest. My kid was lucky enough to go to a high school where they did Sondheim, and the dark ones–Assassins, Sweeney Todd… such an education.
Frank McCormick
@rikyrah: “Send in the Clowns” is the perfect smile for the fools, but the tone of the comments, as well as my personal mood today, “Liaisons” might be the applicable song for us Olds.
“Not even figs. Raisins!”
Steeplejack
@Chyron HR:
“Video is private.”
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@Steeplejack: Love Never Dies was the Webber freebie this weekend. Not worth the effort, IMO.
NotMax
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
Floppola grande in London, never even made it to B’way.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@NotMax: I stumbled across the cast album, listened once, called Darkrose and told her to run far away if she ever encountered it.
Steeplejack
@Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism:
Thanks.