Dec 3rd 2021

Five of Stephen Sondheim’s best shows

by Christopher Wiley

 

Senior Lecturer in Music, Department of Music and Media, University of Surrey

Five of Stephen Sondheim’s best shows

Musical theatre great Stephen Sondheim died at the age of 91. Wikimedia, CC BY-SA

 

A musical theatre legend has died. Stephen Sondheim, the greatest composer-lyricist of his generation, passed away on November 26 at the age of 91.

His dramatic genius combined a rare blend of elements, that of an astonishingly versatile and sophisticated composer, and an incredibly witty wordsmith. His extraordinary output includes a staggering 16 musicals as composer and lyricist, a further three as lyricist alone, as well as four musical revues featuring compilations of hit songs from his shows.

Sondheim’s principal contribution to musical theatre lies in having reinvigorated the Broadway show in the wake of Rodgers and Hammerstein. Among many accolades received, Sondheim’s songs for the film Dick Tracy (1990), starring Warren Beatty, Madonna, and Al Pacino, earned him an Academy Award.

Exceptionally, he has theatres named after him in both Broadway and the West End. Such is his far-reaching influence that he even appears as a fictionalised character in the new film Tick, Tick… Boom! on Netflix, based on the autobiographical musical by Rent composer Jonathan Larson.

When faced with such a prolific and fascinating output, it is difficult to single just a few shows out for praise, but here follow five of Sondheim’s best.

1. West Side Story

Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers are given a contemporary twist in this celebrated retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Transposed to the setting of 1950s New York City, it saw the romance as a turf war between a white American street gang and Puerto Rican immigrants. Premiering in 1957, the show was something of a big break for the young Sondheim, who was latterly brought in as lyricist alongside the more established composer Leonard Bernstein, bookwriter Arthur Laurents, and director-choreographer Jerome Robbins.

The score is replete with hit songs, notable among them “Maria”, “Something’s Coming”, “I Feel Pretty”, and the “Tonight Quintet”, which features a remarkable five-way exchange between three principal characters plus the two gangs. The iconic 1961 film adaptation received a highly impressive ten Academy Awards and excitement is mounting over the soon-to-be-released remake directed by Steven Spielberg.

2. Gypsy

Following two years after West Side Story, Gypsy used the same creative team but substituted Jule Styne as composer. With its basis in the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the show tells the story of the eponymous burlesque performer and her overbearing mother, Rose.

Highlights include “Rose’s Turn”, one of the most demanding solos in the whole musical theatre repertory, in which Sondheim’s lyrics vividly depict the exploitative matriarch reflecting upon the consequences of past actions. Twice adapted for film, in 1962 and 1993, the musical was more recently televised in its 2015 West End revival production starring Imelda Staunton as Rose.

3. Company

Epitomising the “concept musical”, in which a show crystallises around a broad theme rather than an overarching story, 1970’s Company, with music and lyrics by Sondheim, presents a series of unrelated short scenes between the lead character, Bobby, and his best friends.

Notable productions include the 2006 revival starring Raul Esparza, in which the cast double as onstage instrumentalists; the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert version, with Neil Patrick Harris in the lead role; and the gender-flipped 2018 West End revival, featuring Rosalie Craig as Bobbie. “(Not) Getting Married Today”, one of the most challenging musical theatre songs of all time for its prominent use of patter, was breathtakingly performed by Jayma Mays in an episode of Glee.

4. Sweeney Todd

Inspired by the sinister character of the Victorian penny dreadful, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (to use its full name) has become arguably Sondheim’s best known musical. Premiered in 1979 with many subsequent high-profile revivals, including a concert version starring Bryn Terfel and Emma Thompson in 2014, it makes ingenious use of the show’s ensemble in a role akin to a classical Greek chorus, reflecting on the action throughout the musical without advancing it.

A gruesome tale of a barber intent on revenge and the piemaker who turns the men he murders into meat, it lent itself perfectly to Tim Burton’s directorial treatment in the acclaimed 2007 film, starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, who admirably tackled Sondheim’s taxing music and lyrics.

5. Into The Woods

My final selection on this list, from 1987, is Into The Woods. The musical creatively draws upon four well-known fairy tales – Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Rapunzel – intertwined with an original story of a baker and his wife, and the witch who has cursed them never to have children.

Sondheim’s music and lyrics coalesce most effectively in songs such as “Your Fault”, in which the constituent characters are artfully combined to recapitulate the complex set of circumstances that have brought them together. The use of fairy tales made the musical well suited to its 2014 Disney adaptation boasting an all-star cast led by Meryl Streep, James Corden, and Anna Kendrick.

Honourable mentionsof other Sondheim shows include: Follies (1971), A Little Night Music (1973), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Assassins (1990).

Christopher Wiley, Senior Lecturer in Music, Department of Music and Media, University of Surrey

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Browse articles by author

More Music Reviews

Nov 13th 2024
EXTRACT: "It was British composer Michael Nyman who in the late 1960s coined the term musical minimalism, the application of limited materials borrowed from ideas of modern architecture, literature and improvisational performance. Today, thanks to John Cage, Philip Glass, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, La Monte Young and others, musical minimalism has found a secure place among composers and performers. Defining it is a slippery exercise, however, as it means different styles to different musicians. I nominate Cage as the ultimate simplifier."
Oct 7th 2024
EXTRACT: "Oppens stands apart from today’s keyboard virtuosos by her four decades of discovering and commissioning new works. These contributions to the repertory ensure her a permanent place in pantheon of modern music. But she is also recognized as a powerful performer who tackles the thorniest of new pieces. As she said in our interview, she remembers hearing the difficult works of Julian Hemphill for the first time and thinking 'This is for me!'  Composers who have been commissioned by her or who have written works for her include such leading lights as Frederic Rzewski, William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, John Harbison, Julius Hemphill, Peter Lieberson, Conlon Nancarrow, Tobias Picker, Christian Wolff  and Charles Wuorinen.”
Jul 5th 2024
EXTRACTS: "The Conservative Party, which was finally pronounced dead from multiple unnatural causes on July 5 2024, was born in 1832." ---- " Strange as it might now appear, the party was once very popular and respected, even by its opponents. Educated at Eton and Oxford, it established a reputation for governing competence which allowed it to bounce back from serious setbacks, notably the landslide Labour victory of 1945." ---- "The end of the cold war debunked the notion that the Conservatives had restored Britain’s former global status. Unwilling to acknowledge their country’s subservience to the United States, the party’s dominant nationalist faction could now only rage against reality by identifying the European Union, and post-war immigration, as the twin culprits for the depletion of British political influence and cultural uniformity." ---- "The Conservative party has presented a sorry spectacle to sympathetic observers in its undignified post-Brexit dying days. It became prone to hallucinations, first believing that Boris Johnson could be a successful prime minister then replacing him with Liz Truss."
Jun 17th 2024
EXTRACT: "Question: Isn’t piano study a big problem in the USA, with all the electronic games and distractions from music lessons? ---- Answer: The problem is also in Europe. We have lost a lot of quality, in terms of knowledge behind the music. The schools do not make the transmission from the composers to us. We owe that to the composers. And it’s very sad because now we focus on goals and competition, and competition does not go well with art.
Jun 9th 2024
EXTRACT: "Question: Isn’t it true, as the musicologist Kyle Gann says, that one cannot judge immediately what’s good or bad in contemporary music? We must wait 20 years. Answer: Yes, look at Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring”. It caused a scandal. It was booed and rejected by everyone. Now it’s standard in the concert hall. In jazz, I think it’s not 20 years, but more like 50 years before we know what has worked or not. One has to step back and reflect on whether we have brought something new."
Mar 9th 2024
EXTRACT: "In a way, every experience you have, every book you read, every movie you watch, every place you visit, every encounter you have, every moment you spend with friends or family, they leave a mark on you and direct you indirectly and therefore leave their mark on your playing.", says Boris Giltburg in Michael Johnson's and Frances Wilson's new book 'Lifting the Lid: Interviews with Concert Pianists', now available on Amazon.
Feb 27th 2024
EXTRACT: "Question: Some pianophiles say the CD could be useful for meditation, therapy or even healing. ---- Answer: Indeed, that is the kind of feedback I am getting. But this music doesn’t belong to me any more, therefore I cannot label it with any purpose. It has taken on a life of its own. I can’t say how it affects the life of other people. Will it be therapeutic or will it have another effect? Time will tell."
Dec 4th 2023
EXTRACT: "Seated in a quiet corner of a Bordeaux hotel last week, we had an interview – more a casual chat – about her life, her Soviet Russian origins, her career, her future."
Nov 27th 2023
EXTRACT: "Schiff creates an atmosphere that we 'seniors' remember from the old days. No clowning, no bouncing on the bench, no outlandish clothing. He dresses in a black smock, black trousers, black shoes, topped off with a mane of pure white hair. His manners, his grateful bowing, are très Old Europe. ---- Schiff keeps control of his two hours onstage. He believes that dignity goes with the great music on the program and he scarcely moves as he plays."
Nov 19th 2023
EXTRACT: "  Boston-based guitarist, band leader and composer Phil Sargent is not about churning out endless CDs. In fact his ten-year recording gap, just ended, had his fans wondering where he was. But in New York and Boston, he tells me, he has never stopped working with other groups while composing and actively teaching young and mature talent. Although not always visible, he seems to be a confirmed workaholic, even practicing five hours a day. Yes, virtuosos also need to practice. ---- And now he is back. His new CD, 'Sons'....."
Nov 19th 2023
EXTRACT: "There is a renewed fascination with the memory-stimulating and healing powers of music. This resurgence can primarily be attributed to recent breakthroughs in neuroscientific research, which have substantiated music’s therapeutic properties such as emotional regulation and brain re-engagement. This has led to a growing integration of music therapy with conventional mental health treatments."
Sep 28th 2023
EXTRACT: "British psychotherapist, Michael Lawson, who has worked with several prodigies and former prodigies, calculates there may be as many as 200,000 piano prodigies active in the world today. “In a sense, they are not that rare,” he says in our interview below. Lawson is author of International Acclaim: The Steinfeld Legacy a new novel of the great pianists of the 19th and early 20th centuries in which the prodigy phenomenon is described in some detail."
Sep 17th 2023
EXTRACT: "Like so many stories about relationships told over an extended time, Past Lives uncovers the twists and turns, the “what ifs” and the manifold choices that lead to two people wondering whether they were meant to be together."
Sep 12th 2023
EXTRACT: " OrpheusPDX, a new company founded by Christopher Mattaliano in Portland, Oregon, concluded its second season with a brilliant and thought-provoking production of Nico Muhly’s “Dark Sisters,” at Lincoln Hall (August 24), exploring and exposing relationships in a polygamous sect and the courage of one sister-wife to leave it. With Stephen Karam’s libretto inspired by memoirs of women who have left the FLDS (Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints) and the 2008 raid of the YFZ Ranch by the FBI, “Dark Sisters” was delivered with spot-on directing by Kristine McIntyre and riveting performances by an exceptional cast."
Aug 30th 2023
EXTRACT: "Wagner’s operas are well known to be budget busters, and lack of funds is probably one of the main reasons that Seattle Opera has not mounted the Ring Cycle in since 2013. After Speight Jenkins retired from his post as General Director in 2014, the company delivered The Flying Dutchman (2016) and Tristan und Isolde (2022), the latter under its current General Director, Christina Scheppelmann. Now starting its 60th season, Seattle Opera celebrated with Das Rheingold, but that can be seen as a bittersweet moment since Scheppelmann is moving on to take over La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels at the end of the 2023-2024 season."
Jul 6th 2023
EXTRACT: " More than a hundred recordings have been made of his suite of 14 light pieces he called “The Carnival of the Animals”, and a range of his other works remain in the standard repertoire."
Jun 18th 2023
EXTRACT: "Conservatories and university music departments are filling up with fee-paying Asians as their parents pressure them to succeed in the West. Piano competitions around the world, now numbering about 800, are open to this new wave of Asian players. They are winning top prizes and they are building careers in Europe and the U.S.  Too often, according to some teachers, young Americans prefer computer games, the latest movies, rock bands, sports, or other less-demanding activities. The Asians are happy to fill the vacuum."
May 30th 2023
EXTRACT: "Three of Europe’s longtime leaders in contemporary jazz, now in their senior years, have just launched a CD of twelve  pieces that shows what a lifetime of sharing ideas in music can really produce." “New Stories” (Frémeaux et Associés) by the French trio of pianist and composer Hervé Sellin, bassist Jean-Paul Celea and drummer Daniel Humair is remarkable for improvisations so synchronized that the listener can feel the music come together from three angles in real time. The tracks were mostly composed or improvised by Sellin."
Mar 28th 2023
EXTRACT: "The young ex-dancer from Italy first burst upon the piano scene three years ago with 20 of her hand-picked Scarlatti sonatas. Now comes her second CD (Academy Classical Music) even more original and powerful, performing six of Baldassare Galuppi’s 18th century sonatas. Margherita Torretta‘s early training as a dancer gives her playing a swaying, graceful air while she maintains Alberti bass for control of the rhythm, momentum and especially continuity. Her ornamentation is boosted with some of her own improvisations, producing a fresher feel. It’s a magic combination."
Mar 24th 2023
EXTRACT: "Driven by a sense of mission and determination over several years, French pianist Lydia Jardon has completed a rare cycle of nine piano sonatas by Nikolai Miaskovsky. Her new CD  of numbers 6, 7 and 8 completes the task and offers a particularly rich sample of Russian experience in the worst of times. Miaskovsky may be only vaguely remembered today but he was a leader in the Soviet music world until the end of World War II. He left a wide range of engaging sonatas that have been brought back to life by Mme. Jardon on her own label AR Ré-Sé (AR 2022-1)."