By now, you all know Stephen Sondheim died on Friday. In my amateur theatrical career, I have only been involved with his work a few times: I played Cinderella's Father in a production of Into the Woods, I helped build sets for a production of West Side Story, and I sort of played the man himself in a production of Forbidden Broadway in the number called "Into the Words," which satirizes the sheer wordiness of Sondheim's lyrics.
But there are a number of his songs I would love to have the chance to perform: "Being Alive," of course; "You Must Meet My Wife," one of the funniest duets ever written; "Something's Coming", among them.
I am not a fan of all his work: Sweeney Todd seems a bit too grisly for my tastes, Pacific Overtures a little depressing, Sunday in the Park with George perhaps a touch obscure and vague in getting its point across. But Company, A Little Night Music, and Into the Woods are genius...and his collaborations--West Side Story and Gypsy--are theatrical masterpieces.
He was 91 and working professionally since he was 21. Seventy years of theater wonderfulness.
No comments:
Post a Comment