Celebrating Sondheim
Local connections to composer’s musicals abound.
If you’re a musical theater lover, you probably caught the star-studded tribute to legendary composer Stephen Sondheim on the occasion of his 90th birthday.
Originally presented as a free virtual concert on Broadway. com, the live broadcast faced serious technical problems but is now available on YouTube, minus the glitches. The show is a fundraiser for Artists Striving to End Poverty, a nonprofit that connects performing and visual artists with youth from underserved communities.
Typically, this type of show would be broadcast from a fancy venue accompanied by full orchestra, fancy sets and red-carpet gowns. But because of the quarantine, the twohour production was stripped down to the essentials: an intimate collection of Broadway’s most talented actors singing their favorite Sondheim songs and sharing personal birthday wishes to a beloved composer who has impacted their lives.
Local connections
Through the years, Sondheim’s musicals have also had a big impact on theater groups in the Miami Valley. Wright State University’s Department of Theatre has a long history of producing Sondheim works including “Sweeney Todd,
“Into the Woods,” “A Little Night Music,” Merrily We Roll Along,” “Assassins” and “Company.” Department chair Joe Deer says “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Follies” are on his bucket list.
“The appeal is beautifully complex,” Deer notes. “His stories are always compelling and never reduce down to the formulas many people are used to (and grow tired of ) in some musicals. His music is rich and surprising - never predictable. And, his lyrics are so exquisitely crafted to reveal the intensely universal experience of his characters.”
Deer says when a Sondheim