SONDHEIM REMEMBERED AS ‘AMERICAN TREASURE’
ROXBURY — Broadway stars took to Times Square to remember Stephen Sondheim, the legendary Broadway composer and lyricist, who died in his Roxbury home last week.
But in Roxbury, Andy Munson recalls their conversations at The Roxbury Market, which Munson’s family owned for over 30 years.
Sondheim, 91, was a regular customer at the market — coming in several times a week for about 10 to 15 years.
Munson said he could always tell when Sondheim was “in the depths” of working on a project.
“He had a particular look that told me that his mind was in another place, like he was trying things out in his mind while he took a break to pick up his paper,” said Munson, 60, who is now retired and living in Haddam. “He would say a couple of words to me and you can tell all he wanted to do would be get back to work.”
On other occasions, Sondheim would be in a more talkative mood — chatting about how “complicated” lyric writing is and the “monumental task” of opening a new show, Munson said.
“He was always excited when a show began rehearsals because ultimately, things would have to be tweaked as rehearsals progressed,” Munson said.
There were times when Sondheim’s struggles with a project would be apparent, Munson said.
“Through his music and his lyrics, he tried to stay as in control of his work as he could. But Broadway is a different kind of animal. There are things that even a Sondheim can’t control,” Munson said.
“You could tell when he was frustrated, and when he was pleased, and when he was on a role,” he added.
Sondheim’s achievements included multiple Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize,
an Academy Award, five Olivier Awards and the Presidential Medal of Honor. Some of his notable works include “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods” and “West Side Story.”
Munson said he had lengthy conversations with Sondheim about the New York Military Academy in Cornwall — which they both attended.
“There was an old barracks that had a fire escape behind it. A lot of us, him included, would use the fire escape in the back of the building as a runway to go visit people at night,” Munson chuckled. “We never told anyone who we went to see.”
Sondheim would generally come into The Roxbury Market alone. Occasionally, however, he came in with his assistant, “but he passed away in the early ‘90s,” Munson said.
He also said Sondheim was very generous — “If the PTO had one of their raffles, he always made sure he donated something for it,” he said.
At one point, Sondheim gave Munson an unreleased acetate disc of a score he did for a TV movie for his close friend, actor Anthony Perkins.
Many people, both friends and customers, would want items signed by Sondheim — and Munson would organize this.
“We worked it out that I would gather a batch of items which he would sign all at once and I’d give them back to the original owners,” Munson said.
Munson said he arranged the same signing arrangement with other celebrities in town who also wished to remain private.
“It was good to be able to get things for people without the celebrities being directly imposed upon,” Munson said. “These celebrities came there to have a life outside of their work life.”
Roxbury First Selectman Patrick Roy, who spoke with many residents who knew Sondheim, said the composer’s home in town was a “serenity kind of place for him.”
Roxbury “is the kind of town that welcomed you from the arts but didn’t intrude on your life,” Roy said. “That’s what the joy of Roxbury is.”
In a release, Mark Lamos, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director, said the entire Playhouse family is deeply saddened to hear of Sondheim’s death.
During the summer of 1950, Sondheim was an apprentice at the Westport Country Playhouse, Lamos wrote. Sondheim worked in a variety of capacities on 14 shows and appeared in a production of “The Life of the Party,” written by the Playhouse’s founder Lawrence Langner.
Many years after his apprenticeship, Sondheim’s work appeared on the Playhouse stage with a production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “A Little Night Music” and “Side by Side by Sondheim.”
Last year, Lamos said Sondheim agreed to participate in the shooting of a short-form documentary by filmmaker Doug Tirola that celebrates the history of Westport Country Playhouse.
“In the video clip, he wished the Playhouse a happy 90th birthday, then jokingly wished himself the same, since ‘we're the same age,’” Lamos said. “That's a memory that I find particularly poignant today.”
Yale connection
In 1974, the Yale University swimming pool was the setting for the first performance of “The Frogs ,” a musical originally written in 405 B. C. by Aristophanes, freely adapted by Sondheim and director by Burt Shevelove. The production was put on by the Yale Repertory Theatre from March 29 to May 17. The cast included Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver and Christopher Durang.
Sondheim went on to make several more appearances at Yale, including visiting and speaking with students taking theater classes. He had played a part in the creation of the Shen Curriculum for Musical Theater program at the university.
“He was very generous with young people,” Artistic Director of Yale Repertory Theatre James Bundy said.
Bundy, who is also the Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale, was an undergraduate himself at Harvard College when he first met Sondheim. He said he remembers being impressed with how generous Sondheim was with his time, despite his status within the theater industry.
“He had already been at the top of the profession for a quarter-century,” Bundy said.
In 2017, Bundy directed a Yale Repertory Theatre production of “Assassins,” a musical with music and lyrics written by Sondheim in 1990 that went on to win five Tony Awards in 2004.
Bundy said he was very sad to find out about Sondheim’s death.
“There are artists who change people’s lives,” Bundy said. “To have written so many master works, and to remain so creative into his tenth decade is also inspiring.”
Gov. Ned Lamont offered his condolences, as well on Friday.
“His music and his art helped us grow and see beyond ourselves. Even if you weren’t a fan of musicals, his music influenced our culture and touched your life,” Lamont said.
Munson called Sondheim “a gem.”
“When I think of him, I'll always think of that sly grin, especially when we shared our war stories from NYMA,” Munson said. “Yeah, he was definitely one of the good guys — an American treasure and an all around decent man. I'm so grateful to have known him.”