Stephen joshua sondheim is an american composer and lyricist known for his work in musical theater. Sondheim built on hammersteins innovations by experimenting relentlessly with subject matter and form. Questions for sondheim on sondheim music theatre international. In the literalist revival of 1995, the show felt embalmed. He was mentored by oscar hammerstein, and went on to revolutionize musical theatre. But this anthology has been created from scratch, and so. Stephen sondheim, composer and lyricist, and derek bermel, artistinresidence, institute for advanced study american composer and lyricist stephen sondheim talks about his life and work in a. Stephen sondheim tells 60 minutes if he could do it again, he would. Adding to all of this are the recorded sondheim commentaries which dovetail nicely with some of the ones in finishing the hat. Jul 10, 2016 stephen sondheim once gave james lapine, his friend and longtime collaborator, a useful if inadvertent piece of advice. On topics ranging from show boat to glee, from producing to new writers, composerlyricist stephen sondheim talked to playbill.
Stephen sondheim is a giant of musical theatre, creator of some of the most original shows of the last 50 years. Welcome to the official youtube channel for cbs sunday morning. Sweeney todd interview with stephen sondheim youtube. Sign in deleted video bbc proms 2010 sondheim at 80 being alive from company julian ovenden by fschnell. Because it broke the mold of broadway optimism and mary martin sunshine, company felt shocking when it opened but only in the selfenclosed world of the musical comedy. In this conceptual revue featuring more than two dozen sondheim songs, the musical numbers are punctuated with interview footage of the composer, providing an intimate view of stephen sondheim s. Stephen sondheim finale forum lyrics genius lyrics. And here i am, interrupting his writing day for this interview. This video content is supplied on an external hard drive that includes a singlechannel video playback.
Alan sondheim has been ploughing a very singular furrow through art, music, writing, philosophy and much else since the late sixties. Big beasts of broadway stephen sondheim and james lapine on. Directed by tony awardwinner and frequent stephen sondheim collaborator james lapine, six by sondheim is a highly personal profile of a great american artist as revealed through the creation and performance of six of his iconic songs. One recent sunny morning on west fortyfourth street, upstairs from sardis, a group of drama teachers gathered to sit at the feet of stephen sondheim. Stephen sondheims merrily we roll along doc picked up. The culture as a whole was a decade ahead of sondheims poison valentine to middleclass complacency. Send in the clowns is a song written by stephen sondheim for the 1973 musical a little night music, an adaptation of ingmar bergmans film smiles of a summer night. Inside the actors studio with sondheim, peters message board. The songs are obviosuly great to start out with, but so is the cast and so are the michael starobin orchestrations. Father and mother get one another something for everyone a tragedy tonight.
Best worst thing that ever could have happened, a documentary that chronicles the creation of stephen sondheims merrily we roll along, has been acquired by. Mar 12, 2003 sondheim plans to add five or six songs, and nathan lane is adapting the libretto to suit the poolless lincoln centre theatre. Six by sondheim is introlevel stuff, with some oddities. In 1956, sondheim was chosen to write the lyrics for leonard bernsteins west side story. Stephen sondheim talks about his early life and creative process with reference to his many award winning broadway shows. Among other things, she looks back on an affair years earlier with the lawyer fredrik, who was deeply in love. The two first worked together in the mid1980s on sunday in the park with. Stephen sondheim gets starry but tardy 90th birthday concert.
He is one of the few people to win an academy award, multiple tony awards, multiple grammy awards, and a pulitzer prize. September 14, 2000 composer and lyricist stephen sondheim. Stephen asks stephen sondheim if there really is a place for an illegal immigrant like maria and finishes send in the clowns with his own lyrics. Stephen sondheim the colbert report video clip comedy. Stephen sondheim is arguably one of the best ever composers in the field of musical theatre and certainly the best of his generation.
Sondheim on sondheim original broadway cast recording by. The revue is based on a show titled moving on devised. Sondheim plans to add five or six songs, and nathan lane is adapting the libretto to suit the poolless lincoln centre theatre. Old friends find each other in the hall of ocean life at the american museum of natural history. Please donate to astep artists striving to end poverty. Stephen sondheim gets starry but tardy 90th birthday. Stream adfree or purchase cds and mp3s now on amazon. Sondheim has been writing for the american musical theatre for the past four decades. Singing sondheim is never recommended for auditions, but if the song really speaks to you and you think you can put your own spin on it then break that rule and give it a go. Im not pretentious, im a product of broadway at 84, stephen sondheim is musical theatres most fiercely intelligent voice. Sep 21, 2016 best worst thing that ever could have happened, a documentary that chronicles the creation of stephen sondheim s merrily we roll along, has been acquired by abramorama for theatrical distribution.
It is a ballad from act two, in which the character desiree reflects on the ironies and disappointments of her life. Dec 08, 2010 jeffrey brown talks to master lyricist stephen sondheim about his new book, finishing the hat. Stephen sondheims merrily we roll along doc picked up by. Sep 21, 2011 stephen sondheim talks about his early life and creative process with reference to his many award winning broadway shows. Sondheim is stimulated by writing music but finds only a limited. Sondheim on sondheim original broadway cast recording barbara cook, vanessa williams and tom wopat hailed by the associated press as a revelatory revue full of wonderful moments and by usa today as a funny, affectionate and revealing tribute to musical theaters greatest living composer and lyricist, sondheim on sondheim is an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter in his own words. In addition, sondheim on sondheim s multimedia facets make it equally at home on a broadwaysized stage as it would be in a black box space.
Stephen sondheim is credited as composer, writer, lyricist, producer and arranger. One of the most important figures in 20thcentury musical theater, sondheim has been praised as having reinvented the american musical with shows that tackle unexpected themes that range far beyond the genres traditional subjects with music and lyrics of unprecedented complexity and. Stephen joshua sondheim is an american composer and lyricist known for his work in musical. Singersongwritersatirist randy rainbow yes, thats his real name has built a fervent fan base by churning out parody videos on politics and current events. It is wellnigh impossible to take composerlyricist stephen sondheim out of the theater or the theater out of stephen sondheim. Get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming movies tv shows news live. All the other anthologies deal just with small combinations of my music, or were put together to be performed in the theater, he answered. Marry me a little, a 1981 offbroadway musical built out of songs cut from his other shows. Jun 29, 2017 in 1956, sondheim was chosen to write the lyrics for leonard bernsteins west side story. Soon after, he created the lyrics for the amazingly successful gypsy. Stephen sondheim and meryl streep side by side at the pen gala.
At 81, the august talent behind such indelible broadway musicals as a little night music, company, follies, sweeney todd and a funny thing happened on the way to the forum has just completed look, i made a hat collected lyrics 19812011, his second and final. New tim burton film sweeney todd interview with stephen sondheim. Author interview stephen sondheim, author of look, i. Relive past episodies and interviews with 60 rewind here. Jeffrey brown talks to master lyricist stephen sondheim about his new book, finishing the hat. My favorite performances of stephen sondheim s many masterpieces. Top sondheim songs for musical theatre auditions ballads. Stephen sondheim and meryl streep side by side at the pen. In an interview included with the set, sondheim was asked specifically what made this particular collection special compared to the earlier ones. Jul 25, 2017 lyrics for no more by stephen sondheim. Stephen sondheim biography childhood, life achievements.
What does sondheim think of the new west side story. By the early 1960s, stephen sondheim was ready for his compositions to premiere on broadway. Were all in this together in disney channels smash hit musical phenomenon featuring the students of east high. Six by sondheim watch the hbo original documentary hbo. Stephen sondheim interview theatre time out london. Except for the fact that lists becomes selfreferential in a way music cant quite so blatantly or obviously be, it. Stephen sondheim, theaters greatest lyricist the new york times. A guide to the work of stephen sondheim, including production information, publications, recordings, a complete song listing and more. Reading a relatively early work of yours, lists 1971, im struck by several things, the first being its structure, which reminds me a little of bartoks mikrokosmos in terms of how complexity is accrued and accommodated.
Stephen sondheim at 80 the new york times calls stephen sondheim the greatest and perhaps bestknown artist in american musical theater. With james lipton, stephen sondheim, liz callaway, jim walton. Big beasts of broadway stephen sondheim and james lapine. And only in 2001 did a donmar warehouse production manage the improbable feat of winning sondheim an olivier award for best new musical, 20 years after it was first written. Inside the actors studio stephen sondheim tv episode. A new take on stephen sondheims and james lapines groundbreaking musical fairytale about wishes and the choices we make. In an interview with sondheim for the legacy project, composerlyricist adam guettel. Sign in deleted video bbc proms 2010 sondheim at 80 being alive from company julian ovenden. Stephen sondheim once gave james lapine, his friend and longtime collaborator, a useful if inadvertent piece of advice. Stephen sondheim, theaters greatest lyricist the new york. Stephen sondheim born march 22, 1930 in new york city is a composer and lyricist for stage and screen.
Author interview stephen sondheim, author of look, i made a. Young stephen battled domestic instability and a tough relationship with his mother to emerge as a child prodigy, as he started learning piano at the age of seven and wrote his first musical when he was fifteen. Stephen sondheim, theaters greatest lyricist the new. Through the use of exclusive interview footage, audiences get an inside look at the personal life and artistic process of famed. Hailed as a revelatory revue full of wonderful moments and a funny, affectionate and revealing tribute to musical theaters greatest living composer and lyricist, sondheim on sondheim is an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter in his own words. Today, he is beloved among sophisticated audiences and performers alike.
Included in the rehearsal set for sondheim on sondheim is the video content required for the show. He wrote and cowrote under a pseudonym, patrick quentin. The culture as a whole was a decade ahead of sondheim s poison valentine to middleclass complacency. Stephen sondheim kennedy center honors angela lansbury, bernadette peters, scott bakula duration. Inside the actors studio stephen sondheim tv episode 1994. By 1985, 55yearold broadway songwriter stephen sondheim s renown was attested to not only by the major productions given his musicals, each accompanied by an original broadway cast album, but also by the stage and disc anthologies of his work, including side by side by sondheim, a 1976 london revue. Nothings gonna harm you, not while im around sweeney todd. The documentarydirected by longtime sondheim collaborator james lapinefails mostly because of expectations. Randy rainbow has built a viralvideo empire from his. Apr 27, 2020 stephen sondheim gets starry but tardy 90th birthday concert music josh groban, nathan lane and jake gyllenhaal honored composer and lyricist stephen sondheim on sunday with an online 90th birthday concert that was stuffed with his songs, but delayed by technical difficulties.
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