So sorry to hear of the passing of Stephen Sondheim. It seemed like he had always been here, and would carry on forever. He connected the Golden Age of the Musicals (he was mentored by Hammerstein), via collaborations with fellow geniuses Bernstein, Prince, Lapine et al, with a funny, sharp, urban NY sensibility and great jokes. He also seemed a very gentle and encouraging mentor to many people. It feels like every musician has their own story of how he affected their lives. For me, Sweeney Todd was the one - taking part in a production at university was like a whole new house of music opening up. Company, Assassins and of course West Side Story (he was the lyricist) have also all made their indelible mark on me. I enjoyed finding these photos of SS with LN, in his legendary NYC garden apartment where he lived throughout the decades. We must have thought he'd always be around... Thanks for all the words and music, Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021).
Billy- the first part made me laugh,the 2nd bit I was wowed by your outfit,then totally relaxed by the wonderful playing of the music. Finally I was waiting to see if by any chance you would have a drink to hand , and of course I wasn't disappointed! The themed tie and cufflinks were the icing on the Glasgow cake!! :))))
I found a list of all his shows with full-length recordings embedded to listen to from each one. Hmm, the only one I've seen is Into the Woods--actually we gave up on it part way through. Why would it be I've only seen the most kid-related one? I guess there's no mystery there :) https://www.encoretickets.co.uk/articles/stephen-sondheim-guide-18-shows/
Julia and Billy, we've just enjoyed peeking in on your special night of dress-up and music in Glasgow. We danced along. We were so happy to see your new contributions up, we even watched them before putting on the Bake-Off final! *gasp* Happy Thanksgiving weekend from here!
He was a mentor to Lin-Manuel Miranda while writing Hamilton. I’d like to hear more about your participation in the university production of Sweeney Todd, unless it involves anything about the plot. My nerves are still frayed from a noir half hour.
I must look up Randy Rainbow!
I remember going to see A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the National. Ive never laughed so much !!
Sweeney Todd at the Trafalgar was a revelation.
and going to see West Side Story in the cinema when it came out ....and weeping copiously....
thank you thank you thank you.....