Sondheim 90th Birthday Benefit Concert

[DivineMadman]

In case you didn't see it live - and with the technical issues delay - the benefit concert last night (U.S. time) "Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Benefit Celebration" to benefit ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty) is available on YouTube.  It's great.  Just great.  The YouTube link can be found on the Broadway.com site:

http://www.broadway.com/sondheim90

[ggobkk]

I completely agree...one shouldn't miss the ladies who lunch...

 

[reader]

The music was great. It was the testimonials, however, of two of my favorite Broadway actors, Nathan Lane and Jason Alexander, who told us stuff we really didn’t know before about the man.

It also reminded me what I missed about the city. In the brief lead-in to the performance, the audience hears what was once typical street sounds from the theater district (traffic, horns). I realized immediately that that was also what I missed.

This somehow got me to thinking what I’m truly missing about Bangkok, and Silom in particular: that cacophony of the street. Hawkers, waiters, barmen, vendors, masseurs all angling for my attention.

A stream of faces comes to mind that I can recall clearly. But the individual voices I find increasingly difficult to recapture with the same precision. And I fear losing them.

To me, Bangkok would always be there. For 18 years it was just a matter of going. Now that that has changed, I’m more aware than ever of what I had come to take for granted.

[PeterRS]

Well spotted DivineMadman. Sondheim has to be one of the greatest figures in musical theater. His total contribution from lyricist for West Side Story onwards is massive. I have not seen as many of his shows as I would have liked (still time I hope) but the late Elaine Stritch singing Ladies Who Lunch in Company has to be the highlight. That show Company was a revelation of what musical theater could be to me. Little Night Music is a gem with Len Cariou and Hermione Gingold giving superb performances in the original production, Sweeney Todd far more dramatic in the theater than in Tim Burtons movie, and Follies which I saw in a 2000 New York revival pure joy.

For Sondheim lovers, he published a fascinating book about 10 years ago titled Finishing The Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954-1981) with Attendant Comments , Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes. It is packed with fascinating insights, as in this one about West Side Story.

"Originally, Tony was to have been  a blond Polish Catholic, in order to contrast him as much as possible with the Puerto Ricans. This gave the name 'Maria' a religious resonance which I pushed with the line 'Say it soft and it's almost like praying'.".

My favourite is when he talks about Elaine Stritch relaxing after rehearsals of Company. "The character of Joanne was not only written for Elaine Stritch, it was based on her, or at least on her acerbic delivery and self-assessment, as exemplified by a moment George Furth had shared with her: they had entered a bar at two in the morning and Elaine, well-oiled, had murmered to the bartender in passing, 'Just give me a bottle of vodka and a floor plan'".

I think this is Stritchs best rendition of Ladies Who Lunch and its wonderful lyrics as she gets drunker with each toast.

 

 

[TotallyOz]

Beautiful video from beginning to end.Thank you. It brought back so many memories. I lived one block from Broadway for most of my young adult life and got to see more plays and musicals than one can count. My old building was filled with Broadway stars of years gone by (rent-stabilized). I had the pleasure of knowing a few of the performers in this video and it was so enjoyable to watch. I was lucky enough to go to the Tony Awards a few times and sat in the first 2 rows. Seeing this video just brings back so many memories from a young man. Thank you.