Category: Stephen Sondheim

Going off to the Hayes Theatre in the expectation of once more (I have seen at least three other productions in Sydney) engaging with Stephen Sondheim’s 1981 musical MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. I had a palpable sense of excitement. Stephen Sondheim is one of the Greats of contemporary theatre. I have rated him alongside Edward Albee, a writer and figure of the same generation – Albee born in 1928 and Sondheim in 1930. Albee passed away in 2016 at the age of 88 and Sondheim in March celebrated his 91st birthday. Two Great American geniuses spanning two centuries with a body…

WEST SIDE STORY debuted in 1957 on Broadway. Four genius artists somehow subdued their egos to collaborate as an Ensemble to produce one of the great works in the Musical Theatre canon: Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins. A motion picture version was made and arrived in 1961 winning 10 Academy Awards – it created a permanent number of indelible moments. (please read my 2010 review of another production of WEST SIDE STORY*** to get my grasp of this work’s greatness). This production led by American Choreographer/Director, Joey McKneely is the second version of this iconic work…

Photo by Clare Hawley Little Triangle presents, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by George Furth, at the The Depot Theatre, Addison Rd, Marrickville. 7 – 24 March. This is the second production from this young company Little Triangle. The first was, last year, when they presented Stephen Sondheim’s SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE. It seemed to me a herculean proposition and one ‘doomed’ to an unhappy end. To my surprise (and unhappy regret that I was so presumptuous ) the word-of-mouth could hardly praise that theatre experience enough. And I had heard from…

National Theatre Live presents FOLLIES, book by James Goldman, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Filmed in the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre, South Bank, London. I have not talked about the National Theatre Broadcasts before but felt that one should not pass on mentioning the superlative production by Dominic Cooke of the iconic and monumental, legendary, Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman American Musical, FOLLIES, screened this past weekend at some selected cinemas. FOLLIES was first produced in 1971 on Broadway, Directed by Harold Prince and Michael Bennett. It won some seven Tony Awards but closed after only 500…

Photo by Bob Seary New Theatre presents SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Libretto by Hugh Wheeler, at the New Theatre, King St, Newtown, 18 November to 20 December. This New Theatre production of SWEENEY TODD is worth catching. This is the fifth live production of SWEENEY TODD, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, A Musical Thriller, that I have seen. It is the fourth production of it that I have seen in Sydney. I first saw it In New York with the original cast, in 1979, with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury,…

Photo by Michael Francis Squabbalogic Independent Music Theatre’s production of SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Conceived and Originally Directed on Broadway by James Lapine at the Reginald Theatre, the Seymour Centre, October 1 – 18. I loved my night at the Squabbalogic latest musical production, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, an Australian Premiere Season, at the Reginald Theatre, in the Seymour Centre. This is a homage to the musical genius of the most influential musical theatre artist alive today: Stephen Sondheim – he must be in his mid-eighties, or so, now. Imagine! I always hold Mr Sondheim in the…