Happy Birthday, Mr. S.!!

photo credit: Douglas Gorenstein

Can you believe Stephen Sondheim is 85 years old?!  I can't.  To me, he's forever the young turk, writing musicals to change the world.  So much of his work has brought me to tears, made me gasp with wonder, cheer with excitement or just plain marvel at his genius.  Let's celebrate his birthday together, shall we?  Here are some random musings on the birthday gent...

I once wrote a blog post about my very favorite plays and musicals - you can relive it HERE.  Because Sondheim's work dominated my favorite musicals list, I decided to make him his own separate category.  On that day, I chose Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Pacific Overtures, Passion and Follies.  That's a good list.  Though, if I were remaking that list today, I might replace one of those pieces with Merrily We Roll Along, which I've only come to recently and adore more and more each time I listen.  I love it.  Of course, I don't know which one off my list I'd remove.  :)

I'm not as familiar with Saturday Night, Anyone Can Whistle, Do I Hear a Waltz and The Frogs as I should be, I will fix that.  I love Into the Woods, laugh heartily at Forum and am still trying to unlock Company for myself.  I am forever quoting his lyrics - there are very few questions in life that can't be answered with a quote from Mr. S.  A current favorite? "If you have no expectations, you can never have a disappointment."

I remember that one of the first shows I saw when I moved to New York was the revival at Circle in the Square of Sweeney Todd.  Loved it, obviously.  I also loved the revival with Michael Cerveris.  Well, let me be a little more explicit.  I saw it once and was confused by the conceit.  I saw it again and thought, this is pretty cool.  I saw it a third time (thank you generous Tony voter friends!) and felt like I was on the most delicious theatrical roller coaster of all time.  Loved.

I remember standing in line outside Playwrights Horizons every day for a week (I lived in Ohio at the time, so I was in NY for a vacation), trying to get in to see the original production of Assassins.  I didn't get in.  I bought the cast album and listened to it obsessively, completely gobsmacked by its audacity. The stinging truth in the songs and then his generosity as a collaborator, allowing a massive (and genius) book scene to take up residence as the centerpiece of the musical's ending.  Fantastic.

I remember finally seeing Pacific Overtures.  I saw it twice at Roundabout.  The first time, I was up in the balcony and just got shivers when the flags were unfurled over my head at the same time as "Please Hello" was tickling my brain.  The second time, I was at a table seat up front and started uncontrollably weeping during "Someone in a Tree," which could be the most perfect song yet written.

I remember seeing the Broadway production of Passion twice in one day because I couldn't let all that rapturous beauty go after the matinee, I had to experience it again right away.

I remember watching the documentary of the Follies concert and wishing for a time machine so I could go back and see the original cast, and so I could also go back and see that concert.  When I finally saw the show (the Roundabout revival), I cried so much during "Beautiful Girls" that my gentleman friend was embarrassed.  He was not my gentleman friend for long.  I actually had trouble breathing the second time I saw the most recent revival at the Marquis, it was so thrilling for me.

I remember seeing the revival of Sunday in the Park with George and starting to sob at the top of the second act and not stopping until I fell asleep at home.

I remember using "Epiphany" as my subject matter for my undergraduate lighting course final exam and the teacher asking me what the heck was going through my mind?  I said, hello, could any song be more dramatic and open for interpretation in all design?  Lighting design - not my strong suit.  But I got an A.

I remember sitting behind Sondheim and Weidman at the recent version of Road Show at the Public.  I loved how they were taking notes, still trying to make their show better.

There are many more thoughts, but maybe I should save some for Mr. S. and his 86th birthday!  I think that's what I'll do.  And I'll end with a quote that many many people use when talking about this lovely man and wonderful writer:  "give us more to see."

he's telling me to call him Steve.  I'm telling him I can't. :)