Evening Eclectic December 12, 2021 A Tribute to Stephen Sondheim

Tonight on Evening Eclectic I am doing a tribute to Stephen Sondheim.  Sondheim died two weeks ago on the day after thanksgiving November 26^th. He won his initial fame as the lyricist for “West Side Story” in 1957, with music by Leonard Bernstein, and followed up by writing the lyrics for Jule Styne’s “Gypsy” in 1959. His primary achievement however lies in the works for which he created both music and lyrics, including “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” which we opened tonight’s tribute.

“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” was a huge hit opening for May 2^, 1962 at the Alvin Theater running for 7 previews and 964 performances and won the Tony Award for Best musical, the first for Stephen Sondheim.   But all of his shows were not big hits as his next musical “Anyone can Whistle” had only 9 performances on Broadway.  

We ended this set with music from Follies which ran for 522 performances and received the Tony for best musical score in 1972.  These songs were Broadway Baby and Losing My Mind

Before that were three songs from Company which ran 690 performances and receive the 1971 Tony for best Musical score and the 1971 Grammy for the best music from an original cast show album.  From Company you heard Being Alive  and Sorry Grateful by Brian Stokes Mitchell on Simply Broadway and The Little Things You Do Together.

Before that was one of 4 songs from the ABC TV show Evening Primrose broadcast on November 16, 1966 and that song was I Remember.  And we opened that set with the title song from the musical Anyone Can Whistle John Barrowman from his album Reflections from Broadway

Tonight is my tribute to Stephen Sondheim who died two weeks ago on November 26^th.  Sondheim was not immune from self criticism. In an interview he spoke about his lyrics to “I feel Pretty” from West Side Story. “I had this uneducated Puerto Rican girl singing ‘It’s alarming how charming I feel,’ ” he said that speaking like that she would have been more welcome in Noël Coward’s living room than among the Sharks gang  member in Harlem, referring to the prolific British wit and author.   Lets start the next set with probably Stephen Sondheim’s most famous and most covered song “Send in the Clowns” from his musical “A Little Night Music”.  This song was originally written specifically for limited voice of Glynis Johns, who sang it on Broadway so anyone can sing it.  “A Little Night Music” had a run of 12 previews and 601 performances from 1973-74 and Sondheim received an unprecedented third Tony award in a row for best musical score in 1973.  And a year after the musical had closed on Broadway, Judy Collins made it a huge hit.  

We opened the second hour of our tribute to Stephen Sondheim with songs from his musical Sunday in the Park with George.  It opened in 1984 and ran for 35 previews and 604 performances.  It won the Grammy for best musical score from a original musical theater album.  Lets listen to two songs from Sunday in the Park with George, first Putting It Together and then Color and Light.

Now Stephen Sondheim has written music and lyrics for song in other performance venues than Broadway musicals.  Earlier we played a song he wrote early in his career for the ABC television musical Evening Primrose.  But in 1990 he wrote 5 songs for Warren Beatty’s movie “Dick Tracy”.  One of these songs Sooner or Later received the Academy Award, the Oscar for best Song from a motion picture.  Now that means he was one award away television’s Emmy from the EGOT – Emmy, Grammy, Oscar & Tony.  But we should not feel sorry for him as he received the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for drama for “Sunday in the Park with George”.  In 1993, Mr. Sondheim received the Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime achievement, and in 2015 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.   Granted that honor was tarnished by similar awards given to very undeserving recipients by Obama’s successor in the White House.  And in 2008, he was given a Tony Award for lifetime achievement, and in 2010, in perhaps the ultimate show business accolade, a Broadway house on West 43rd Street, Henry Miller’s Theater, was renamed in his honor.   

Also included in tonight's Evening Eclectic Loving You performed by the Original Broadway Cast Of 'Passion' from the album Passion (Soundtrack from the Musical.  The 1994 musical Passion had 52 previews and only  280 performances before closing but did receive the 1994 Tony award for best score for a Musical.    Also included in tonight's show was The Ballad of Booth  from the musical Assassins.   Assassins was had its initial run off Broadway but received a Tony for Best revivals and revivals of his shows have won 3 Tonys.