FLASH FRIDAY: Look, I Made A Musical - A Stephen Sondheim Retrospective

Modern-day master of musical theatre Stephen Sondheim is about to release the second book of his complete collected lyrics - covering mostly everything written in the last three decades and in this one so far, as well - titled after a line from what may very well be his ultimate masterpiece, the Pulitzer Prize-winning SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE - LOOK, I MADE A HAT; Collected Lyrics (1981-2011) with Attendant Comments, Amplifications, Dogmas, Harangues, Digressions, Anecdotes and Miscellany. So, today, we are going to be taking a look at a litany of the finest moments from Sondheim's post-SWEENEY TODD musicals that are highlighted in LOOK, I MADE A HAT and perhaps discover a few of the many reasons why Sondheim's musicals - whether late-period or early on- are the best of the best Broadway has to offer - now or ever. And, what an absolutely mind-blowing list it it - and what a masterpiece of a book!

The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened

Among the musicals covered in Stephen Sondheim's LOOK, I MADE A HAT: MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, the reverse-order showbiz saga which will be revived in early 2012 at Encores! starring Lin-Manuel Miranda; INTO THE WOODS, the adult fairy tale deconstruction for which Sondheim won a 1988 Tony Award for Best Score; the aforementioned George Seurat and all-over artistically-influenced SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE; the innovative and controversial vaudeville he calls the most perfect realization of his initial idea and inspiration for it, ASSASSINS; the dark and brooding musical rhapsody that is also a Tony-winning Best Musical, PASSION; as well as all about all four versions of the show that ended up as ROAD SHOW (although Sondheim states that his preferred title for the final version is now most probably STRIKE IT RICH!) as well as the songs for the films he has been involved with over the years - REDS, THE BIRDCAGE, the television musical EVENING PRIMROSE and others included - such as his Oscar-winning composition for Warren Beatty's DICK TRACY, "Sooner Or Later", originally sung by Madonna. Of special note to Broadway babies and Sondheim fans in general are the many obscure and previously unseen entries in the beautifully produced, oversized book - a generous portion of William Goldman's script for the as-yet-unproduced 1990s movie musical SINGING OUT LOUD (including my personal favorite Sondheim song of them all, "Water Under The Bridge"); numerous songs from the body-building-themed modern musical MUSCLE, which was being written with James Lapine before it was abandoned in favor of making PASSION a full, one-act evening; special holiday and celebratory songs (with some especially enjoyable and hilarious parodies - such as Sondheim's riff on Kurt Weill's "Saga Of Jenny" in his "Saga Of Lenny" homage for Leonard Bernstein's birthday and the GYPSY/"Everything's Coming Up Roses" parody in honor of the birthday of Arthur Laurents); and, believe it or not, much, much more! Perhaps the most instantly intriguing to hardcore fans will be the material from unproduced and abandoned projects - especially the Brecht adaptation Sondheim had begun work on with Leonard Bernstein, Jerry Leiber and John Guare based on Brecht's THE EXCEPTION AND THE RULE - A PRAY BY BLECHT; a very daring and experimental meta-musical set to star Zero Mostel that would have taken the alienation effect to a whole new level - musically, dramatically, thematically and otherwise. Also of special note are the songs he wrote for projects that were abandoned in the Early Stages for whatever reason - including pieces from musical adaptations of the P.L. Travers children's classic MARY POPPINS, Maxwell Anderson's HIGH TOR and Vincente Minnelli's THE CLOCK. Plus - most exciting of all - is the last line: "Time to start another hat."

So, let's take a look back at Stephen Sondheim's remarkable career in the last three decades and all of the exquisite joys and unforgettable musical moments he has given us.

Also, be sure to check back for my extensive new interview with Stephen Sondheim later this weekend! My interview with Sondheim on FINISHING THE HAT from this time last year is available here.

MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG

While the original production did not have a successful run and critics were inexcusably cruel to it, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG may very well be Sondheim's most hummable and showbiz savvy score of his later career. Possessing some of the most exhilarating orchestrations in musical theatre - by frequent Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick - the score for MERRILY aurally almost seemed to dance off of the disc in the case of the original cast recording. Those who only heard the album and missed the show live were left to wonder: how could this show not work onstage with this score? The backwards structure of the show and casting of young performers seemed to spell disaster and the show had not quite yet found its footing under the direction of Hal Prince in its original Broadway production by the time it opened. James Lapine, Sondheim's most notable post-Prince cohort, reworked the show throughout the 80s along with Sondheim and added a number of new songs and rewrote many others. The original version retrofitted with material from the new version actually went on to win the Best Musical prize at the Olivier Awards, but the reworked version is the one primarily performed and the Encores! version will follow the rewrite in many ways, supposedly. As with all theatrical entities, we will not know for sure until opening night!

So, let's kick off this Sondheim retrospective in the ideal way - with an overture! This is the overture of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG taken from the 1994 revival cast recording. Snappy and snazzy and jazzy and jubilant - it has everything a Broadway baby could ask for from an overture, for sure!

Next, let's take a listen to the original Broadway cast of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG - Liz Callaway and Jason Alexander included - singing the first version of the title song in the show (which is repeated many times throughout) followed by the original last scene/first scene following the wraparound "Hills Of Tomorrow" sequences - "Rich & Happy".

Now, take a look at the original Broadway production of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG and Ann Morrison singing the plaintive and touching ballad, "Like It Was", in it.

Singing a famous, pop-influenced ballad from MERRILY, here is Frank Sinatra doing "Good Thing Going" as only he could.

With a mind-blowing performance few who saw it live will ever forget, here we have musical theatre superstar Raul Esparza positively nailing one of the most difficult songs in all of Sondheim's complex canon, "Franklin Shepard, Inc." from the 2002 Kennedy Center revival of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG. Once you have caught your breath, the only word left to say is "Wow!"

Lastly in the MERRILY section of our discussion, here is the slick and stylish commercial for the upcoming MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG production at Encores! in February. Get your tickets now!

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Centering on the life and career of innovative artist and pointillism inventor George Seurat, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE contains many of Sondheim's most insightful and arresting views on the process of creation, the role of an artist in society and how to deal with the criticism that comes with being a creator. Acting as two-shows-in-one, SUNDAY presents moments from Seurat's life - as imagined by the authors - when he was creating his most famous painting, "A Sunday On The Island Of La Grand Jatte", in 1884, and, also, one hundred years later and his great-grandson's own quest for innovation - "something new" - in modern art. Originally starring Sondheim notables Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, SUNDAY went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for drama (an award afforded to very few musicals) and is considered by many to be in the very top tier of all of Sondheim's musicals. See the clips below for a few of the many, many reasons why.

First up, let's take a look at this fascinating mini-documentary on the writing of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, narrated by Dame Julie Andrews. How scary it is to imagine if Sondheim had followed through on his proposed plan to abandon musical theatre post-MERRILY and proceed to write mystery novels! After all, art isn't easy!

The original Broadway production of SUNDAY is available on video and DVD and is unquestionably an absolute must-see for any and all musical theatre fans. Here is the exceptionally emotional and eternally moving "Sunday" finale from the DVD.

Next, witness Raul Esparza plumbing the depths of George's complex emotions as Sondheim so brilliantly illustrates the creative process in one of his many single-song mini-masterpieces - and the oh-so-apropos title of the first volume of his collected lyrics - "Finishing The Hat" - as seen in the 2002 Kennedy Center revival of SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE directed by Eric Shaeffer.

In 2008, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE received its long-awaited Broadway revival in the form of a UK transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory production of the show starring Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell. See their Tony Awards performance here, where the two perform "Move On" complete with that production's revolutionary computerized, pixilated projections on full display.

With the most recent SUNDAY-related clip, here are original cast leads Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters re-teaming at last year's SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT celebration and recapturing the indescribable magic of more than 25 years ago right before our very eyes and ears.

INTO THE WOODS

While fairy tales have recently come back in vogue in a big way thanks to big screen treatments of the stories of Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White, as well as the two new small-screen TV series GRIMM and ONCE UPON A TIME, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine set out to do something quite unique with their adult fractured fairy tales take on the childhood hallmarks we have all come to know and love. Only Sondheim and Lapine would dare to do what they do in Act Two of the musical, which ostensibly explores, as the Narrator says, "Happily Ever After. Later."

Angela Lansbury narrates a slightly abbreviated version of the opening sequence of INTO THE WOODS at the 1988 Tony Awards here - followed by portions of the show's finale, "Children Will Listen" - starring the original Broadway cast - such that year's Tony-winner, Joanna Gleason - along with Phylicia Rashad, stepping in for Bernadette Peters as The Witch.

Like SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, the original Broadway production of INTO THE WOODS was preserved and is now available on video and DVD. Check out this Tony-winning performance by Joanna Gleason of the Baker's Wife's conflicted "Moments In The Woods" here. So, is it and or... or?

Here we have the 2002 revival production of INTO THE WOODS, starring John McMartin as The Narrator and Vanessa Williams as The Witch, performing a medley of "Children Will Listen" and the Act One Finale, "Ever After". Which Tony Awards performance do you prefer? Both certainly have their virtues - as did both the James Lapine-directed Broadway productions themselves.

Lastly, here are the original Broadway Baker and his Wife at last year's SONDHEIM! THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT, Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason, singing their sweet and witty duet, "It Takes Two".

ASSASSINS

Tackling perhaps the most controversial topic possible in America - that of presidential assassins and attempted assassins - Sondheim and book-writer John Weidman displayed dexterous and dangerous daringness in this no-holds-barred vaudeville depicting people who feel rejected by society. Containing some of Sondheim's catchiest songs to date - such as "Another National Anthem", "Everybody's Got The Right" and "Unworthy Of Your Love" - the show finally reached Broadway in 2004 under the expert direction of Joe Mantello.

First, be sure to sample the original Off-Broadway cast recording of ASSASSINS with this spine-tingling recording of the unsettling "Gun Song", sung by Terrence Mann, Victor Garber, Jonathan Hadary and Debra Monk.

See original Off-Broadway Booth, Victor Garber, alongside original Balladeer, Patrick Cassidy, in this clip from the 1992 SONDHEIM AT Carnegie Hall celebration concert here.

Next, we have a The Carpenters-esque love ballad from ASSASSINS taken out of context and used - by Sondheim himself - in the musical revue (or, as it was billed, review) PUTTING IT TOGETHER, performed in a particularly romantic and sexy way by John Barrowman and Ruthie Henshall.

Next, let's take a listen to the 2004 Broadway revival cast recording and hear Neil Patrick Harris, Marc Kudisch and James Barbour sing the Americana-influenced ditty "The Ballad Of Czolgosz". Just try to get that earworm out of your head - and it's quite a history lesson, at the same time, too!

The 2004 Broadway revival cast of ASSASSINS - led by that year's Tony winner for Best Featured Actor, Michael Cerveris; as well as Neil Patrick Harris, Denis O'Hare and many more - performed "Everybody's Got The Right" at that year's Tony Awards with risqué and quite riveting results. See it here - and, then, at the end, don't forget to duck!

DICK TRACY, PASSION, ROAD SHOW, Etc.

While ASSASSINS ended the 1980s for Sondheim in a big way - and, coming after INTO THE WOODS and SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, continued his shockingly creative period that began in the late 1960s - Sondheim next set his sights on the movies for two Hollywood projects: songs from Warren Beatty's film based on the comic strip, DICK TRACY, as well as an original film musical written with William Goldman, SINGING OUT LOUD. The latter unfortunately never got further than script stage, but, now - thanks to LOOK, I MADE A HAT - it is available to read by the general public for the very first time. Soon after his Oscar win for "Sooner Or Later" (performed by Madonna) from DICK TRACY, Sondheim set out to compose perhaps his most complex and rumiNative Theatre score to date, that of the Italianate Beauty & the Beast-themed dark love story, PASSION. The fifteen years that have followed that have seen him work painstakingly on the show that eventually became ROAD SHOW in 2009, as directed by John Doyle in its Off-Broadway production. Since ROAD SHOW, Sondheim has also contributed new material to the James Lapine-directed Broadway revue SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM - a composition appropriately titled "God" - and the future looks bright for another Sondheim masterpiece to be seen sometime in this new decade since he told me himself earlier today that, now that he has finished both books, he is investigating ideas for a new musical - or, as he says in the book's final line, "Time to start another hat."

Introduced by Billy Crystal, here is Madonna performing "Sooner Or Later" at the 1990 Academy Awards in her own striking, inimitable way. Not quite NC-17 - but awfully close!

Next, check out clips from the film itself in this official early preview trailer for DICK TRACY, which utilizes underscoring from Sondheim's tunefully addictive nightclub number, "More".

See Ruthie Henshall slay DICK TRACY's "More" in the DVD version of PUTTING IT TOGETHER here.

PASSION was broadcast as part of the PBS series LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER in 2007 starring Patti LuPone, Michael Cerveris and Audra McDonald. See the entire show here - starting with Part 1.

Finally, here is the original Broadway cast of SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM - Tom Wopat and Vanessa Williams being the two featured most prominently in this performance capture clip - singing a song from Sondheim's most recent musical, ROAD SHOW - "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened".

As a bonus, take a look at and a listen to the special version of "Putting It Together" penned by Sondheim for the opening of the 66th Annual Academy Awards, performed Bernadette Peters (with full lyrics finally available in LOOK, I MADE A HAT).

Hats off to the greatest musical theatre writer Broadway has ever known - Sondheim is, without question, the best thing that ever has happened to Broadway, as these clips clearly prove; as does LOOK, I MADE A HAT. Everybody rise!

So, make sure to pick up a copy of LOOK, I MADE A HAT when it is released on Tuesday - undoubtedly the must-own of must-owns as far as holiday gifts for any and every Broadway baby on Santa's shopping list is concerned!