RIALTO CHATTER: Bloomberg News on the iSondheim Cancellation

The Alliance Theatre announced yesterday the cancellation of its planned world premiere of iSondheim: aMusical Revue. iSondheim, with music by Stephen Sondheim and book and direction by James Lapine, was to begin performances April 15th.

Bloomberg News reports on some of the behind the scenes efforts that were made before the "plug was pulled" on the high-tech musical retrospective written and staged by James Lapine, a longtime Sondheim collaborator.

Lapine attributed the costs, which were to be relatively high for a musical revue, to the extensive use of images and film of the composer- lyricist. Sondheim was to be shown on screens "interacting" with the performers, commenting on his songs and shows. To read the Bloomberg News feature on the halting of the production click here.

The production was cancelled because of difficulties encountered by the commercial producers attached to the project, the Frankel/Viertel/Baruch/Routh group, in raising the necessary funds for the multi-media musical revue of Sondheim's life and career.

A representative of the group said, "The show's extensive technical requirements for film and multi-media projection required raising, what proved to be, an extraordinarily large amount of additional money; millions, actually, which was simply unavailable for a non-commercial production in the current economic climate. We regret the situation as the Alliance Theatre was ready, willing and able to fulfill their commitments for financing and infrastructure to stage this production. We intend to produce the show at another date."

Alliance Theatre Artistic Director Susan V. Booth said, "This came as heartbreaking news to us. We were very much looking forward to working with James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim on such an exceptional theatrical project, but we recognize the extraordinary challenges our partners were facing in their efforts to capitalize this production."

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.