SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM Comes to PFW Next Month

Following the sad news of the death of legendary Broadway musical theatre composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim on Nov. 26, 2021, the Department of Theatre's upcoming production of Sondheim on Sondheim has taken on new importance. This live multimedia presentation, filled with over 40 songs, dances, and Sondheim's own reflections, will be an opportunity for legions of local fans and devotees to pay tribute to one of the most prolific and profound masters of the stage. The musical will run from Feb. 18-26, 2022, in Williams Theatre.

Few composers mastered the balance of music and lyrics as expertly as Stephen Sondheim, and his influence on musical theatre has been felt by many across the world. He penned lyrics for musicals like West Side Story and Gypsy and wrote the words and music to Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, and Into the Woods, among many others.

Sondheim on Sondheim also marks the retirement of one of the department's most creative and beloved faculty members, as this will be director Craig A. Humphrey's final production as a professor at Purdue Fort Wayne. During his 30-year career he either acted, directed, or designed costumes for 116 productions, and once even designed the set! All told, he has acted in seven plays and musicals, directed 27 productions, and designed costumes for 104 productions, pulling double duty for many of them.

Humphrey joined the department in 1991 as an assistant professor, designing the costumes for all five shows in the 1991-92 academic season. He eventually earned the title of associate professor of costume design and head of design technology. Some of his favorite costume designs during his university career include Funny Girl, Auntie Mame, Once Upon a Mattress, and Anything Goes.