3Below Theatres & Lounge to Produce SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM as its Premiere Live Stage Show

Take a stroll into the mind of a master. Hailed as "a funny, affectionate and revealing tribute to musical theater's greatest living composer and lyricist," Sondheim on Sondheim is being produced for the first time since 2015 at downtown San Jose's newest entertainment venue, 3Below Theaters & Lounge, Jan. 18-Feb. 4.

Video footage plays an integral part in this live stage production. Through exclusive interviews, audiences will get an inside look at the personal life and artistic process of the famed composer.

"When we received the video content that will accompany the actors in this production, Shannon and I both watched together and instantly felt like teens at the stage door waiting for an autograph from one's idol," said Scott Guggenheim who is co-directing and producing Sondheim on Sondheim with his wife and creative partner, Shannon Guggenheim. "Watching Mr. Sondheim in his living room, seeing his couch, what's on his walls, his mantle - it really made the 'theater geek' inside us rather giddy. We can't wait to share that kid-in-a-Sondheim-filled-candy-store feeling with our audience."

Who: Guggenheim Entertainment
What: Sondheim on Sondheim
When: Thursday, Jan. 18 - Sunday, Feb. 4, Thursday-Sunday 7:30 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 2 p.m.
Where: 3Below Theaters & Lounge, 288 S. Second Street, San Jose (on the corner of Second and San Carlos)
Tickets: $41-$58, https://3belowtheaters.com/events/sondheim-on-sondheim-3/, (408) 404-7711

Conceived and originally directed by Sondheim's decade-long collaborator James Lapine, 3Below's production is produced, directed and choreographed by Scott Evan and Shannon Guggenheim with musical direction by Stephen Guggenheim.

"I originally wanted this show to be titled: An Evening with Stephen Sondheim, but there was a concern that our New York audience would actually think that Sondheim himself would be on stage every night," said Lapine in his production notes from Mar. 26, 2012. "Of course, with Sondheim on Sondheim, Steve is there, and I know that when you get to the end of the show and your cast sings 'Anyone Can Whistle' accompanied by the master himself, you and your audiences will feel as if you have indeed spent an evening with Stephen Sondheim."

Both beloved and obscure numbers taken directly from the Sondheim songbook supplement the stories told by the stellar cast. Starring Amy Bouchard, Stephen Guggenheim*, Susan Gundunas*, Jeremy Kreamer*, Hayley Lovgren, Jim Ambler*, Martin Rojas Dietrich* and Theresa Swain, Sondheim on Sondheim showcases music from 19 of Sondheim's shows throughout its 100 minute production.

"At the callbacks for this production, we asked each auditioner to share their favorite Sondheim memory," said Shannon Guggenheim. "Perhaps the request could have been viewed as a device to weed out those actors not familiar enough with the material to be part of such a challenging new work, but we were pretty sure everyone in the room would be able to recount at least one defining moment when they fell in love with Sondheim. Not only did each person have a crystallized memory of the first time they were exposed to 'Sunday In The Park With George,' or when they realized 'Anyone Can Whistle' isn't about whistling at all, but they spoke with great reverence about how this master's compositions and lyrics have changed their life. They know what a privilege it is to be able to sing Sondheim's work and share the words and music with audiences equally enamored by the content, or even better, to introduce Sondheim to people unfamiliar with the remarkable anthology of songs we'll present in this revue."

Actor bios are available upon request.

*Member Actors' Equity Association

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