My first experience with the music of Steven Sondheim was in high school. I was discovering musicals beyond the scope of the usual fare - Rodgers and Hammerstein, Music Man, Annie, Cats - and a friend suggested that I purchase the cast recording of Into the Woods. I was immediately drawn in by the first notes of the prologue - “Once upon a time! I wish…” and have since then become a tried and true, dyed-in-the-wool Sondheim fan (much to the dismay of my mother who, at the time, preferred her musicals with tunes you could hum). From there, I went on to discover Company, Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd…all vastly different, but definitively Sondheim.
When the opportunity to helm this production of Side by Side by Sondheim for the Attic Theatre presented itself, I leapt at the chance to delve into the material, remaining true to the original intent for some, while reinterpreting others, giving them a fresh, new spin. During the casting process, I was drawn to performers who not only could sing the technical requirements inherent in Sondheim material but were also able to connect with the lyrics and tell the story. No junk, no baggage, no tricks. Just smart actor/singers whom with we, as the audience, would want to spend the next two hours. I wanted the audience to want to be invited to that party of “good and crazy people, my friends” up there, laying their emotions bare on the stage and giving it their all. I cast five of LA’s finest and brightest talents in the musical theatre scene (Jenny Ashman, Jennifer Blake, Joe Donohoe, Morgan Duke and Nick Sarando), and along with musical director Richard Berent (a self proclaimed Sondheim aficionado and godsend) we embarked on the process of taking a look at some of the pieces and presenting them in their original form. We needed to see the two sisters wondering what life would be like If Momma Was Married. An entire section was devoted to staging a Cliff’s Notes version of Company - from the opening number to Another Hundred People to Barcelona and ending with Being Alive. How could we not follow Bobby as he journeys into self discovery? A section celebrating the pastiche numbers in Follies is also featured. From Beautiful Girls - regal and hilarious (wait till you get a load of the Forbidden Broadway-esque riff on Follies hats created by Brad Griffith) which segues to snippets from Ah Paree, Buddy’s Blues and ending with a rafter raising Broadway Baby. Send in the Clowns, Comedy Tonight, You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow, I Remember, A Boy Like That/I Have a Love, Losing My Mind, The Boy From, The Miller’s Son, Pretty Lady - they are all there and faithful to the original intent.
But…
Could we take songs that were originally duets between a man and a woman and have it now be sung by two men as one of them desperately tries to hide his feelings for the other? Possibly. Could we update some other songs for audiences today - paying respect to the intricacies and depth of the lyrics, but setting them in modern day circumstances with current and relevant situations and emotions? Absolutely. Was I crazy? Would Sondheim-philes deem this blasphemous? Perhaps. But I found courage in one of the lyrics from Sunday in the Park with George: ”Anything you do, let it come from you. Then it will be new, give us more to see.”
Right on, Mr. Sondheim, we shall. Enjoy.
Side by Side by Sondheim runs March 12 through April 18 with performances Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Sunday at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased by calling 1-323-525-0661. Tickets are also available on Goldstar and Plays411. The Attic Theatre & Film Center is located at 5429 W. Washington Boulevard (between Hauser and Fairfax). www.attictheatre.org
In honor of Steven Sondheim’s 80th birthday (March 22), for a limited time, the Attic Theatre is offering $15 seats to those who call and order tickets through the box office. Just say “Happy Birthday Steve!” when ordering.
