Stephen Sondheim is a musical genius. Most sane people know this and would definitely agree with me. Even if you don’t agree or can’t see his brilliance, you have to admit he’s got some talent. He’s written the music and lyrics for over 20 shows, and even has his own theater in NYC. His 80th birthday was celebrated at the BBC Proms, he’s won Grammys and Tonys, he’s received a Pulitzer Prize and he’s even been given the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Kennedy Center Honors. He was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II himself, and has written two books on his lyrics. Even at 85, he’s working on a new show.
I look up to Stephen Sondheim and consider him to be my favorite composer. My obsession for his music surpasses just about every other obsession I have. I already decided that if I ever get to meet him, I could die happy...but anyways, here are my top five favorite Sondheim musicals and why they are my favorites.
1. "Company"
Ah, "Company." The story is made from small vignettes that aren’t in any chronological order. The plot revolves around Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor on his birthday, and his friends, who happen to be five married couples. The small vignettes all revolve around his inability to be in a committed relationship, his friends and their not so happy marriages and the three women he happens to date.
One of the reasons this is my favorite show is that when it premiered, it was groundbreaking. "Company" is considered a beginning of the “modern era” of Broadway, with "Fiddler on the Roof" being the closing of the “traditional era.” The show wasn’t told in any sort of order, which hadn’t been done before. Today, things like it are seen everywhere. "Cats," anyone? But in 1970, when this show opened, it was historic. The plot was also groundbreaking in its own right. Sondheim said it best himself when he said, “Broadway theater has been for many years supported by upper-middle-class people with upper-middle-class problems. These people really want to escape that world when they go to the theater, and then here we are with 'Company' talking about how we're going to bring it right back in their faces.”
Another reason I love this show is the music and the lyrics. The lyrics in this show really dig down deep into relationships, why they happen, what makes them break and the longing of wanting someone to call your own. Sondheim almost seems to catch you in a web, and spins you in and pulls at your heartstrings. Most of the songs seem to be pretty simple, some with a little more complexity, and this makes the last song in the show so much more complex and heartbreaking.
The last song is "Being Alive," my all-time favorite piece of music ever. If you listen closely to the lyrics, Bobby is asking for something that everyone longs for. The harmonic structure is so light and thin in the beginning, when he’s just mentioning some things he’d like in someone to call his own. As we go through the piece, the texture gets thick and more strict, then suddenly, it’s almost like an explosion, and Bobby finally says that this is what he is looking for.
I personally dislike the Raul Esparza version, but this was the only GIF I could find.
The show is almost heartbreaking and really leaves you wondering after you watch it.
2. "Assassins"
This show is one of Sondheim’s lesser-known shows. It might seem kind of weird. You might look at the title and go, “'Assassins.' Really?” Yes, really. And the show is exactly what you might think it’s about. The overall scene: a carnival. The main game: a shooting gallery. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Until you realize the patrons are figures who have successfully assassinated our nation’s presidents and those who were not so successful.
If you’re a history buff, you’ll like this show. That and the whole reason for the show is one of the reasons why it’s one of my favorites. I learned so much about the history of the U.S. just by looking up who these people were. The idea of getting into the heads of assassins and why they might have done these things is so intriguing. Haven’t you ever wondered what someone was thinking when they did something so ridiculous? Well, this show dives right into it. It almost gives you an empathetic view of the assassins, while also providing a voice that speaks down upon them.
Another reason why I enjoy this show is the overall theme. The assassins are all aiming for one thing: The American Dream. It’s a common theme we see everywhere, from "The Great Gatsby" to "American Beauty," and it’s put into a different light in this show. It seems almost boring, but in a way, it’s extremely innovative. This time, instead of shedding light on the hero and their dream, we get to see the side of the “villain” and their version of the American Dream.
One last reason why this is one of my favorite shows is, of course, the music. Sondheim yet again just manages to catch you in a web. The opening is mysterious, using lines from "Hail to the Chief," and then you’re almost launched into a Southern feel. Then you’re tossed into a Sousa march with words put to it, and then you’re shot into another mysterious piece. This musical as a whole is just a rollercoaster, and if you see it, you might leave the theater a little dazed, if not in awe.
3. "Into the Woods"
One of Sondheim’s more popular musicals, thanks to the movie that came out this previous year, this show intertwines the beloved fairy tales we all know and love, including characters from Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel. The musical is tied together by an original story involving a childless baker and his wife and their quest to begin a family, their interaction with a witch who has placed a curse on them, and their interaction with the other storybook characters during their journey. The overall plot is extremely interesting and at times quite comedic, and just wonderful.
Besides the plot, another reason why this show is one of my favorites is the music. Throughout the show, there’s this consistent theme of staccato quarter notes, with almost an accented upbeat, and small motifs for each character that continually come back. One example is right in the beginning of the show. After the Narrator speaks “Once upon a time…” the quarter notes start instantly, providing almost an upbeat bounce throughout the prologue. “I wish” is also a notable motif that continuously appears throughout the show. From the beginning until the very end, the same “I wish” comes back from multiple characters. Another example is the fanfare. Whenever you hear the fanfare, you know that Cinderella is either running from the prince, or the princes are going to come on stage.
Another interesting aspect of the music is the way some speech is delivered. In many instances, the characters' lines are delivered with a fixed beat that follows natural speech rhythms, but is also purposely composed in eighth, sixteenth and quarter note rhythms as part of a spoken song. The major example of this is the witch’s “rap.” The rap is in the prologue, with underlying quarter notes. She talks about greens, greens and nothing but greens, but the speech is an extremely important piece of it and can also be seen in some of Sondheim's other shows, such as "Company."
The themes in this show also strike deep for me. A lot of people think the theme of the overall show is their actions and consequences, but really one of the major themes is moral responsibility. Sondheim himself says, “The second act is about the consequences of not only the wishes themselves but of the methods by which the characters achieve their wishes, which are not always proper and moral.” This theme runs deep, as you can see through many aspects of the second act. This can be seen in "Last Midnight," where the witch sings, “Had to get your Prince, had to get your cow, have to get your wish, doesn't matter how.” One of my other favorite Sondheim songs tells us "No One is Alone," and even this song parallels the theme of the second act. Though the song is extremely emotional in saying that we are not alone, it says, “Witches can be right, giants can be good. You decide what's right, you decide what's good.” The Baker and Cinderella sing this, and it’s almost a reflection on their actions.
One last reason I love this show is one particular scene where they completely break the fourth wall. The narrator goes to talk about the theme of morals in the show, and he quiets, noticing that all of the characters are staring at him. The characters get upset with him after he insists that this is his job (“Well, that's my role! You must understand, there must always be someone on the outside!”) and then throw him to the giant, and he gets squished. The scene itself is hilarious, until he does get thrown to the giant...
These musicals have all impacted me in many different ways. As I’ve gotten older, I seem to understand and appreciate even more and more. Take a moment and listen to these shows, you definitely won’t regret it.
