Sondheim! The Birthday Concert was a concert celebrating the 80th birthday of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. The concert was directed by Lonny Price and hosted by David Hyde Pierce. The event was performed at Avery Fisher Hall within Lincoln Center in New York City on March 15 and 16 in 2010. The New York Philharmonic accompanied performers including Michael Cerveris, Alexander Gemignani, Joanna Gleason, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Marin Mazzie, and the 2009 Broadway revival cast of West Side Story.[1][2][3]
| Sondheim! The Birthday Concert | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Concert |
| Directed by | Lonny Price |
| Presented by | David Hyde Pierce |
| Theme music composer | Stephen Sondheim |
| Opening theme | "Organ Prelude" from Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street |
| Ending theme | "Happy Birthday To You" by Patty and Mildred Hill |
| Composer | Stephen Sondheim |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Production locations | Avery Fisher Hall, New York City |
| Editors | Gary Bradley Laura Young |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 116 mins |
| Production company | Ellen M. Krass Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | PBS |
| Release | November 16, 2010 |
| Related | |
| Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration | |
It was broadcast as an episode of Great Performances on PBS on November 16 of the same year.[4] A DVD of the concert was also released.
Performances
editIn order of appearance
| Performer(s) | Song | Show | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York Philharmonic | "Organ Prelude" | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | — |
| "Birthday Overture" | — | — | |
| Karen Olivo and company of 2009 revival of West Side Story | "America" | West Side Story | Olivo played Anita in the 2009 revival of West Side Story |
| Alexander Gemignani | "Something's Coming" | Played John Hinckley in the 2004 revival of Assassins; Beadle Bamford in the 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd; Boatman/Dennis in the 2008 revival of Sunday in the Park with George; Addison Mizner in original off-Broadway production of Road Show | |
| Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley | "We're Gonna Be All Right" | Do I Hear a Waltz? | Mazzie: Played Clara in the original production of Passion; was a replacement for Rapunzel in the original production of Into the Woods |
| Victoria Clark | "Don't Laugh" | Hot Spot | Played Sally Durant Plummer in two productions of Follies; the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd in Concert.[5] |
| Nathan Gunn | "Johanna" | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Sweeney Todd in a production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street |
| Matt Cavenaugh, Jenn Colella, Laura Osnes and Bobby Steggert | "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow/Love Will See Us Through" | Follies | Cavenaugh: Henrik in the 2000 production of A Little Night Music Osnes: Beth in the HBO television documentary Six by Sondheim in 2013 |
| Nathan Gunn and Audra McDonald | "Too Many Mornings" | McDonald: Clara in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion; Beggar Woman in the Live from the Lincoln Center production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | |
| John McMartin | "The Road You Didn't Take" | Benjamin Stone in the original production of Follies; The Mysterious Man/Narrator in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods; Doctor Tambourri in a benefit concert of Passion | |
| Chip Zien and Joanna Gleason | "It Takes Two" | Into the Woods | Zien: The Baker in the original cast of Into the Woods Gleason: The Baker's Wife in the original cast of Into the Woods |
| Jim Walton | "Growing Up" | Merrily We Roll Along | Franklin Shepard in the original cast of Merrily We Roll Along; Anthony in the 1989 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd[6] |
| Mandy Patinkin | "Finishing the Hat" | Sunday in the Park with George | Patinkin: Georges Seurat in the original cast of Sunday in the Park With George; Buddy Plummer in a concert production of Follies Peters: Dot in the original cast of Sunday in the Park With George; the Witch in the original Broadway cast of Into the Woods;[7] Rose Thompson Hovick in the 2003 revival of Gypsy; Desiree Armfeldt in the first Broadway revival of A Little Night Music; Sally Durant Plummer in the 2011 revival of Follies |
| Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters | "Move On" | ||
| George Hearn and Michael Cerveris | "Pretty Women" | Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street | Hearn: Sweeney Todd in several productions of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Cerveris: Sweeney Todd in the 2005 Broadway Revival of Sweeney Todd; John Wilkes Booth in the Original Broadway Production of Assassins; Giorgio in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion; Wilson Mizner in the 2008 Off-Broadway production of Road Show[8] LuPone: Mrs. Lovett in the 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Joanne in several productions of Company; Fosca in the Lincoln Center concert of Passion;[9] Rose Thompson Hovick in the 2008 revival of Gypsy |
| George Hearn, Michael Cerveris, and Patti LuPone | "A Little Priest" | ||
| New York Philharmonic, Blaine Hoven, María Riccetto[10] | "Goodbye For Now" | Reds | — |
| Laura Benanti | "So Many People" | Saturday Night | Cinderella in the 2002 revival of Into the Woods; Gypsy Rose Lee in the 2008 revival of Gypsy |
| David Hyde Pierce | "Beautiful Girls" | Follies | — |
| Patti LuPone | "The Ladies Who Lunch" | Company | See above |
| Marin Mazzie | "Losing My Mind" | Follies | See above |
| Audra McDonald | "The Glamorous Life" | A Little Night Music | See above |
| Donna Murphy | "Could I Leave You?" | Follies | Fosca in the original production of Passion |
| Bernadette Peters | "Not a Day Goes By" | Merrily We Roll Along | See above |
| Elaine Stritch | "I'm Still Here" | Follies | Joanne in the original production of Company; Played Hattie Walker in a concert production of Follies |
| Company | "Sunday" | Sunday in the Park with George | — |
| "Happy Birthday" | — | — |
References
edit- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Benanti, Gleason, Pierce, Stritch, Walton, Zien Join Philharmonic Sondheim Celebration" Archived August 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill.com, January 8, 2010
- ^ Ross, Blake. "About Last Night: The Stars on Sondheim" Archived October 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill, March 16, 2010
- ^ Gans, Andrew and Hetrick, Adam. "Sondheim! The Birthday Concert DVD, with Patti LuPone and Bernadette Peters, Arrives Nov. 16", Playbill, November 16, 2010, accessed October 31, 2016
- ^ Hetrick, Adam."Starry Sondheim: The Birthday Concert Airs on "Great Performances" Nov. 24" Archived August 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Playbill, November 24, 2010
- ^ "'Sweeney Todd in Concert' with LuPone & Hearn Arrives on DVD May 14". Playbill. 2002-05-14. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ "Sweeney Todd – Broadway Musical – 1989 Revival | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ "Into the Woods – Broadway Musical – Original | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ Hetrick, Adam (2008-12-28). "Sondheim's Road Show Ends Limited Public Theater Run Dec. 28". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ Isherwood, Charles (2005-04-01). "Sondheim on Romantic Love: A Consolation and a Curse". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
- ^ Haun, Harry (2010-03-16). "The Glamorous Life: Stars Come Out for Sondheim at Philharmonic". Playbill. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
External links
edit- Sondheim! The Birthday Concert on IMDb
- Special Events at the Sondheim Database