West End theatres to dim lights in tribute to Stephen Sondheim
The composer passed away aged 91-years-old
Last updated 29th Nov 2021
London's West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm today (29th November) to pay tribute to late composer Stephen Sondheim.
The composer and lyricist, famous for creating the musical Sweeney Todd, was described as one of theatre's "greatest geniuses" after his death aged 91 years old on Friday.
Six of his musicals won Tony Awards and he also received a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, five Olivier Awards and he was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Honour.
In the 1950s Mr Sondheim he became known for his work when penned the words for West Side Story and Gypsy.
He wrote the majority of his most famous works through the 70s and 80s, including Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods.
Mr Sondheim's legacy is also commemorated with theatres both on Broadway and in the West End named after him.
Theatrical producer Sir Cameron Mackintosh, who renamed his Queen's Theatre venue after the composer in 2019, said theatre had "lost one of its greatest geniuses and the world has lost one of its greatest and most original writers".
Looking back at some of Mr Sondheim's greatest musicals:
West Side Story
Based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story takes the classic love tragedy to the streets of New York in the middle of the 20th Century. With the Montagues and Capulets replaced as rival gangs the Jets and the Sharks who come from different ethnic backgrounds. In this story one of the former Jets, Tony, falls in Love with Maria, who happens to be the sister of the Sharks' leader Bernardo.
The show opened on Broadway in 1957 and a film adaptation soon followed in 1961. Stephen Sondheim wrote the lyrics for West Side Story alongside Leonard Bernstein, who wrote the music. So many of the show's musical numbers are now theatre classics including 'Maria', 'Tonight', 'America' and 'I Feel Pretty'.
In December 2021 a new film adaptation of the show will be released with Steven Spielberg directing!
Gypsy
In 1959, Ethel Merman starred in Gypsy: A Musical Fable on Broadway. Now just known as 'Gypsy', the musical has Stephen Sondheim working as a lyricist with Jule Styne penning the tunes. The book was by Arthur Laurents and is based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, an American striptease artist.
The show puts the focus mainly on Gypsy's mother, Rose who in the musical is an incredibly pushy stage mother. The show includes some fantastic numbers including 'Everything's Coming up Roses', 'Let Me Entertain You' and 'Rose's Turn'. There have been numerous revivals of the show that would cast theatre legends in the role of Mama Rose, including Angela Lansbury, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Imelda Staunton.
There have been two film adaptations of the show including the 1993 TV movie starring Bette Midler as Rose.
Company
1970 saw the opening of Stephen Sondheim's first collaboration with director Hal Prince, which was the musical Company. This musical centres around Robert, a single man in his thirties who can't seem to commit to a relationship. The musical was one of the first to deal with real adult themes. The show's music is distinctly Stephen Sondheim as the opening number starts with the dissonance from the calls to Bobby.
The show has an incredible score from the very beginning with its distinct overture to its brilliant numbers 'Getting Married Today', the iconic 'Ladies Who Lunch' and the brilliant 11 o'clock number 'Being Alive'.
There have been a couple of revivals of this show but most recently was the 2018 West End revival where Rosalie Craig starred as a gender-swapped Bobbie. The revival was due to open on Broadway in 2020 with Patti returning and Katrina Lenk in the leading role.
Follies
A theatre that was once home to Weismann's Follies between the World Wars is now facing demolition. The former performers reunite to pay tribute to the old building they used to perform in. The show explores the unhappy two of the former showgirls have with their respective partners.
With some incredible songs including 'Broadway Baby', 'Too Many Mornings' and 'Losing my Mind' Follies stands as a beautiful musical.
A Little Night Music
Set in Sweden in 1900, A Little Night Music tells the stories of multiple couples who spend "a weekend in the country". Much of the music in the show is set to waltz time.
There have been many productions of this show but one of the most recognisable would be the 1995 revival done by the National Theatre. The production starred Judi Dench as Desiree and includes her phenomenal performance of 'Send in the Clowns' which was the perfect marriage of brilliant writing and phenomenal acting!
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
In 1979 Stephen Sondheim's most operatic show, Sweeny Todd opened on Broadway. Compared to many of Sondheim's other works this got a whole lot darker as it tells a story of murder, revenge and cannibalism! While the original tales of Sweeney Todd come from Victorian fiction Sondheim's version is based on a 1973 play by Christopher Bond.
The show opens with the brilliant 'The Ballad of Sweeney Todd' and has other brilliant songs such as 'The Worst Pies in London' and 'A Little Priest'. The show went on to win a Tony Award and Olivier Award for best musical as well as getting a film adaptation in 2007!
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George was Stephen Sondheim's first collaboration with director James Lapine. The story is inspired by the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte and its painter George Seurat.
The original production opened off-Broadway in 1983 and starred Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters. The show includes some great songs including 'Sunday' and 'Finishing the Hat' the latter song was also the title for Sondheim's 2010 book of annotated lyrics.
A revival starring Jake Gyllenhaall as George opened on Broadway in 2017, the production is due to transfer to the West End later this year, but it has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Into the Woods
Sondheim's next collaboration with James Lapine would bring together the worlds of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales including Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood. The show was a success and managed to bag a few Tony Awards despite having to compete against the Phantom of the Opera.
For many of us the line 'once upon a time' will make us instantly think of the start of this show's brilliant prologue. The show is plenty of fun and includes the songs 'Giant in the Sky', 'On the Steps of the Palace' and the beautiful finale number, 'Children Will Listen'.
In 2014, Disney released a film adaptation starring Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, James Corden and Anna Kendrick.
Assassins
"Come here and kill a president!" In 1990, Assassins opened Off-Broadway. The show is in a semi-revue format and is put into the style of an American carnival, the characters are all people from history who tried to assassinate the President of the United States. The Balladeer narrates as all the assassins tell the stories of how they succeeded or failed to kill the president of their respective time period.
The show may be one of Sondheim's lesser-known works but it still packs a great punch with the song 'Unworthy of Your Love' popular amongst theatre fans.
While the original production was met with mixed reviews the 2004 revival on Broadway fared better and received five Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Musical.