Sondheim: A Musical Tribute was the title given to a benefit staged in March, 1973. American Musical and Dramatic Academy and the National Hemophilia Foundation first wanted to honor Harold Prince, but he declined, so they chose Stephen Sondheim. Sondheim thought it would be "merely a dinner," but it was actually a full-scale production with 33 performers and a 30-piece orchestra, staged on the set of the then-running A Little Night Music at the Shubert Theatre.
The director, Burt Shevelove, divided the show into four segments: Sondheim as lyricist, cut songs, comedy numbers and songs for women. Most of the cast had been associated with Sondheim at some point in their careers. The evening was recorded by Warner Brothers and released on a two-record set, affectionately known to Sondheim fanatics as "The Scrabble Album" due to the Scrabble tiles spelling out Sondheim's name on the cover.
Performance March 11, 1973 For the benefit of A.M.D.A. and The National Hemophilia Foundation Theatre Shubert Theatre Producer Kurt Peterson In association with Craig Zadan and Neil Appelbaum Director Burt Shevelove Choreographer Donna McKechnie Setting Courtesy of Boris Aronson Lighting Tharon Musser Costume Coordination Florence Klotz Musical Direction Paul Gemignani Musical Coordination Jonathan Tunick Special Arrangements Jonathan Tunick
Cast:
- George Lee Andrews
- Larry Blyden
- Susan Browning
- Len Cariou
- Jack Cassidy
- Dorothy Collins
- Steve Elmore
- Harvey Evans
- Hermione Gingold
- Laurence Guittard
- Pamela Hall
- Ron Holgate
- Beth Howland
- Glynis Johns
- Justine Johnston
- Larry Kert
- Mark Lambert
- Angela Lansbury
- Victoria mallory
- Mary McCarty
- Donna McKechnie
- John McMartin
- Pamela Myers
- Kurt Peterson
- Alice Playten
- Teri Ralston
- Chita Rivera
- Marti Rolph
- Virginia Sandifur
- Ethel Shutta
- Alexis Smith
- Tony Stevens
- Nancy Walker
Special Guests:
- Harold Prince
- Leonard Bernstein
- Jule Styne
- Burt Shevelove
- Diana Shumlin
- Sheldon Harnick
- George Furth
- James Goldman
- Mary Rodgers
- Goddard Lieberson
- Anthony Perkins
Musical Numbers:
- Overture
- Side by Side by Side
- Do I Hear a Waltz?
- Take the Moment
- If Momma Was Married
- America
- Something's Coming
- One More Kiss
- Broadway Baby
- You Could Drive a Person Crazy
- You're Gonna Love Tomorrow
- Love Will See Us Through
- Take Me to the World
- I Remember
- Silly People
- Two Firy Tales
- There Won't Be Trumpets
- Love Is in the Air
- Your Eyes Are Blue
- Marry Me a Little
- Pleasant Little Kingdom
- Too Many Mornings
- Me and My Town
- The Little Thigns You Do Together
- Lovely
- Getting Married Today
- Buddy's Blues
- Comedy Tonight
- Class
- So Many People
- Another Hundred People
- Happily Every After
- Being Alive
- We're Gonna Be All Right
- Beautiful Girls
- Liaisons
- I'm Still Here
- A Parade in Town
- Could I Leave You?
- Send in the Clowns
- Losing My Mind
- Anyone Can Whistle
- What Would We Do Without You?
- Side by Side by Side
Discuss this show in Sondheim.com's
community forum: Finishing the Chat... ››
“Assassins is about how society interprets the American Dream, marginalizes outsiders and rewrites and sanitizes its collective history. "Something Just Broke" is a major distraction and plays like an afterthought, shoe horned simply to appease. The song breaks the dramatic fluidity and obstructs the overall pacing and climactic arc which derails the very intent and momentum that makes this work so compelling...”
- Mark Bakalor
“I found [the Sondheim Celebration's Company] to be completely delightful. Almost all of the numbers excited and energized me, and most of the scenes were about as pitch-perfect as you can get. I just sat there with a big smile on my face the whole show.
Which is not to say that it is perfect...”
- popcornonmyknees
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