Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

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Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration
GenreMusical benefit concert
Directed byPaul Wontorek
Opening theme"Prologue" from Follies
Ending theme"I'm Still Here" from Follies
ComposerStephen Sondheim
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers
  • Mary-Mitchell Campbell
  • Bill Curran
  • Raúl Esparza
  • Paul Wontorek
ProducerRaúl Esparza
Production locationVirtual
AnimatorRyan Casey
Editors
  • Jim Cocoliato
  • Alexander Goyco
  • Mike Karns
  • Nick Shakra
  • Ryan Simmons
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time143 minutes
Production companyBroadway.com
Original release
NetworkSyndication
ReleaseApril 26, 2020 (2020-04-26)
Related
Sondheim! The Birthday Concert

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration was a virtual concert celebrating the 90th birthday of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. The event also served as a fundraiser for Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).[1]

Hosted by Raúl Esparza,[1] whose appearances were curtailed due to technical difficulties, the concert featured many celebrities with ties to Sondheim singing his songs, alongside others offering birthday greetings between performances.[2][3][4]

Context and timing[edit]

The April 26, 2020 livestream date coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening night of the original Broadway production of Company. The 2020 Broadway revival of that show, originally slated to open March 22 on Sondheim's birthday proper, had been scuttled by the closure of all Broadway productions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Performances[edit]

In order of appearance

Performer(s) Song Show Significance
Stephen Schwartz "Prologue" Follies Fellow Broadway composer
Broadway musicians "Overture" Merrily We Roll Along
Sutton Foster "There Won't Be Trumpets" Anyone Can Whistle Nurse Fay Apple in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle
The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl
Neil Patrick Harris "Prologue" (The Witch's rap) Into the Woods Lee Harvey Oswald / The Balladeer in the original Broadway production of Assassins
Bobby in the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert of Company
Tobias Ragg in the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Charles in the 2001 recording of Evening Primrose

Baker in the 2022 Encores! production of Into the Woods

Kelli O'Hara "What More Do I Need?" Saturday Night Young Hattie/Ensemble in the Broadway revival production of Follies
Judy Kuhn "What Can You Lose?" Dick Tracy (film) Fosca in the Off-Broadway production of Passion
Katrina Lenk "Johanna" Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Bobbie in the third Broadway revival production of Company
Aaron Tveit "Marry Me a Little" Company John Wilkes Booth in the West End revival production of Assassins
Bobby in the Barrington Stage Company production of Company
Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt "It Takes Two" Into the Woods Mary Flynn and Charley Kringas respectively in the upcoming film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along
Brandon Uranowitz "With So Little to Be Sure Of" Anyone Can Whistle Addison Mizner in the Encores! concert of Road Show
Melissa Errico "Children and Art" Sunday in the Park with George Dot/Marie in the Washington, D.C. production of Sunday in the Park with George
Clara in the Off-Broadway production of Passion
Leona Samish in Encores! concert of Do I Hear a Waltz?
Her 2018 recording Sondheim Sublime
Randy Rainbow "By the Sea" Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Adapted musical parodies of Into the Woods "Prologue" and Follies "God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" for political satire
Elizabeth Stanley "The Miller's Son" A Little Night Music April in the second Broadway revival of Company
Gussie Carnegie in the Encores! concert of Merrily We Roll Along
Mandy Patinkin "Lesson #8" Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat/George in the original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George
Buddy Plummer in Lincoln Center's Follies in Concert
Maria Friedman "Broadway Baby" Follies Dot/Marie in the original West End production of Sunday in the Park with George
Fosca in the original West End production of Passion
Mary Flynn in a London production of Merrily We Roll Along
Directed a West End revival of Merrily We Roll Along
Lin-Manuel Miranda "Giants in the Sky" Into the Woods Fellow Broadway composer
Charley Kringas in the Encores! concert of Merrily We Roll Along
Lea Salonga "Loving You" Passion The Witch in the Singaporean production of Into the Woods
Mrs. Lovett in the Philippines production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Performer in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

Laura Benanti "I Remember" Evening Primrose Cinderella in the Broadway revival production of Into the Woods
Louise in the fourth Broadway revival of Gypsy'
Anne in the Los Angeles Opera production of A Little Night Music
Chip Zien "No More" Into the Woods The Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods
The Mysterious Man in the Central Park production of Into the Woods
Josh Groban "Children Will Listen" / "Not While I'm Around" Into the Woods / Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Covered the aforementioned songs on his album Stages

Sweeney Todd in the third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Brian Stokes Mitchell "The Flag Song" Assassins (cut song) Sweeney Todd in the Encores! concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Cast member in Library of Congress concert version of The Frogs
Michael Cerveris "Finishing the Hat" Sunday in the Park with George John Wilkes Booth in the original Broadway production of Assassins
Sweeney Todd in the third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Wilson Mizner in the Off-Broadway production of Road Show
Giorgio Bachetti in the Kennedy Center and Live from Lincoln Center productions, and Tenth Anniversary Concert of Passion
Count Carl-Magnus in a regional production of A Little Night Music
Giorgio, Georges/George, and J. Bowden Hapgood, at the Ravinia Festival Concerts of Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, and Anyone Can Whistle respectively
Linda Lavin "The Boy From..." The Mad Show Cast member of The Mad Show
Rose (replacement) in the second Broadway revival of Gypsy
Hattie Walker in Kennedy Center production of Follies
Alexander Gemignani "Buddy's Blues" Follies John Hinckley in the original Broadway production of Assassins
Beadle Bamford in the second Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Lieutenant Torasso in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion
Boatman/Dennis in the first Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George
Addison Mizner in the Off-Broadway production of Road Show
Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma "Someone In a Tree" Pacific Overtures Cast members of the Off-Broadway revival cast of Pacific Overtures

Harada: Jack's Mother in the 2022 Encores! Production of Into the Woods and replacement for Jack's Mother in the 2023 Broadway revival

Raúl Esparza "Take Me to the World" Evening Primrose Georges Seurat/George in the Sondheim Celebration production of Sunday in the Park with George
Charley Kringas in the Sondheim Celebration production of Merrily We Roll Along
Bobby in the second Broadway revival production of Company
Hapgood in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle
Wilson Mizner in the Encores! concert of Road Show
Donna Murphy "Send In the Clowns" A Little Night Music Fosca in the original Broadway production of Passion
Phyllis Rogers Stone in the Encores! concert of Follies
Mayoress in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle
The Witch in the Central Park production of Into the Woods
Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald "The Ladies Who Lunch" Company Baranski: Clarisse in the original Off-Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George; Mrs. Lovett in the Sondheim Celebration production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Cinderella's Stepmother in the film adaptation of Into the Woods; Phyllis in the London production of Follies; Carlotta Campion in the Encores! concert of Follies
Streep: The Witch in the film adaptation of Into the Woods, Ensemble member in original production of The Frogs.
McDonald: Clara in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion; Beggar Woman in the Live from Lincoln Center production and New York Philharmonic concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Clara and Nurse Fay Apple at the Ravinia Festival Concerts of Passion and Anyone Can Whistle respectively
Jake Gyllenhaal "Move On" Sunday in the Park with George Georges Seurat/George in the second Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George
Annaleigh Ashford Dot/Marie in the second Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George

Mrs. Lovett in the third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Patti LuPone "Anyone Can Whistle" Anyone Can Whistle Mrs. Lovett in the New York Philharmonic concert and third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Fosca in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion
Rose in the fourth Broadway revival of Gypsy
Joanne in the New York Philharmonic concert, second West End, and third Broadway revivals of Company
Mrs. Lovett, Desiree Armfeldt, Fosca, Yvonne, Cora Hoover Hooper, and Rose in the Ravinia Festival concerts of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Anyone Can Whistle, and Gypsy respectively
Bernadette Peters "No One Is Alone" Into the Woods Dot/Marie in the original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George
The Witch in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods
Fay in the 1995 Carnegie Hall concert of Anyone Can Whistle
Rose in the third Broadway revival of Gypsy
Desiree (second replacement) in the second Broadway revival of A Little Night Music
Sally in the third Broadway revival of Follies
One of the main performers in the 2013 Sondheim revue A Bed and A Chair: A New York Love Letter
Recorded the albums Sondheim, Etc. – Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall and Sondheim Etc., Etc. Live At Carnegie Hall: The Rest of It

Performer in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends

Company "I'm Still Here" Follies

Other appearances[edit]

In order of first appearance

Individual Significance Notes
Emily Dale Griffin Sutton Foster's daughter
Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris Neil Patrick Harris's son Featured in The Witch's rap
Harper Grace Burtka-Harris Neil Patrick Harris's daughter Featured in The Witch's rap
Victor Garber Anthony Hope in original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
John Wilkes Booth in the original Off-Broadway production of Assassins
Ben Stone in the Encores! concert of Follies
Iain Armitage
Steven Spielberg Director of film adaptation of West Side Story
Lonny Price Charley Kringas in the original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along
Director of productions of Sweeney Todd, Company, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, and Anyone Can Whistle
Joanna Gleason Baker's Wife in original Broadway production of Into the Woods
John Weidman Librettist of Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show
Jason Alexander Joe Josephson in original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along
Nathan Lane Co-librettist of and Dionysus in The Frogs, Pseudolus in the Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Real, Evan (April 26, 2020). "Watch Live: Meryl Streep, Patti LuPone and More Stars Pay Tribute to Stephen Sondheim". The Hollywood Reporter. Billboard-Hollywood Reporter Media Group. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Willman, Chris (April 27, 2020). "Meryl Streep, Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald and More Salute Stephen Sondheim in Birthday Tribute". Variety. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  3. ^ McNulty, Charles (April 27, 2020). "Stephen Sondheim's 90th birthday bash reminds us why his music remains so radical". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Brantley, Ben (April 27, 2020). "Review: For Sondheim's 90th Birthday, a Collage of Aching Voices". The New York Times. Retrieved May 1, 2020.

External links[edit]