Angela Lansbury, actor
I feel as if I was born into musical theater with Stephen literally holding my hand — because Anyone Can Whistle was my premiere performance in a Broadway musical. It was so unlike anything that had ever been seen on stage: it almost caused a riot. But then he was the enfant terrible of his time.
The only time I worked with him on a personal basis was when there was some question as to whether I would play Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd. The producer Harold Prince wired to ask if I would be interested and I wired back: “Who is Nellie Lovett?” The story was about the demon barber of Fleet Street, and I knew damn well that if I was going to go back to Broadway, it had to be in a starring role.
So I went to New York and Stephen invited me to his house to play me her first number, The Worst Pies in London. It is hilariously funny, and when he played it, he laughed so hard he couldn’t get the words out. I was on the floor. So between the two of us, we decided Nellie was going to be a very strong asset to Sweeney Todd, making it a great role for me to have a crack at.
He is a generous, warm-hearted person and his contribution to theater is immeasurable.
Rebecca Front, actor
I got into Sondheim, like a lot of actors, at drama school. He has always been loved by actors because a lot of people say you don’t need to be a fantastic singer to do some of the songs. It certainly helps if you are, but there are plenty of people who can deliver a Sondheim song without being an amazing vocalist, because so much is in the lyrics, and in how you deliver it, your breathing and intensity.
I used to write songs when I was a student and lyrics were my big thing. So obviously Sondheim became a hero because he is an amazing lyricist as well as an incredible musician. There aren’t that many people who can do both so brilliantly.
It was a dream come true performing in Company, one of the best jobs I’ve ever had. The show works on so many levels: George Furth’s story is fantastic, the dialogue is wonderful, and Sam Mendes put a really good production together. When we found out Sondheim was coming over, and was going to conduct masterclasses during preview week for us all, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. It was fantastic to listen to him saying things like: “I mean, I think that gag still works, does it work? You can always change it if you want to.” He was very relaxed and witty.
There is this myth that Americans don’t do irony. He completely stamps on that. He is ironic and sharp. Occasionally his tunes can sound romantic, but he undercuts things, musically and lyrically, which makes him sound cutting-edge. So long as irony is fashionable, Sondheim is going to be relevant.
Trevor Nunn, director
I never meant to leave putting on a Sondheim so late. I’ve always admired him and had tried to do a couple of productions before. So it was fantastically exciting to finally do one, A Little Night Music, at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London, where budgets are extremely tight.
I enjoy working in small theaters, though: We could be up close and personal, able to investigate and release all of the work’s Chekhovian ingredients.
I had talked to Stephen before rehearsals, and he agreed that Chekhov had been in his mind when he was writing it. Stephen came to a preview. It was electrifying: We were exhilarated, but worried that what we were doing wasn’t what he meant. He was very emotional and congratulatory, though, which was gratifying.
Stephen is a writer you can readily bracket with Shakespeare and Chekhov. He should not to be thought of as a writer of musicals, but as a writer of theater who understands all its possibilities, and who has extraordinary wit and insight into character. As we enter the 21st century, his status as one of the greats is absolutely secure.
John Logan, writer
I saw the original production of Sweeney Todd on Broadway when I was at high school, and it was one of the transformative events of my young theater-going life. It was one of those shows that stayed with you for ever. I’ve talked to tonnes of people who feel the same way. So it was humbling to work on the film version, to explore the depth of the score, narrative and characters with Stephen himself.
We became friends while working on the film, spending a lot of time together in London where it was shot. We stayed at the same hotel and went to the theater every night, because there is no more carnivorous theater animal than Stephen: He sees everything, and he tired me out, believe me. In his avuncular way, he kept nudging me and saying: “You’re such a good playwright, you should get back into it.”
So I wrote Red, about Mark Rothko. It was at the Donmar and is about to open on Broadway. I dedicated it to him. “To Stephen Sondheim,” it reads, “for reminding me.” And what he reminded me is that I am a playwright.
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