Sondheim On Sondheim Preps Broadway Debut

By Joshua Jezioro, Broadway Magazine

Easily the most influential musical theatre artist in Broadway history, Stephen Sondheim is already represented on Broadway with revivals of West Side Story and A Little Night Music. This spring, Broadway fans will get an in depth look at one of the true legends of the American theater as Roundabout Theater's Sondheim on Sondheim begins previews at Studio 54 on March 19th, with an official opening April 22nd. Broadway.tv and Broadway Magazine caught up with the cast during a recent press event.

In addition to weaving some of Stephen Sondheim's biggest hits and lesser-known tunes together, exclusive interview footage with the man himself is incorporated into this brand new Broadway musical. Far from your typical musical revue, this show is wildly ambitious, but the cast is hopeful it will succeed. "I think it's going to work, I really do," said headliner Barbara Cook.

Broadway Show: Sondheim On Sondheim

An all-star cast was brought on board to perform, including Cook, Vanessa Williams (who starred in the latest revival of Sondheim's Into the Woods), and Tom Wopat. Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, and Matthew Scott round out the cast.

Sondheim's resume reads like a list of all-time greatest musicals: Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods, Company, Assassins, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, and lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.

And fans can expect a diverse list of songs from those shows and more. "We really do everything," said Leslie Kritzer.

Matthew Scott agreed: "You have to understand, you're doing a retrospective of a man who's written a lot of stuff!"

The show was conceived by director James Lapine, who is of a veteran of many Broadway productions of Sondheim's musicals, including Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Passion.

"It seemed like a bit of a no brainer," Wopat said when he was asked to join Cook and Williams in the cast.

Audiences can expect to hear from all eight members of the talented ensemble. "Everybody has equal weight; we're all doing wonderfully and love working with each other," said Williams.

Although the cast says the work is constantly changing, things look incredibly promising as they finish putting together this particular hat. Of course, as the master wrote 'Art isn't easy.'

"We've just finished three weeks of rehearsal, and it's crudely done in this strange room, bad lighting. But there's so much that works already. A lot of it's very moving," said Cook.

Innovative and packed with talent, Sondheim On Sondheim could well prove a stage-worthy exploration of one of the most brilliant artists in the history of Broadway. Previews start March 22.

Check out the entire video feature with the cast of Sondheim On Sondheim right now on Broadway.tv.