Insight from the man himself
If you were given the chance to experience songs from all of Stephen Sondheim's shows, wouldn't you jump at it? Because that's exactly what Sondheim on Sondheim is presenting - an intimate portrait of the much-loved songwriter, in his own words and music.
Stephen Sondheim was a giant of the arts. As many people have said, by helping to forge the musical theatre landscape, he changed it forever, both setting and raising the bar for what is possible with live entertainment.
For Tyran Parke, directing Sondheim on Sondheim is a dream come true. “It’s my intention to direct every one of Sondheim’s 17 shows so, when I’m asked to direct them all in one night, with the best cast imaginable, it’s a no-brainer,” he told The AJN. “And to top it off, it’s narrated by Sondheim himself through footage across his life which feels very timely, having lost him last year.”
The cast features well-known Jewish musical theatre actor Josh Piterman, who said he and Parke had been looking for an opportunity to work together.
Piterman was also keen to sink his teeth into some Sondheim material.
“I think it’s safe to say that the depth and genius of Sondheim’s work is beyond words, or maybe he’d be the only one capable of writing the right ones, but his influence has been beyond profound,” Piterman justifiably gushed about the musical genius. “He made the genre and everyone in it and watching it, better for it.”
Piterman’s first lead role was as Tony in West Side Story, and he credits both Sondheim and the musical for shaping him as an artist. While Piterman says he wished he met Sondheim, Parke says he feels privileged to have known him.
“I was very lucky in that I knew Mr Sondheim and I always treasured our conversations for all they revealed about his genius, about art, about his humour and his humanity,” Parke said. “It feels like this is a way of him having a conversation like that directly with the audience.”
Originally produced on Broadway in 2010, Sondheim on Sondheim presents audiences with a bespoke selection of songs that delve into the songwriter’s personal life and artistic process. It features musical numbers from West Side Story, Company, Passion and Into the Woods, among others.
Both Parke and Piterman said it’s an absolute joy to be bringing the production to Australian audiences.
“[This is] the best material from the most significant composer of theatre music, performed by the best Australian performers we have. It is an all-star cast, and they get to perform with Sondheim who is wonderfully inventive in how he responds to them, via recorded material. It feels like he’s literally with us,” Parke said.
“His songs have never been sung better and never have they been explained and illuminated by the great man himself. It provides a unique insight into what it is to capture human behaviour through writing and, what it is to capture family, heartache and romance in your own life and turn it into sung material for the stage. Sondheim did that and this show reveals how.”
“I thoroughly look forward to seeing Australian audiences being back in the theatre supporting and experiencing magic which can only be found in a live theatre setting,” Piterman said. “It’s not just any magic though, it’s the kind that makes life worth living.”
After all, as Parke points out: “[Sondheim] is positioned alongside Mozart, Shakespeare, and Picasso for a reason!”
Sondheim on Sondheim is showing at the Capitol Theatre on March 28 and 29, and Hamer Hall on April 5 and 6. Book tickets.
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