Stephen Sondheim’s 75th Birthday To Be Celebrated With Special Events and a Collectible
The work of the esteemed musical theater composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who will turn 75 on March 22, will be celebrated for 12 consecutive hours from 11am to 11pm on Saturday, March 19 in the Peter Jay Sharp Theater at Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street). Titled Wall to Wall Stephen Sondheim, the event will feature performances of his songs, excerpts from a number of his shows, and discussions with Sondheim and his collaborators.
Among the dozens of notables set to participate in the event are Karen Akers, George Lee Andrews, Christine Baranski, Barbara Barrie, Laura Benanti, Polly Bergen, Patricia Birch, Liz Callaway, Michael Cerveris, Melissa Errico, Raúl Esparza, Harvey Evans, Alexander Gemignani, Paul Gemignani, Joanna Gleason, Sheldon Harnick, Beth Howland, Judy Kaye, Charles Kimbrough, Marc Kudisch, Judy Kuhn, James Lapine, Richard Maltby, Terrence Mann, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Phyllis Newman, Bernadette Peters, Angelina Reaux, Frank Rich, Tony Roberts, Marti Rolph, Thomas Z. Shepard, John Weidman, Richard White, B.D. Wong, Eric Jordan Young, and Jerry Zaks.
Doors will open at 10:30am and admission is free. For a complete schedule, click here.
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The Museum of Television & Radio will honor Sondheim’s television work with a retrospective titled Good Thing Going: Celebrating Sondheim at 75. The series will run in both New York and Los Angeles from March 18 through July 3: NYC screenings will be held Tuesdays through Sundays at 2pm, with additional screenings on Thursday evenings at 5pm; L.A. screenings will be held Wednesday through Sundays at 2pm. Admission is included with the New York museum’s suggested contributions of $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and students, $5 for children under 14. Admission to the L.A. museum is free.
The MT&R is located at 25 West 52nd Street in Manhattan, NYC and at 465 North Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills, CA. For a complete schedule of screenings, click here.
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The Roundabout Theatre Company will host a 2005 Spring Gala honoring Sondheim with a musical tribute and presentation of the prestigious Jason Robards Award for Excellence in Theatre at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York on Monday, April 11, 2005 at 6pm. Roundabout has revived four of Sondheim’s musicals: Company, Follies, Assassins, and Pacific Overtures.
The musical tribute will be directed by Scott Ellis and will include performances by Christine Baranski, Polly Bergen, Harolyn Blackwell, Barbara Cook, Veanne Cox, Alan Cumming, Boyd Gaines, Victor Garber, Judith Ivey, Judy Kuhn, Marin Mazzie, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy and Bernadette Peters.
Tickets and tables for the April 11 event range in price from $1,000 to $50,000.
To purchase tickets or for more information, contact Steve Schaeffer, director of special events, at 212-719-9393 or via www.roundabouttheatre.org.
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It has also been announced that, to mark Sondheim’s birthday, Kurt Peterson — who appeared as Young Ben in the original production of Follies — and his company, James William Productions, are offering a limited edition reissue of the poster designed for Sondheim: A Musical Tribute. The event was held at the Shubert Theatre (on the set of A Little Night Music) on March 11, 1973; the distinctive Scrabble-themed logo of the poster is familiar to fans of Sondheim’s work.
This is the first time that the poster will be made available to the general public. It may be purchased through Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS by visiting www.bcefa.org or at Symphony Space’s Wall to Wall Stephen Sondheim salute on March 19. All proceeds will benefit BC/EFA. The poster is also available through the Triton Gallery, by calling 1-800-626-6674, or via www.broadwayposters.com.
