Free Republic

A musical giant, a most controversial major figure, a leading musical theater composer in modern American music, and the man who is said to have reinvented the American musical died on November 26, 2021, aged 91. With his fifteen musicals for the stage, Stephen Sondheim was a sophisticated figure and product of Broadway, though not the most commercially successful one. On his death, lights on Broadway were dimmed for one minute in his honor. Sondheim, born of Jewish parents, who manufactured dresses, in New York City, was an aficionado of puzzles. His original ambition was to become a mathematician. He...

Dear, kindly Sergeant Krupke you gotta understand. It's just our bringin' up-ke that gets us out of hand. Our mothers all are junkies, our fathers all are drunks. Golly Moses, naturally we're punks. Gee, Officer Krupke we're very upset. We never had the love that every child oughta get. We ain't no delinquents, we're misunderstood. Deep down inside us there is good. There is good, there is good. There is untapped good. Like inside the worst of us is good. Oh, that's a touchin' good story. Oh well, lemme tell it to the world. Just tell it to the judge....

Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the beloved musical “West Side Story” finally began to screen for awards voters over the weekend ahead of its Christmas Day release. First reactions are pouring out as the film’s official premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles gets underway. Early reactions are offering praise for Spielberg’s direction and high marks for Rachel Zegler as Maria in her film debut. The musical premiered mere days after the death of Stephen Sondheim (who wrote the lyrics for the original production, with a book by Arthur Laurents and score by Leonard Bernstein) at the age of...

Theater lovers may want to tune into the 2022 Grammy Awards. A source tells us that Grammy producers have reached out to Barbra Streisand and asked her to perform a tribute to late musical theater great Stephen Sondheim for this January’s show. ******* Composer and lyricist Sondheim passed away on Friday at age 91. The iconic songwriter was known for “West Side Story,” “Follies,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods,” and more. A revival of his show, “Company,” is currently playing Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, and another of his shows, “Assassins,” is playing off-Broadway...

I wanted to note two birthdays this March 22: Happy 133rd birthday to Leonard (Chico) Marx. Happy 90th birthday to Stephen Sondheim

Isn't it rich? Aren't we a pair? You on the ground smoldering Me in mid-air. Send in the drones.