Sondheim

The Internet. How did I live without it? Ordinarily, there's no way I would have known today was the 79th birthday of Stephen Sondheim. Power Line's Scott Johnson helped me avoid this oversight with a tribute to Sondheim and some valuable links, including one to the unsurpassed Zero Mostel singing Sondheim's "Comedy Tonight," from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1962). Sondheim wrote both words and music to this memorable piece of entertainment. Frankly, I have to agree with Mark Steyn that Broadway pretty much died somewhere around BC, that is "Before Cats" or, to put a date on it, about 1982. As one of the stars in the last wave of traditional musical theater in America, Stephen Sondheim has provided us with a wealth of extraordinary music and entertainment beginning in 1957 with his lyrics for West Side Story. Though some may scoff at the idea, I think musical theater is a significant measure of American cultural character and deserving of serious study. I wouldn't have said that thirty years ago when I was blinded by academic arrogance. Today, I know better, so I trust that Sondheim has enjoyed his day and taken some pleasure in knowing and reflecting on the happiness he has brought to us in the past half century.

The illustration for this post comes from my coveted copy of the original Broadway cast recording of West Side Story. I've owned this recording for about 50 years and would put it up against any remastered CD anytime, anywhere.