By Shannon Cuthrell
If the name “Stephen Sondheim” doesn’t ring a bell for you, maybe lyrics from works like “West Side Story,” “Sweeny Todd” and “Into the Woods” will. Sondheim, who is known for more than half a century of award-winning musical theatre compositions, will be celebrated by Lees-McRae College performing arts students in their production of “Sondheim on Sondheim” Thursday through Sunday at the Hayes Auditorium in the on-campus Broyhill Theatre.
The production consists of more than 40 Sondheim originals, along with video interviews from the peaks of his career where he talks about his work and process.
Through the interviews, Director Dr. Mike Hannah said the audience will develop a better understanding of how and why Sondheim came to write these influential tunes.
“The songs are little pieces of drama, mini-musicals themselves sometimes, which should appeal to people who know Sondheim and people who aren’t as familiar with his work,” he said.
The show will benefit more than just the audience.
Hannah chose this production to challenge his students in their performance development, and said they’ve “risen to that challenge admirably, learning some very complicated music in a relatively brief time.”
“If you know Sondheim, you’ll love this revue,” he added. “And if you don’t know Sondheim all that well, you’ll leave with a better appreciation for one of the masters of modern musical theatre.”
“Sondheim on Sondheim”
Tickets are only sold at the door, beginning one hour before show time. The musical is free for Lees-McRae students, faculty and staff, $12 for adults and $5 for children. Show dates and times are as follows:
Thursday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, February 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, February 28 at 2 p.m.
Visit LMC online for more information.
