The Stephen Sondheim Society

“Brush Up Your Sondheim” to feature Daniel Evans and Jonathan Kent

Peter Auker — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:19:38 +0000

We are thrilled to announce that Daniel Evans (Artistic Director of Sheffield Theatres) and Jonathan Kent (Director of the current West End hit production of Sweeney Todd) will be amongst the impressive line-up of Sondheim experts leading the activities at our Summer School, Brush Up Your Sondheim.

Anyone fortunate enough to book in time to secure one of the 60 places on the course will be guided through the activities by:
Scarlett Strallen, Jenna Russell, Danielle Tarento, Gareth Valentine, Richard Dempsey, Rupert Young, Cassidy Janson and Michael Jibson. (Michael Jibson appears subject to work commitments). Stuart Pedlar and Trevor Defferd will be our musical directors for the weekend.

The course will run at The Royal Academy of Music on the 21st and 22nd July, 2012. Tickets are £100 for two days, £60 for one day (reduced to £80 and £50 if you’re a member of the Society). You can book online by clicking HERE, or contact Lynne at sondheimsociety@sondheim.org if you wish to pay by cheque or bank transfer.

Festival prize for “Just Another Love Story”

Lynne — Sun, 13 May 2012 11:44:53 +0000

Congratulations to Ray Rackham and 2ndCompany Productions. Their Sondheim show Just Another Love Story which is running at The Brighton Fringe Festival has been awarded The Argus Angel Award for Artistic Excellence.

Members have a chance to see this acclaimed show at a special members’ only performance in London on the evening of Saturday June 16th. Don’t miss it. Contact sondheimsociety@sondheim.org for more information about the event.

Brush Up Your Sondheim – Summer School

Peter Auker — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:47:39 +0000

Make sure you book early for our Summer School at the Royal Academy of Music, Brush Up Your Sondheim, as places are limited to 60 for each day.

The school is for anyone interested in Sondheim – you don’t have to be an actor, musician or academic, and there will be a range of activities to suit everyone, from practical workshops to talks and lectures about Sondheim.

You will be led through the activities by such Sondheim experts as:

Richard Dempsey, Gareth Valentine, Danielle Tarento, Jenna Russell, Scarlett Strallen, Rupert Young, and Michael Jibson (subject to availability), plus others still to be confirmed.

Book online today by clicking on our “Shop” page: http://www.sondheim.org/shop
Prices are £100 for both days (non-members), £80 for both days (members) or £60 for one day (non-members), £50 for one day (members).

If you prefer, you can book by BACS Bank Transfer or by sending a cheque – please email Lynne at sondheimsociety@sondheim.org for details.

Sondheim Society Student Competition – special prices for members

Peter Auker — Wed, 09 May 2012 11:42:33 +0000

We’d just like to remind members that you can buy tickets for The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition (Queen’s Theatre, 27th May at 3.00pm) for the reduced price of £15 (£18 for members’ guests).

To take advantage of this offer, please email Lynne directly at sondheimsociety@sondheim.org . This offer is NOT available via the Delfont Mackintosh website or the Queen’s Theatre box office.

Lapine to produce new Sondheim documentary

Lynne — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:29:53 +0000

From The New York Post: “Coming next year is a documentary on Steven (sic) Sondheim. James Lapine of “Sunday in the Park With George” exec-produces. Material is on Sondheim’s life, fresh interviews he’s not given before, videos and new versions of his songs. Mr. Sondheim’s given it his blessing.”

Good news; shame Cindy Adams can’t spell Stephen Sondheim’s name correctly.

http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/cindy_adams/the_wha_house_7D41P43CFESnVM1lvmJNWO#ixzz1uMJwYUDy

Merrily comes to Wales – with former SSSSPOTY winner Adrian Grove

Lynne — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:19:33 +0000

Clwyd Theatr Cymru presents
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG
by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth

Company: Darren Bennett – Joe Josephson/Terry, Matt Cross – Charley Kringas, Billy Cullum – RU, Photographer, Adrian Grove – Mr Spencer/Scotty, Rebecca Lock – Mary Flynn, Amira Matthews – Dory/Mrs Spencer/TV Anchor, Julia J Nagle – KT, Martin Neely – Jerome, Verity Rushworth – Beth/ Meg Kincaid, Simon Thomas – Franklin Shepard, Owain Williams – Tyler, Lucy Williamson – Gussie Carnegie.

Director Nikolai Foster
Designer Morgan Large
Musical Director George Dyer
Lighting Ben Cracknell
Choreographer Nick Winston

Clwyd Theatr Cymru, MOLD – Anthony Hopkins Theatre
Thursday 3 May – Saturday 2 June 2012
www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk (online booking – no fee)
Box Office 0845 330 3565

Broadway comes to Mold in May

Following the Clwyd Theatr Cymru hit production of Guys and Dolls in 2011, Broadway returns to north Wales next month when Nikolai Foster directs a major new production of Merrily We Roll Along.

Merrily We Roll Along, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by George Furth, opened on Broadway in 1981. It is based on a 1934 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George Kaufman about the compromise of youthful innocence, ideals and ambition in the pursuit of success. It was revived in a new version in San Diego in 1985 and won the Best Musical accolade at the Olivier Awards for the 2001 London production at the Donmar Warehouse.

Merrily We Roll Along is a life-affirming musical play which explores the challenges of friendship and the high price of success, set against the backdrop of one of the most turbulent periods in America’s fascinating history.

One of Sondheim’s best and most appealing scores, it tells the story of three friends, Frank, Charley and Mary and their extraordinary adventures together, starting in the mid 1970s and travelling backwards to a time when friends were inseparable, love was forever and life was brimming with optimism.

Merrily We Roll Along contains some of Sondheim’s most beautiful, moving and exuberant music.

In a career spanning more than five decades Stephen Sondheim has written lyrics for the classic musicals West Side Story and Gypsy and music and lyrics for a string of hit shows including Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and A Little Night Music, featuring the hit song Send in the Clowns which became a standard of both the musical theatre and jazz songbook.

Merrily We Roll Along is directed by Nikolai Foster, who returns to Mold following his successful production of A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams here in 2005. Nikolai is Associate Director at West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds where his recent work includes a new production of the Broadway musical Annie. Other recent shows include The Diary of Anne Frank for York Theatre Royal and a national tour and, last summer, As You Like It at the Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre, Chester. He has directed musicals including Sondheim’s Assassins at the Crucible, Sheffield and the critically acclaimed production of Flashdance – The Musical at The Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End.

The shows is performed a talented company of seventeen, with new orchestrations for this production by Musical Director George Dyer, who collaborated with Nikolai Foster on Flashdance and Annie and whose other recent work includes The Wiz, a co-production between West Yorkshire Playhouse and Birmingham Rep.

Another member of the Flashdance creative team, Morgan Large, has designed sets and costumes for Merrily We Roll Along.

Simon Thomas takes the role of Frank. He played Tony in West Side Story and recent musicals include Legally Blonde in the West End and the highly acclaimed production of Sondheim’s Into The Woods at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, which won an Olivier Award last year.

Matt Cross plays Charley. His recent theatre includes London Assurance at the National Theatre, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Other highlights include the part of Riff in the 50th Anniversary production of West Side Story.

Mary is played by Rebecca Lock. In the West End she starred in Phantom of the Opera and Avenue Q and also played Svetlana in Chess, directed by Craig Revel Horwood at The Prince of Wales Theatre, Toronto. Rebecca was guest soloist at the 30th Anniversary Side By Side By Sondheim at The Novello Theatre, London.

The company also includes Verity Rushworth, who played Grace in the West Yorkshire Playhouse production of Annie in 2011. She was Maria in the national tour of The Sound of Music and made her West End debut in the musical Hairspray at The Shaftesbury Theatre.

On ITV1 Verity played series regular Donna Windsor-Dingle in the popular soap Emmerdale, from 1998 until 2008.

Musicians: Musical Dorector and keyboards 1, Huw Evans – keyboards 2, Martin Layzell – drums, Shaun Lock – clarinet, tenor and bass clarinet, Fraiser Patterson – flute, clarinet, alto sax, Anthony Thompson – trumpet and flugelhorn

Director – Nikolai Foster, Designer – Morgan Large, Musical Director & Orchestrator– George Dyer , Lighting – Ben Cracknell, Choreographer – Nick Winston, Sound – Kevin Heyes, Assistant Director – Tom O’Brien.

Buy your Student Performer of the Year tickets NOW!

Peter Auker — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:19:01 +0000

Don’t forget to order your tickets for The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition 2012 / Stiles and Drewe Best Song Award 2012 at the Queen’s Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue on Sunday May 27th.

Tickets can be ordered from The Stephen Sondheim Society by emailing your requirements to Lynne Chapman at sondheimsociety@sondheim.org

FACEBOOK USERS! Don’t forget to let us know you’re coming by logging on to the events page at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/205308569580419/

You can also buy tickets from the Delfont Mackintosh website at:

http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/SSSSPOTY/SSSSPOTY.asp

Maria Friedman in Sondheim concert for Chickenshed

Lynne — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:43:17 +0000

Maria Friedman

performs a one-off concert in North London.

Sunday 27 May, 7.30pm £15

Society members have the chance to win a pair of tickets to this concert, see your email or a letter is on its way.

Don’t miss this opportunity to see a West End star perform in Chickenshed’s intimate theatre – visit www.chickenshed.org.uk or call the Box Office on 020 8292 9222

Chickenshed are honoured to welcome three-time Olivier award-winner and one of Britain’s leading musical stars, Maria Friedman, for an intimate evening of music and conversation at their venue in North London. Not only is Maria’s career astoundingly prolific, she is a charming, witty and engaging host and will be celebrating the legendary music of her friend Stephen Sondheim, which she has performed on stages all over the world.

Maria Friedman has appeared in such Sondheim musicals as Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, Follies, Merrily We Roll Along, A Little Night Music, Passion and Anyone Can Whistle, performs her own one-off concerts and will be directing a production of Merrily We Roll Along which opens this November at Menier Chocolate Factory.

Running time: 2hrs with interval

Getting here: Chickenshed, Rayne Theatre, Chase Side, Southgate, London, N14 4PE Tube: Oakwood or Cockfosters, Piccadilly Line (10-12mins walk) Parking: Free parking is available outside the theatre

Le Chatelet adds West Side Story to its Sondheim cycle

Peter Auker — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:44:30 +0000

Following on from previous years’ forays into Sondheim classics A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd, Le Chatelet theatre in Paris will be presenting West Side Story from 26th October 2012 until 1st January 2013.

It is not clear from their website (which is in French) if the work will be presented in translation or in the original English. The name of a translator is not given, so we assume that it will be performed in English.

More details can be seen on Le Chatelet’s website at:

http://www.chatelet-theatre.com/2011-2012/pops/wss/wss.html

Stephen Sondheim Society Presents…coming soon to The Pheasantry

Peter Auker — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:35:53 +0000

As part of the Stephen Sondheim Society Presents series, Rosemary Ashe will be performing her acclaimed one-woman show, Call Me Merman, on Monday 14th May.

Tickets are £25, available from 08456 027017, and there’s a special offer for Sondheim Society members – please see the Members area of this website for details.

Although not officially part of The Stephen Sondheim Society Presents series, the producers would like us to mention two more concerts at The Pheasantry which you might be interested in:

Firstly, on the 5th, 12th & 20th June 2012 and 4th & 5th September 2012, you can see Kit and McConnel (tickets are priced £25).

Kit Hesketh Harvey, (best known for thirty years as the singer-songwriter of Kit and the Widow, ‘Just A Minute’ veteran and co-star on the first-ever BBC Comedy Proms at the Albert Hall) has now teamed up with composer, pianist and occasional accordionist – James McConnel (fellow Sondheim pupil and love-child of Hugh Grant and Prince Andrew). In a completely new programme of original cabaret and theatre songs, both hilarious and moving, they will explore contemporary events and local scandals and the extraordinary vagaries of the human heart. They are especially delighted to be performing at The Pheasantry, as London life contains almost limitless potential song material.

And then, on 15th July, award winning composer of stage and screen Matthew Strachan will be starring in his own show, 25 Year Songbook.

Matthew will perform an evening of his music and lyrics including several of his songs from Nashville and numbers from his stage musicals. He will be joined by special guests including Rosalie Craig, Louise Gold and Kim Ismay. Tickets for this event are £20.