Sweeney ToddA Sondheim Sampler
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966)
“Comedy Tonight” introduces this classic theatrical farce set in ancient Rome.
The Frogs (1973)
In this comedy, loosely based on Aristophanes’ comedy The Frogs, Dionysus questions the abilities of living playwrights, and travels to Hades to bring back George Bernard Shaw to save the dramatic arts. “I Love to Travel” is a witty view of the ups and downs of the wayfaring life.
Company (1970)
Amy has a major case of cold feet just before her wedding to Paul. In one of the greatest Broadway “patter” songs of all time, Amy breaks the fourth wall as she breaks down completely.
A Little Night Music (1973)
Fredrik is a middle-aged lawyer who has recently married a younger woman, Anne, but they have yet to consummate their union. Henrik is his son, a lonely seminary student and cellist. In Now/Later/Soon the three characters lament their situations, first in a series of solos, then in a clever trio.
Merrily We Roll Along (1981)
Like the play on which it is based, the musical moves in reverse chronology, beginning with the end of a two-decade-long friendship and ending with the three friends meeting, full of hopes and dreams for their futures.
Sunday in the Park with George (1984)
Parallel stories of a fictionalized version of French pointillist painter Georges Seurat and his great-grandson, a contemporary artist, unfold simultaneously. In the finale of Act 1, Seurat arranges his “subjects” in a park to create the tableau of his most famous painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte.
Into the Woods (1987)
In “Moments in the Woods,” the Baker’s Wife reflects on how strangely she has behaved while on her quest and separated from her husband.
Here We Are (2023)
As the ensemble embarks on a surreal journey from restaurant to bistro in search of a meal, a bishop questions his life’s vocation.