In a word, that’s what the world at large has been asking itself since Friday morning when Stephen Sondheim, the greatest Broadway musician of the second half of the 20th century and beyond, died aged 91. He leaves behind a formidable and majestic body of work that is visible, relevant, intellectually stimulating and emotionally enthralling.
Both, Nunn says, “are fascinated by human contradictions, with their complexity and ambiguity. Like Shakespeare, there’s a highly poetic expression in Sondheim, but when you dig into it, , you see it connected to something real.”
Indeed, any musical composition – and there are dozens – from Sondheim’s collected works are summaries of such an emotional range and complexity that they can be viewed as their own mini-series. Since I now have a deck, I’m willing to declare, “Being Alive” from the aforementioned “Company” is the closest thing to Sondheim’s vast and varied output to the “To Be or Not To Be” monologue. ” by Hamlet.
As he counts down in his head all the reasons to make a romantic commitment he fears, the musical’s protagonist Robert rummags through all the conflicting evidence (“Someone needs you too much / Someone knows you too well / Someone to pull you short / To take you through hell…”) But in the end, he realizes that he’s not looking for justification for loving, but for living by because” … alone is alone / does not live …”
Although “Being Alive,” on the surface, doesn’t appear to be as skillfully worded as some of Sondheim’s other works, it is the deceptive simplicity of witnessing a mind in conflict with itself that makes You are overwhelmed by the expectations.
And there are plenty of examples of such personal testimony, whether it’s “I’m Still Here” or “Out of my mind” (or really any number) from “Follies” or “Finishing the Hat.” ” from “Sunday in the Park with George” or the poignant theme song from “Anyone Can Whistle” and many more.
To return to the question we started with, it may not be necessary to “embrace” the entire legacy of Sondheim, which transformed the musical theater scene and elevated the art of the genre. All you need to do is wander through the repertoire.
Even if you think you know most – or all – of Sondheim’s songs and stories, countless revivals, restorations, and even reinventions of musicals have suggested that there are still many More discoveries need to be made.
And even if Sondheim’s time on earth is over, the rest of us have plenty of his output to get through – it could last as many centuries as Shakespeare’s work lives on and come to different conclusions about what those words mean.
So let’s wander. Don’t try too hard to keep up with the work. Let it embrace you.
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