New York Magazine: There are few things that remain constant in life, but for me one of them is this: Stephen Sondheim’s work has touched me for more than half a century. It did so when I was first listening to records as a child, when I didn’t know his name or much else, and it does so right this minute, as songs of middle-aged regret like “Too Many Mornings” and “You Must Meet My Wife” are randomly shuffled into my headphones by iTunes. It’s unusual to remain so loyal to a single artist. We tend to outgrow our early tastes and heroes. It’s even more unlikely to have that artist materialize in person and play a crucial role in one’s life—as Sondheim first did when I was 21 and he was 40. Since then, with some lengthy intermissions along the way, he’s been a mentor, an occasional antagonist, a friend, and even an unwitting surrogate parent.
1 comment:
What a great article. It's always wonderful to hear about people as prolific as Sondheim from people who know them well, like Mr. Rich. It's the same as reading Sondheim's thoughts on Hammerstein. You can see influence in more ways than just how his songs might have moved the person, you get a glimpse deeper into the writer/composer's psyche. I am a big Sondheim admirer, and even though he claims to be an open book, I still feel I learn more about him every article I read. A career as extensive as his spans many decades, lots of countries, and connects lots of people. And with theatre being such a small world, that influence trickles down quickly. Look at all the musicals that hit broadway in the 2000s and could not have happened had there not been RENT, look at RENT, which there could not have been without Sondheim. He's really turned the broadway show into a tool to make us think and feel. And on occasion, he even makes us smile too.
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