Sondheim Supplement #3
Our weekly bonus newsletter
Welcome to our latest Sondheim Supplement, our weekly newsletter exclusively for paid subscribers to The Sondheim Hub. This week, an Into the Woods-themed crossword, more from our conversation with Here We Are choreographer Sam Pinkleton, a lyric of the week that was cut from Follies, our survey of This Week in Sondheim, and a look back at our essay on Sweeney Todd’s Prelude. Have a great weekend!
This Week in Sondheim
On February 18, 1986, Sunday in the Park with George made its television debut on Showtime, bringing Sondheim and Lapine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical into homes across America. The broadcast, which would later air on PBS, preserved Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters’ landmark performances as Georges Seurat and Dot.
Fifty-four years ago this week, on February 20, 1971, Follies began its pre-Broadway tryout at Boston’s Colonial Theatre. The production, starring Alexis Smith, Dorothy Collins, John McMartin, and Gene Nelson, would undergo significant changes during its Boston run.
Two days later, on February 22, 1971, Lea Salonga was born in Manila – a coincidence that feels almost prophetic given how her career would later intersect with Sondheim’s work. Known for originating the role of Kim in Miss Saigon, Salonga has become a celebrated interpreter of Sondheim’s music, and is currently appearing in Sondheim’s Old Friends in the US.
This week also marks what should have been a significant television premiere. On February 22, 1966, Evening Primrose was scheduled to debut as part of ABC’s “Stage 67” series. The television musical—starring Anthony Perkins and featuring songs that would become Sondheim standards like “Take Me to the World” and “I Remember”—would ultimately be delayed until November. While the original was filmed in color, only a black-and-white broadcast recording survives.
The Sondheim Hub Crossword
This week’s subscriber-only crossword is Into the Woods-themed! And you may find your very own Witch’s quest among the more cryptic of these clues… Here it is: