In November 2021 the world lost Stephen Sondheim. This gifted composer/lyricist raised the songwriting bar for decades. Not only did his songs contain lush, melodic and completely original chords, his lyrics were funny, poignant, smart and completely original. And he was masterful in describing the complexities of being human.
The cast of Here We Are
Consider some of the lyrics from his song “Sorry Grateful” from Company: “And still you're sorry/And still you're grateful/And still you wonder and still you doubt/And she goes out/Everything's different/Nothing’s changed/Only maybe slightly rearranged.”
Sondheim wrote some of our greatest musicals including Sweeney Todd, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Company, Sunday in the Park With George, Passion, Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, Assassins and on and on. (He also penned lyrics for West Side Story and Gypsy.)
Ever unstoppable and prolific, for years, up until he died at the age of 91, Sondheim had been working on a new musical, now titled Here We Are. The show is based on two surrealist Luis Buñuel films: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel.
Just this week, this final Sondheim musical had its world premiere off-Broadway at the Shed's Griffin Theater. With a book by David Ives, directed by Joe Mantello and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton, the show follows a cluster of overprivileged, materialistic self-aborsorbed aristocrats.
On the surface their big quandary is figuring out where to eat brunch. That is until they are threatened by something far more sinister. They ultimately have to confront the demons lurking within and outside themselves.
The dream team cast features acting titans Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, Rachel Bay Jones, Denis O’Hare, Steven Pasquale, David Hyde Pierce, and Jeremy Shamos. They play together like an orchestra with dazzling crescendos and subtle nuances.
“I found this experience transcendent because of all the elements that were brought to bear on this,” says David Hyde Pierce at the show’s opening night party at the Shed. “There’s the design elements and the cast. Also, David Ives’ extraordinary book is as Sondheim-ian, as Sondheim's music is David Ives-ian. It's an amazing pairing that seems to be meant to be.”
Also, the fact that this is Sondheim’s final musical wasn’t lost on anyone. “This is a historic evening,” says Francois Battiste. As he points out, Sondheim began working on Here With Are with Ives and Mantello more than a decade ago. “And now it has such deeper resonance post Covid-19,” he says. “It feels not only historic but seems right on time.”
Micaela Diamond, who plays the ardent activist Fritz, reflected on the impression that Sondheim has had on her since she discovered his work as an a twelve-year old musical theater nerd. The ways the shows affect her has evolved over the years.
“Company feels different once you've loved and lost someone. Merrily feels different once you've had some success. And Into The Woods feels different once you have grieved someone,” says Diamond. “The older I get, the musicals feel different.”
During the opening night party the cast and guests talked about Here We Are and the contribution that Sondheim has had in their lives. “I just wish he could see Here We Are,” said Stephen Pasquale. “I think he would really love it. He loved weird, smart things that were full of mystery and puzzles. This is exactly his kind of evening of theater.”
(From left) Micaela Diamond and Rachel Bay Jones
Micaela Diamond: I was doing Parade on Broadway eight times a week, playing Lucille, a very different character. And I got an email from my agents asking me to come in for this very secretive project. I had to sign an NDA. I remember walking in and trying to take a bold swing. I felt that this group of actors that would get cast are going to be risky people who are down to find a new form of musical theater.
Fritz, who I play, takes the world so seriously. And I actually find that quite admirable. The audience sees through some of her political slogans. And I believe in the heart of her she's lonely, self-starved and wants to be better than her family. Her intentions are good.
Francois Battiste: Stephen Sondheim redefined what musical theater was for America. Humanity is couched in his songs. Even though we see human beings on stage, they are not fulfilled until they actually reach that pinnacle in the song.
Amber Gray: When I was called about the audition I was stoked. I had been putting together a cabaret at the time. And the thread and through line of that show was being 42 and dealing with Uranus opposition which most people know as the midlife and or existential crisis. And then I read this play and thought, Oh wow, I'm putting that out into the ether and it's coming back to me. I found the play quite moving because those things are on my mind right now.
I was an army brat and grew up overseas. Every now and then they would do productions in English. Sweeney Todd was the first musical I ever saw as a child. So, I thought that all musicals were like horror stories.
David Hyde Pierce: When I was in college [at Yale], I came to New York to see the original production of Sweeney Todd with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury and I saw it twice. The second time I didn't realize that I was seeing a matinee and it was their final performance in the roles. Now that I've been in the business a while I understand what an incredible gift it was to be in the seats for that. I just flipped.
Jin Ha: I love how the show questions existence, being and purpose of life. Those are timeless [themes] and always worthwhile to investigate and explore.
Mehry Eslaminia: I understudy every female role in the show. This is my first Sondheim experience and it's been such an incredible experience. He was so supportive of his understudies. Also, the joy for me about is to know that if Stephen Sondheim were alive, I'd be having a drink with him right now.
Eleri Ward: I love the absurdism and heightened magical realism in this show. It has layers of awareness and they are commenting on so many things in our society that is specific and universal for years to come.
When I was in high school I played Amy in Company and it changed my view of musical theater. When you are young, musical theater can be very superficial. It’s very jazz hands, smile and step touch. By experiencing Sondheim’s work, my sense of musical theater and what it could be, exploded. I love the complexity and darkness that Sondheim brought to musical theater.
Here We Are is playing at The Shed's Griffin Theater
The cast of Here We Are
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bobby Cannavale, and Paul Rudd at a gala for Here We Are
