Side By Side By Sondheim
Encyclopedia
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical
revue
featuring the songs of Broadway
and film
composer
Stephen Sondheim
. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company
.
was asked by Cleo Laine
and her husband John Dankworth
to put together a revue as a benefit for The Stables, a theatre they owned in Wavendon
. Kernan contacted director Ned Sherrin
and suggested that they do a revue of Sondheim material. The producer Cameron Mackintosh
saw the benefit revue, which featured Millicent Martin
, Julia McKenzie
, Kernan, and Ned Sherrin as the narrator, and agreed to produce it.
Act I
Act II
's Mermaid Theatre
, where it ran for 59 performances. It subsequently transferred to Wyndham's Theatre
and then the Garrick
for a grand total of 806 performances. Ned Sherrin directed, but Sondheim also worked with the cast and made many suggestions.
Hal Prince
produced the Broadway version, and persuaded Actors' Equity Association
to allow the original British cast to transfer with the show. The production, again directed by Sherrin, opened on April 18, 1977 at the Music Box Theatre
, and later transferred to the now-demolished Morosco Theatre
. Between the two venues, it ran for a total 384 performances and 6 previews. It is one of the few shows to have the distinction of its entire cast being nominated for Tony Award
s (Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical). A subsequent 1978 U. S. national tour starred Martin, Larry Kert
, Barbara Heuman, and Hermione Gingold
as the Narrator.
A London West End
revival opened at the Venue Theatre on May 1, 2007, and closed June 23, 2007, after 62 performances and 4 previews. The cast included Abbie Osman, Alasdair Harvey and Josie Walker, with rotating narrators. The musical was directed by Hannah Chissick with musical staging by Adam Cooper
.
International
Numerous international productions have been mounted, including a production in Ireland in 1996 which starred Rebecca Storm
, Brendan O'Carroll
as the Narrator with Susie Fenwick, Enda Markey
and Sarah-Jane Bourne.
A production at the Seymour Centre in Sydney
, Australia ran in 2011, and starred Amelia Cormack, Margi De Ferranti, Enda Markey
and Jessica Rowe
as the narrator. This production will tour Australia in 2012, with Rachael Beck
replacing Amelia Cormack.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
featuring the songs of Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company
Company (musical)
Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
.
History
The musical had its origins when David KernanDavid Kernan
David Kernan is an English actor and singer, best known as an interpreter of the songs of Stephen Sondheim. He has appeared in stage musicals and was a soloist in British TV variety shows of the 1960s and 1970s including That Was the Week That Was 1962-63.Kernan was born in London...
was asked by Cleo Laine
Cleo Laine
Dame Cleo Laine, Lady Dankworth, DBE is a jazz singer and an actress, noted for her scat singing and vocal range...
and her husband John Dankworth
John Dankworth
Sir John Phillip William Dankworth, CBE , known in his early career as Johnny Dankworth, was an English jazz composer, saxophonist and clarinetist...
to put together a revue as a benefit for The Stables, a theatre they owned in Wavendon
Wavendon
Wavendon is a village and civil parish in the south east of the Borough of Milton Keynes and ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire, England. The village name is an Old English language word, and means 'Wafa's hill'. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 969 the village was recorded as Wafandun. The...
. Kernan contacted director Ned Sherrin
Ned Sherrin
Edward George "Ned" Sherrin CBE was an English broadcaster, author and stage director. He qualified as a barrister and then worked in independent television before joining the BBC...
and suggested that they do a revue of Sondheim material. The producer Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
saw the benefit revue, which featured Millicent Martin
Millicent Martin
Millicent Mary Lillian Martin is an English actress, singer and comedienne.Martin was born in Romford, England. She made her Broadway debut opposite Julie Andrews in The Boy Friend in 1954...
, Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
, Kernan, and Ned Sherrin as the narrator, and agreed to produce it.
Synopsis
The musical is in the form of a revue, with various sections tied together by being from a particular Sondheim musical, or having a common theme, and all of it tied together by the Narrator. He explains what show the songs are from, and in some cases provides background on why a song was written. He also notes for the audience Sondheim themes. As the cast enters they sing "Comedy Tonight", and then "Love Is in the Air", the Narrator explains that the later song was the original opener for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum but was dropped in favor of the more explicit lyrics of "Comedy Tonight". The Narrator notes that a theme that Sondheim has explored in many of his works is marriage, which introduces the next set of songs. Next are the unknown songs, one cut and one from a television program ("I Remember"). The medley from Company follows, and Act 1 closes with Follies, with the Narrator pointing out the different musical styles Sondheim has used in these songs, such as Vaudeville ("Buddy's Blues"). The female trio sing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" as the Act ends.Songs
Songs included have varied from production to production; following is the song list from the original Broadway productionAct I
- Comedy Tonight - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
- Love Is in the Air - Dropped from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
- If Momma Was Married (Music By Jule Styne) - Gypsy: A Musical FableGypsy: A Musical FableGypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
- You Must Meet My Wife - A Little Night MusicA Little Night MusicA Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
- The Little Things You Do Together - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- Getting Married Today - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- I Remember - Evening Primrose
- Can That Boy Foxtrot - Dropped from FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Company - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- Another Hundred People - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- Barcelona - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- Marry Me a Little - Dropped from CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
- I Never Do Anything Twice - The Seven-Per-Cent SolutionThe Seven-Per-Cent Solution (film)The Seven-Per-Cent Solution is a 1976 Universal Studios Sherlock Holmes film, directed by Herbert Ross and written by Nicholas Meyer. It is based on Meyer's 1974 novel of the same name. The film stars Nicol Williamson, Robert Duvall, Alan Arkin, and Laurence Olivier.-Plot synopsis:When Dr...
- Bring on the Girls - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Ah, Paree! - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Buddy's Blues - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Broadway Baby - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- You Could Drive a Person Crazy - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
Act II
- Everybody Says Don't - Anyone Can WhistleAnyone Can WhistleAnyone Can Whistle is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The story concerns a corrupt mayoress, an idealistic nurse, a man who may be a doctor, and various officials, patients and townspeople, all fighting to save a bankrupt town...
- Anyone Can Whistle - Anyone Can WhistleAnyone Can WhistleAnyone Can Whistle is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The story concerns a corrupt mayoress, an idealistic nurse, a man who may be a doctor, and various officials, patients and townspeople, all fighting to save a bankrupt town...
- Send in the Clowns - A Little Night MusicA Little Night MusicA Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
- We're Gonna Be All Right (Music By Richard Rodgers) - Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally...
- A Boy Like That/ I Have a Love (Music By Leonard Bernstein) - West Side Story
- The Boy From... (Music By Mary Rodgers) - The Mad ShowThe Mad ShowThe Mad Show is an Off-Broadway musical revue based on Mad Magazine. The music is by Mary Rodgers, the book by Larry Siegel and Stan Hart. The show's various lyricists include Siegel, Marshall Barer, Steven Vinaver, and Stephen Sondheim.-Production:...
- Pretty Lady - Pacific OverturesPacific OverturesPacific Overtures is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is set in 1853 Japan and follows the difficult Westernization of Japan, through the lives of two friends caught in the change...
- You Gotta Have a Gimmick (Music By Jule Styne) - Gypsy: A Musical FableGypsy: A Musical FableGypsy is a musical with music by Jule Styne, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Gypsy is loosely based on the 1957 memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist, and focuses on her mother, Rose, whose name has become synonymous with "the ultimate show business...
- Losing My Mind - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Could I Leave You? - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- I'm Still Here - FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
- Conversation Piece
- Side By Side By Side - CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
Productions
The revue had its premiere on May 4, 1976 at LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
, where it ran for 59 performances. It subsequently transferred to Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre
Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by the actor/manager Charles Wyndham . Located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, it was designed by W.G.R. Sprague about 1898, the architect of six other London theatres between then and 1916...
and then the Garrick
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
for a grand total of 806 performances. Ned Sherrin directed, but Sondheim also worked with the cast and made many suggestions.
Hal Prince
Hal Prince
Harold Smith Prince is an American theatrical producer and director associated with many of the best-known Broadway musical productions of the past half-century...
produced the Broadway version, and persuaded Actors' Equity Association
Actors' Equity Association
The Actors' Equity Association , commonly referred to as Actors' Equity or simply Equity, is an American labor union representing the world of live theatrical performance, as opposed to film and television performance. However, performers appearing on live stage productions without a book or...
to allow the original British cast to transfer with the show. The production, again directed by Sherrin, opened on April 18, 1977 at the Music Box Theatre
Music Box Theatre
The Music Box Theater is a Broadway theatre located at 239 West 45th Street in midtown-Manhattan.The once most aptly named theater on Broadway, the intimate Music Box was designed by architect C. Howard Crane and constructed by composer Irving Berlin and producer Sam H. Harris specifically to...
, and later transferred to the now-demolished Morosco Theatre
Morosco Theatre
The Morosco Theatre was a legitimate theatre located at 217 West 45th Street in the heart of the theater district in midtown-Manhattan, New York, United States....
. Between the two venues, it ran for a total 384 performances and 6 previews. It is one of the few shows to have the distinction of its entire cast being nominated for Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s (Best Featured Actor in a Musical and Best Featured Actress in a Musical). A subsequent 1978 U. S. national tour starred Martin, Larry Kert
Larry Kert
Larry Kert was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He is best known for creating the role of Tony in the original Broadway version of West Side Story.-Early life:...
, Barbara Heuman, and Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold
Hermione Gingold was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric persona, an image enhanced by her sharp nose and chin, as well as her deepening voice, a result of vocal nodes which her mother reportedly encouraged her not to remove. She starred on stage, on radio, in films, on...
as the Narrator.
A London West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
revival opened at the Venue Theatre on May 1, 2007, and closed June 23, 2007, after 62 performances and 4 previews. The cast included Abbie Osman, Alasdair Harvey and Josie Walker, with rotating narrators. The musical was directed by Hannah Chissick with musical staging by Adam Cooper
Adam Cooper
Adam Bryce Cooper was a fictional character in the Australian police drama series Blue Heelers. He joined the cast in late 1994 while the programme was still in its first season...
.
International
Numerous international productions have been mounted, including a production in Ireland in 1996 which starred Rebecca Storm
Rebecca Storm
Rebecca Storm is a British singer and musical theatre actress, born in Shipley in West Yorkshire, England. She is most notable for her various performances in stage musicals and for her 1985 hit single "The Show", which was the theme to the ITV television series Connie.-Personal life:Storm lives...
, Brendan O'Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll
Brendan O'Carroll is an Irish comedian, writer, actor and director. Best known for portraying the foul-mouthed Irish matriarch Mrs. Brown, O'Carroll has been a popular comedian in Ireland since the early 1990s.-Early life:...
as the Narrator with Susie Fenwick, Enda Markey
Enda Markey
Enda Markey is an Irish-born Sydney, Australia-based stage and television actor. He made his professional stage debut aged eleven in Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin....
and Sarah-Jane Bourne.
A production at the Seymour Centre in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia ran in 2011, and starred Amelia Cormack, Margi De Ferranti, Enda Markey
Enda Markey
Enda Markey is an Irish-born Sydney, Australia-based stage and television actor. He made his professional stage debut aged eleven in Dylan Thomas's A Child's Christmas in Wales at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin....
and Jessica Rowe
Jessica Rowe
Jessica Rowe is an Australian television news presenter. Rowe attended Sydney Girls High School in Sydney, and completed a Communications degree at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. During her studies she was a broadcaster with on-campus community radio station 2MCE-FM...
as the narrator. This production will tour Australia in 2012, with Rachael Beck
Rachael Beck
Rachael Beck is an Australian stage and television actress.-Career highlights:Beck's best known role is that of Martin Kelly's niece, Sam, on the popular sitcom, Hey Dad...!....
replacing Amelia Cormack.