This past Sunday marked one of the most successful quarantine-inspired programs yet with the Stephen Sondheim tribute “Take Me to the World.” Dozens of Broadway’s most talented stars gathered together to sing songs and recall stories about one of the medium’s greatest lyricists and composers. As one can guess, the diversity in music to choose from meant that everyone not only got to sing great songs but be creative with how they approached the material. While some did more straightforward ballads, it was fun to watch those who used their limited means to interpret the music, often within the confines of their living rooms.
If you’re like me and really into Sondheim, I would personally seek out the entire show and take a crack at each individual performance. There isn’t a dull note in the group and it only serves to remind you how versatile the substance is.
More importantly, it was a chance to remember why Sondheim was great in the first place. The songs that were chosen all shared a similar theme that likely could be applied to a quarantine environment It is one of realizing disappointment in your life and finding every possible way to overcome these obstacles. Sometimes it goes well, but the beauty of Sondheim is his lack of willingness to go for easy answers. His answers come from emotional revelations that answer the tough questions about life, and only half the time do they end conclusively. The rest of the time they serve as something to continue striving towards, which is a crucial message in a time like this.
That is why I’ve decided in my inaugural Top 5 column to explore the segments that stood out most to me. While I am not an expert on his work, I love him enough to have found plenty to geek out over. Sure there wasn’t enough from Assassins or Merrily We Roll Along, but what we got worked just as well. The following deserve to be tracked down and watched to understand not only the music but how to have fun with your Zoom presentations. We’re getting closer to creating a new form of art, and some of these are the perfect building blocks.
1. Bernadette Peters
“No One is Alone” (Into the Woods)
Time: 2:11:46
While there is a whole stable of actors that we’ve come to associate with his work, there’s no denying that everyone was eagerly awaiting Bernadette Peters’ performance. As someone who has practically catered similar tributes in the past, it would be understood that she would bring something special. As the closer (before the post-credits song), she brought the show to an end with one of the most touching and important messages of the entire night. She was far from the first to cover an Into the Woods song, but even then hers stood out in its ability to capture the personal struggle of every last viewer, stuck at home and away from the world around them.
Most of us feel alone at this moment, feeling hopeless as every day brings with it worse news. Then there was Peters singing from her kitchen acapella to the camera. With incredible confidence, she made the simple lyrics resonate through the ether. A lot of songs have had similar messages, but none were as poetic or direct in their message as this one. It was a song that suggested that we look at the world and notice that things can be different. We can change and become better people.
There may have been flashier productions throughout the night, such as Randy Rainbow’s, ahem, flamboyant “By the Sea” (Sweeney Todd), but none of them felt as special as Peters sending out a message of hope to everyone watching. Suddenly the intention of the night went from being a novel tribute to something richer with a deeper poignancy. This was the parting thought that elevated a tribute to an understanding of why Sondheim will always matter. He understood human emotion better than most of us, and his ability to help us better express ourselves is a gift that we can’t take for granted. For whatever was lacking throughout the night, it ended with a quiet reminder of what there still is to achieve in this world.
2. Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh, Thom Sesma
“Someone in a Tree” (Pacific Overtures)
Time: 1:41:08
While most of the performers chose to go for more popular shows, the lone quartet of the night chose to go for one of Sondheim’s more obscure shows. Pacific Overtures is significant in that it tells a western story from the eastern theater perspective. In this particular case, it’s the story of a man in a tree overlooking an event crucial to the ongoing story. Many consider it not only one of the best in the show but in the composer’s career. It’s easy to see why, as the lyrics deftly share a look into each perspective while managing to make a deeper understanding of how a vantage point can change the entire situation.
That was especially true of the performance, which found four screens performing opposite each other. Where this would be enough to make a good performance, what elevates it is the craft that went into the design. Every performer’s box interacts with the other in a convincing manner, with Thom Sesma being the real highlight of the show. As the prominent figure throughout the performance, he is on screen in the bottom right-hand corner, forced to observe everything around him. While the other actors have as much fun with the perspective, Sesma is a delight to watch throughout.
Not only does the show represent something rare (a Broadway show based prominently around Asian actors), but it’s one of his hidden treasures. To watch the performance is a good enough reason to check out the show, as it’s rich with personality and features one of the most cohesive forms of interaction that I’ve seen in these quarantine performances. The harmonies were stellar, the acting impressive, and a key reason that this night was so much more than another singalong.
3. Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald
“The Ladies Who Lunch” (Company)
Time: 1:58:47
Of every segment to air throughout the night, this was the one that took off and became a viral sensation. Much like the Pacific Overtures performance above, this played with the Zoom screen technology to present a comical reimagining of the classic Company song. In one of the more novel decisions, it wasn’t announced who was going to be performing it. As Christine Baranski is introduced, she places a wineglass in the forefront, overwhelming the image. It’s a simple gesture and one that could’ve been fun on its own…
Then there’s Meryl Streep playing bartender, preparing to pour herself a glass. The surprises don’t stop there as Audra McDonald shows up minutes later. As they all hold glasses of wine, chugging them in between verses, they belt the song in their bathrobes, unafraid to do all of the delightful screaming and comedy that the lyrics would suggest. While McDonald outshines both in the singing department, it’s a performance more built around the energy of being locked inside a house, doing everything to pass the time without going crazy. It’s arguably the most joyful performance of the night, ending with a technical glitch on McDonald’s end that concludes the performance with a hearty sense of friends just screwing around. We all could use that right now.
4. Katrina Lenk
“Johanna” (Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street)
Time: 23:53
When thinking about the dozens of ballads sung throughout the show, it’s hard to pick one that stands out as best. I for one could’ve made a whole list of the many singers and have to put the rest in an honorable mention. That is why I chose to go with the one who resonated with me the most in the days after. It wasn’t any of the performers singing opposite an audio track while looking out a window. It was Katrina Lenk, strumming a guitar and singing a haunting cover of “Johanna” that ultimately won me over.
There is something quiet and subdued about it, capturing the intensity in the song’s purpose. You are drawn in because you can understand the pain that she whispers about while strumming the guitar. Everything about the performance should feel underwhelming, but instead captures the loneliness of the lyrics as she sways aboard a blanket backdrop. There’s not much to it, but the way that it emphasizes the substance creates a powerful viewing experience, and one that will stick with you more than the more classical ballads that are more beautiful, but lacking a reason to pull yourself closer and feel the emotion radiating off of every note.
5. Neil Patrick Harris
“The Witch’s Rap” (Into the Woods)
Time: 12:47
An early standout for me came with Neil Patrick Harris choosing to turn a song about a witch being robbed into a great comedic exercise. If you need to believe his ability to perform, just watch how his diction blends beautifully with his facial tics, managing to make every thrust and note change feel like it’s coming from deep inside his soul. The lyrics by themselves are so much fun, but at that tempo, it requires a talented performer to just go for it. To watch him reach in with such intensity is a lot of fun and you buy into his passion. Rarely has a song about beans been so wonderfully strange.
It would be nothing without the other gimmicks that he threw into his song. As the song builds to him cursing his subject, the camera cuts to his adorable children, whom he begins to throw vile curses on as the song builds. It’s a wonderful piece of theater that ends with him making his son infertile. Many people would tackle Into the Woods songs throughout the night, and they all had varying degrees of unique personality to the performances. Even then, they couldn’t compare to NPH’s love of mugging for the camera, making every second count… and all without leaving his chair.
Honorable Mention
Mandy Patinkin
“Lesson #8” (Sunday in the Park with George)
Time: 54:21
If anyone should get credit for creativity, it’s Mandy Patinkin. As the original George Seurat, many consider him to be the embodiment of Sondheim’s views as an artist. One had to wonder what he would bring to the show, and it turned out to be the only one shot outside. As a result, there are aspects of it that feel ominous, lacking the cleanness of every other performance. After a brief birthday message, Patinkin breaks out into “Lesson #8” as he looks directly into the camera.
It’s one of the least flashy songs, almost being done more like a poem than a performance. However, the substance needs him to be at this exact location, out in a park on Sunday. He sings about how George misses seeing people walking in the park on Sunday, watching the trees die. Whether or not it’s intentional, the surrounding trees definitely have a melancholic vibe to them. It’s perfect in how it uses surroundings, where even being out in the world suddenly feels empty. With exception to his dog and the cameraman, there doesn’t look to be anyone else in that park, and it really emphasizes the deeper meaning of the song better than any homemade crafting.
What was your favorite performance from “Take Me to the World”?
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