NSU Theatre and Dance Presents "Sondheim on Sondheim"

Northwestern State University Theatre and Dance will present “Sondheim on Sondheim” Sept. 24-28 in Theatre West. Performance times are Sept. 24-27 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 27-28 at 2 p.m. 

Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sondheim-on-sondheim-tickets-1635101234809?aff=ebdsoporgprofile. For more information, call (318) 357-4483. 

As a child from a broken home, teenaged Stephen Sondheim found an unlikely mentor: lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, who along with composer Richard Rodgers created the American Musical Theatre as we know it today. Over the next seven decades, Sondheim would create scores and lyrics for countless classic musicals, including “West Side Story,” “Gypsy,” “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Company,” “A Little Night Music,” “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” “Follies,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods” and “Assassins.” A Kennedy Center honoree and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Sondheim's remarkable career stretches from the musical theatre's humble beginnings to the present. His final show, “Here We Are,” closed in London in June. 

“Sondheim on Sondheim” features songs from throughout his career and video interviews where the artist describes his process, his collaborators and his philosophy. NSU's production stages the action as a chic cocktail party in Sondheim's Manhattan brownstone, where eight students perform his remarkable canon of songs. A cash bar will be available 30 minutes before the show and during intermission, inviting audience members to feel like guests in the home of Broadway's most beloved and celebrated musician. 

“Sondheim’s music is famously challenging for performers, and this show is a testament to the talent and work ethic of our students,” said Director Dr. Sean Bartley. “In my five years at NSU, I have never collaborated with a more focused, gifted and positive group of artists. This production is a genuine joy to rehearse each night, and we cannot wait to share these songs with our campus and community.” 

The members of the cast are ShayAnna Beatty of Zephyrhills, Florida, J. Cole Becton, Dylan Freeman and Harleigh Miller of Lake Charles, Preston Rasco of Baton Rouge, Mia Rodriguez of Sarasota, Florida, Jay Trosclair of Bourg and Malachi White of Covington. 

“Sondheim on Sondheim” was conceived and directed on Broadway by James Lapine. Dr. Slone Artis is the music director, and Pia Wyatt is the choreographer. Music and lyrics are by Sondheim.