REST IN POWER, MR. SONDHEIM

 

R.I.P. Stephen Joshua Sondheim March 22, 1930 - November 26, 2021

Theater world has been hit with the loss of one of the greatest and highly decorated composers of American Musical Theater, Stephen Sondheim.  Every theater geek has opened up their catalog of their favorite Sondheim songs and have been belting with their favorite interpreters of his music, like me.   The tributes will be forthcoming, and I cannot help but join the fray. Google makes it easy to catch up on the life of the most famous name in the world of musical theater, so I will keep it brief and make it personal.

I’ll admit that it took me a long time to catch on to the genius of Sondheim.  I always thought of his work as something those “white kids” like.  I will own that my ignorance and naivete of it all as a black teenager growing up in Texas in the 70’s/80’s, may have contributed to not finding relatability to Mr. Sondheim.  As I matured, I stayed informed of his many other works,  but I truly connected with Sondheim at the pinnacle of what I thought was THE relationship.  Listen to LOSING MY MIND after he/she/they leave you and try not to cry. I promise that you will never really be able to drink coffee the same way again.   

On his 90th Birthday, I recalled my first introduction to his brilliance was unknowingly through his lyrics in WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY.  His comedic charm also captured me in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED TO ME ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, too. When you reach that age or sense of maturity that you really HEAR what the lyrics are saying, you will marvel at the fact that Mr. Sondheim captured emotions that all of us (gay, straight, black, white) are experiencing or will experience.  I will refer you to COMPANY, INTO THE WOODS, and FOLLIES.    

The thought that there will be future generations discovering his brilliance should satisfy not only his soul, but the souls of mourning musical theater fans everywhere.  Because this world has opened up and changed in a way that we all can truly enjoy his work without cultural stigma, you should hear interpreters like Billy Porter, Heather Headley, or Patina Miller tackle his music. Please enjoy some of my favorite songs and interpreters.  Rest in Power, Mr. Sondheim. 

SUNDAY Billy Porter

Gotta Get A Gimmick-

AMERICA- Lyrics

Ladies Who Lunch from CAMP

I'M STILL HERE  

Losing My Mind/You Could Drive A Person Crazy

BROADWAY BABY

Everybody Ought Have a Maid

90th Birthday Tribute 

85th Red Concert

Happy Birthday, Stephen Sondheim

As many of us quarantined theater geeks living in NYC are trying to get through not having live performances, one of our giants, STEPHEN SONDHEIM, celebrates his 90th birthday.  Thanks to COVID-19, many planned events to celebrate him have been cancelled, including the highly anticipated opening of another revival of Company.  I will admit that I was a late bloomer to the genius of Sondheim. I thought his music and shows were something that only the white theater folks would shame me for not knowing well.  Of course, there were many moments in my life that my ignorance of WHO he is, allowed me to appreciate him unconsciously. He wrote the lyrics to 2 of my favorite musicals WEST SIDE STORY and GYPSY.  2 shows that I first saw as movie musicals. I hold them both responsible for awakening my inner show queen, along with Wonder Woman, but I digress. His vast musical theater cannon of shows exhibit a mastery of drama, comedy, and the macabre. 

I remember seeing Into The Woods and Sweeney Todd on PBS, and not seeing the big deal at first. Fairy tales and a serial killer who kills people and then gives them to the lady downstairs to make meat pies, were not big on my radar.  At the time, I gravitated to things closer to my experience: The Wiz, All Black Casts of Hello Dolly and Guys and Dolls, Jelly’s Last Jam, and 5 Guys Named Moe. Over the years and out of context, I would randomly hear songs like Losing My Mind, Broadway Baby or I’m Still Here, especially with a big orchestra, being sung by a grand diva like Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Elaine Stritch, Barbara Cook, or Barbara Striesand, and I would get carried away by those lyrics, big finishes, and buttons. Like Blanche Devereaux on the Golden Girls said to the wedding planner, “you just wanna fly right out of here!” 

It was not until I was in my first real relationship with an even bigger theater geek than myself that I started to understand the genius of Steve (I heard that is how he signs his personal notes). My ex and I went to see so many shows, and when we scored great seats to see the 2011 FOLLIES revival. All of the sudden, things made sense from a universal place. The longing loss of love along with the other complicated emotions of life are on full display, even with the Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Once my understanding of his universality came to me,  hearing artists later like Billy Porter and Heather Headley interpreting Sondheim's music, I soon felt a new level of soul. The real aficionados of Mr.Sondheim will agree that his work speaks differently to everyone. I admit that his funny and sassy tunes get me every time, and depending on my own state of being, the other tunes are just as powerful. So in honor of his birthday and my endless need to be trendy, I would love to share with you some of my favorite Stephen Sondheim songs.

Gotta Get a Gimmick- GYPSY ( lyrics only)

Broadway Baby from FOLLIES

Everybody Ought Have a Maid, from A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM

You Could Drive A Person Crazy, COMPANY

The Ladies Who Lunch from COMPANY

AMERICA from WEST SIDE STORY ( lyrics only)

Have a Little Priest from SWEENEY TODD

The Boy From “...”  from THE MAD SHOW

LOSING MY MIND from FOLLIES

Buddy’s Blues from   FOLLIES 

Let Me Entertain You from GYPSY

NATIONAL COMING OUT DAY

Today marks the annual observance of National Coming out Day.  As I have become a more "seasoned" citizen of the planet, I can say that I have seen many things come and go.  I think about what was happening  in the LGBT world before April 17, 1993, and since.  That was the day that I decided to not lie about it.  I was not going to pretend that a huge part of my life did not exist because it made OTHER people feel comfortable. I can make light of that easily today, but I remember how many tears that I shed that night in Seattle some 25 years ago.  Getting on that plane back to Texas, I remembered how hard it was to tell people whose love and concern that I thought that I would lose.  The anticipation of being ready to handle rejection from  people I expect and the ones I did not expect, can be heartbreaking.  It certainly does prepare you for any career in show business.

I must say that coming out on stage was the right thing to do for me, too,  because it truly did open up the rest of my life.  I was able to find a career where being gay was ok. Actually, it was mandatory as the first OUT, African-American, gay man, to be on air talent at Sirius XM for 10 years.  At a time when every voice is important, I could have never predicted that MY voice would have been heard all over the country, much less many major places in the world, thanks to the beauty of the internet. If someone would have told me that the bravery to stand in my own truth would have opened the world to me, then I would have never believed them.

 For those people that are still struggling to own themselves, or those worried about how their environments will receive them, or better yet, to those that the loss of family and friends will change everything as they know it, Coming Out is never going to be easy. However, hiding in the closet is exhausting and soul killing.  Once you have your own sense of independence, like living on your own, making your own money and friends, then you are already there, and coming out will only make your independence stronger.  Believe me.

Please enjoy my conversation with Shawn Hollenbach on his CLOSET CASES Podcast here:




Also, listen to my entire unedited Closet Cases Set:

Coming Out Comedically Helps It Get Better

From L to R- Me, Michael Brill, David Hodorowski, Brandi Rowell, Kelsey Bailey, and Host/Creator of CLOSET CASES, Shawn Hollenbach  (PHOTO CREDIT- WILLIAM MULLIN)

Recently, I got a chance as a comedian to talk about my coming out experience in a great show called CLOSET CASES.  It was at the historic Stonewall Inn, where it all went down for the modern Gay movement.  As I remember the more ridiculous moments of my life, it does offer the question. "how did I not know?"  In any case, please enjoy a few of my more "questionable" moments.

The Power of Goldie Hawn

West Side Story was a game changer.  Getting to meet the EGOT Winner and Latina Mami, Rita Moreno, was EVERYTHING.

                                        

No one will deny the power of Wonder Woman when you are trying to figure out who you really are to become.  No one can prepare you for meeting Lynda Carter.  You Just go with it.  

 

Thank you Shawn Hollenbach and all of the fabulous folks of Closet Cases for a good time.  Stay tuned for an upcoming podcast with Shawn, too.