Stephen Sondheim

We began in May 2021 with West Side Story. This week marks our finale episode in the series, “The Complete Stephen Sondheim.” Rick Pender and I discuss all the Sondheim musicals and rank our favorites. Rick Pender has been an award-winning theater critic since 1986. He has written for CityBeat, Cincinnati’s alternative newsweekly, since it […]

We continue with our series of discussing every Stephen Sondheim musical with the Off-Broadway musical revue Marry Me a Little. Our intrepid tour guide is Sondheim scholar, Rick Pender.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses the musical The Frogs. The show is “freely adapted” by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from The Frogs, an Ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender is our guide as we discuss Saturday Night. The show with music and lyrics by Sondheim was intended to open on Broadway in 1955. However, after the sudden death of its lead producer, the show was shelved. Sondheim then went on to make his professional premiere in 1957, as the lyricist for West Side Story. The show finally made it to New York, opening at Off-Broadway’s Second Stage on February 17, 2000.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses the original production of the musical Bounce (also known as Wise Guy and Gold). He will talk about how writer John Weidman and Sondheim collaborated on the show to create the story of Addison Mizner and his brother Wilson Mizner’s adventures across America from the beginning of the twentieth century during the Klondike gold rush to the Florida real estate boom of the 1920s. Rick will also present general information about the show, awards, plus interesting fun facts.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses the original production of 1994’s Passion. He will talk about how writer/director James Lapine and Sondheim collaborated on the show to create one of the composer’s most unique musicals. Rick will also present general information about the show, awards, plus interesting fun facts.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses the original production of 1987’s Into the Woods. He will talk about how writer/director James Lapine and Sondheim collaborated on the show to create one of the composer’s best loved musicals. Rick will also present general information about the show, awards, plus interesting fun facts.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses Do I Hear a Waltz. He will talk about the creation of Sondheim’s collaboration with Richard Rodgers where, once again, he wrote just lyrics.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He will talk about the creation of Sondheim’s first Broadway musical, where he wrote both music and lyrics.

Stephen Sondheim scholar Rick Pender discusses the 1971 musical Follies. He will talk about the creation of this landmark musical, general information about the show, awards, plus interesting fun facts. And we will mix all that in with an ample amount of musical selections.

On Broadway Podcast with Stuart Brown. For the 10th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, we feature the 1959 Stephen Sondheim-Jule Styne collaboration, Gypsy, which starred Ethel Merman.

Rick Pender and I continue our review of all of Stephen Sondheim’s musicals with a discussion of his Pulitzer Prize winning musical, Sunday in the Park with George.

The 8th episode in a series on the complete works of Stephen Sondheim. Rick Pender, the author of the The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, is our musical guide. For this episode, the 1964 musical Anyone Can Whistle. with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. We discuss the show and play a number of songs from the Original Broadway production.

The new season of the podcast, On Broadway, is here! Rick Pender, the author of The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia, continues with his astute insights into the musicals of Sondheim with a discussion of the 1970 landmark production of Company. We also include a number of songs from the Original Cast Recording. NOTE: Due to copyright […]

We continue our journey through the Stephen Sondheim canon with Rick Pender, author of The Stephen Sondheim Encyclopedia. This edition’s Sondheim musical is Sweeney Todd, which starred Len Cariou an Angela Lansbury. Rick discusses aspects of the show and we also play a number of selections from the original cast recording.