Los Angeles premiere of ‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ offers intimate portrait of iconic composer

LONG BEACH, Calif. - Sept. 20, 2015 - PRLog -- Writing songs that reflect the complexity of his characters, Stephen Sondheim changed the way we define a great musical. Yet even though millions of fans know his songs by heart, few know much about Sondheim himself. Until now. Conceived by frequent Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, this intimate evening combines exclusive interview footage offering an inside look at Sondheim’s personal life and artistic process with sparkling-new arrangements of over two dozen Sondheim tunes ranging from the celebrated to the obscure. A unique theatrical experience. Rating: A Major.

“The show lets us in on Stephen’s creative process,” says director DJ Gray, who assisted Lapine on the Broadway production. “In addition to the well-known songs, there are some that are more obscure, and some that ended up being cut all together from his musicals. It’s fascinating to hear Stephen speak frankly about why those didn’t work. He’s candid, funny and charming. It’s a unique window into how he works and what shaped him as an artist.”

Stephen Sondheim is widely regarded as the mostimportantcomposer and lyricist of musical theater in the second half of the 20th century.He is the winner of anAcademy Award and eight Tony Awards(more than any other composer) including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, as welleightGrammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award. Hs best-known works as a composer and lyricist include A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,Company,Follies,A Little Night Music,Sweeney Todd,Sunday in the Park with George,Into the Woods and Assassins, and he wrote the lyrics forWest Side StoryandGypsy. Sondheim has also written film music, contributing “Goodbye for Now” to Warren Beatty's 1981Red and five songs to 1990's Dick Tracy, including “Sooner or Later (I Always Get My Man)” which was performed byMadonna and won the Academy Award forbest song. Sondheim was president of theDramatists Guild from 1973 to 1981. On September 15, 2010, in honor of his 80th birthday, the former Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed theStephen Sondheim Theatre.

Sondheim on Sondheim runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., Oct. 16 through Nov. 8. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, Oct. 14 and Thursday, Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $46 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $48 on Saturdays and Sundays, except opening night (Oct. 16), for which tickets are $54 and include a post-performance reception, and previews which are $34. International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 300 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach, CA 90802. For reservations and information, call the ICT Box Office at 562-436-4610.