Stephen Sondheim was a legend of American musical theater, who unfortunately passed away in November 2021 at the age of 2021. To honor the man behind timeless classics including West Side Story, Sweeney Todd, Company, Gypsy, Into The Woods, and many others, here are some of the best things to watch on the major streaming services in tribute to him.
Netflix
Tick Tick Boom
While the recently released film Tick Tick Boom is about another composer, Jonathan Larson, it is a wonderful film to watch in tribute to the composer, who served as a mentor for the Rent creator and appears as a character in the film, portrayed brilliantly by Bradley Whitford. The composer himself also makes a vocal cameo appearance in the film, although I will not spoil the moment here.
The Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened
One of Sondheim's less successful works, Merrily We Roll Along was the subject of a wonderful documentary currently available to watch on Netflix. It chronicles the failure of the original Broadway production amid Sondheim's other successes. Not only does it follow him, but also the people who make his work come to life onstage, and how it and the reaction to the show impacts them.
Disney Plus
Into The Woods
Into The Woods is an adaptation by Disney of Sondheim's fairytale musical. The film, which adapts the two-act musical with two essentially independent halves involving the same characters, intertwines the stories of dozens of fairytale characters from Rapunzel, to Cinderella, to Jack and the Beanstalk and more, all tied together by the story of a baker, his wife, and a curse placed on their family by a witch.
It is an untraditional fairytale that is a heartwrenching story, and while the film does make changes to the original musical, the basic tenets of the musical are preserved alongside wonderful performances throughout its cast.
HBO Max
Six By Sondheim
A combination of a documentary alongside various performances of his songs, this is a brilliant tribute to the composer. It chronicles his entire career up until the point it was made in 2013, including the various highs and lows, allowing you to hear both from him in his interviews, and through the music and lyrics, he wrote alongside his story.
If you are looking to learn more about him, and the process behind most of his iconic works, this is probably the best way to start.
Gypsy
This film adaptation of one of Sondheim's early works, where he wrote the lyrics but not music, is a brilliant recreation of the stage version. Featuring a wonderful cast, and being very accurate to the stage version this movie tells the story of Gypsy Rose Lee including iconic songs like Rose's Turn and Everything's Coming Up Roses.
A wonderful musical, this is a worthy adaptation of this brilliant piece of musical theater.
Hulu / Paramount Plus
Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The film adaptation of Sweeney Todd is currently available to watch on Hulu and Paramount Plus. Regardless of where you watch it, this adaptation of one of Sondheim's best works blends horror and comedy in a unique way with a star-studded cast performing some of his most iconic songs, including A Little Priest, Johanna, and more.
Final Thoughts
These are just a few of the most readily accessible works of Stephen Sondheim, but they are hardly the only ones worth watching. If you can find them, amazing proshots (or professional recordings of stage adaptations) exist of many of his works including of Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd, Sunday In The Park With George, and Gypsy. Be sure to look beyond streaming services for some of the best preservations of the work of this unique composer, or if you can, see his works as they were meant to be seen, on stage, be it on Broadway, the West End, on tour, internationally, a regional or community theater, or your local high school.
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