The New York Times called Stephen Sondheim theater’s most revered and influential composer-lyricist of the last half of the 20th century and the driving force behind some of Broadway’s most beloved and celebrated shows. Photo licensed under a Creative Commons license. Photo Credit: "Dennis Beck / Broadway Tour" (BroadwayTour.Net)
Natalia Nieto-Wire, 19, discovered the passing of legendary composer Stephen Sondheim last month via social media. Nieto-Wire, who performed in her high school’s rendition of Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, was in disbelief when she first heard the news. “I contacted all my old castmates so we could reminisce and mourn together,” said the City College sophomore.
On November 26, musical theater fans worldwide were stunned to hear of Stephen Sondheim’s death in his Roxbury, Connecticut home. Sondheim was known for redefining the American musical due to his innovative works which centered around creative topics including presidential assassins, class and race struggles, and of course, love. Throughout his lifetime he won a Pulitzer, numerous Tony’s and Grammy’s, and had two theaters named after him (one on Broadway and one in the West End).
Even at 91, Sondheim’s death felt sudden—he appeared to be perfectly fine the night before during Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, cardiovascular disease can sneak up on the best of us.
Nieto-Wire tried to get tickets to see Sondheim’s musical comedy Company on Broadway a week after his passing. “Rush tickets are usually around $40, but the cheapest ticket they had was $90,” she said. “The line was gigantic. It was full of disheartened fans like myself who wanted to commemorate Sondheim’s legacy. In the end, I wasn’t able to see the show.”
Others relate to Nieto-Wire’s feelings of loss. Cindy Lin, a chemical biology major at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, remembers her middle school choir teacher showing her class West Side Story for the first time in sixth grade. Inspired, Lin went on to spend all four years of high school working backstage on school productions.
“I’ll never forget the opening scene with the Jets and Sharks snapping their fingers as they danced through the city,” she said. “West Side Story was one of the first musicals I ever saw, and I can confidently say if it wasn’t for Sondheim’s amazing soundtrack, I wouldn’t have been so enticed. He instilled a love of musical theatre in me.”
Even those who weren’t familiar with Sondheim’s name knew his works. “I watched the 2014 Into the Woods movie and remember loving all the songs,” said Ciania Mejia, a sophomore at City College. “And I definitely saw all the West Side Story movie posters plastered around the city, but I never realized the music [from both productions] was from the same guy. It was even more surprising finding out he died right after I found out who he was, like what were the chances.”
“It’s really difficult to think that a world of musical theatre can exist without Sondheim in it,” added Nieto-Wire. “I think my way of coping has just been listening to his musicals nonstop on Spotify while studying for finals.”
Tags: CCNY CCNY Journalism Company Cuny Into the Woods Stephen Sondheim Student Journalism The City College of New York theater West Side Story
