Broadway melodies

If Oscar Hammerstein II had been a geologist, Broadway composer-writer Stephen Sondheim quite possibly would have turned out to be one, too. Fortunately, this was not the case.

But more on that later.

Sondheim, widely recognized as one of the greatest contributors to musical theater in the 20th century—and beyond—has been awarded every major establishment award: Tony, Oscar, Grammy, National Medal of Arts, Pulitzer, Olivier and Kennedy Center Honors.

And as he heads toward his 79th birthday, nothing seems to slow him down. He continues to pen lyrics and music for new shows and to rework revivals of past successes.

Sporting as rich a tradition and moniker as any writer-composer who ever has plied his trade on the Great White Way, Sondheim will be in Richmond on Monday night. He’ll be at the Landmark Theater with New York Times former theater critic, now op-ed writer, Frank Rich for an onstage chat that should provide interesting fodder for serious theatergoers.

Hosted by the University of Richmond Modlin Center for the Arts, Sondheim and Rich, a founding editor of The Richmond Mercury, will parry and thrust as only two professionals who respect each other could.

Seventeen years as theater critic for the Times gives Rich the background to ask the questions. Half a century of broadened experience and unmitigated talent give Sondheim the right to say whatever the heck he wants.

And the fodder is there.

For those who haven’t rung the mental bell yet, think: “West Side Story,“ “Gypsy,“ “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,“ “Sweeney Todd,“ “Sunday in the Park With George,“ “Into the Woods,“ “Company,“ “Follies,“ “A Little Night Music” . . . anything clicking yet?

OK, just one song then: “Send in the Clowns.“ Bing! Welcome to the show.

And for anyone interested, Sony BMG late last year released a four-CD set titled “Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far . . . “ It contains a collection of several songs from each of his shows—including some that didn’t make the final cut—plus a booklet filled with pictures and testimonies about the composer from many of his colleagues on and off stage.

One of the questions Sondheim sometimes is asked is whether his style of writing would be better suited for the operatic stage. He answered that question by phone from his Manhattan office one day last week:

“No, I don’t much like opera as a genre, and the reason is that I love the contrast between song and speech. So an evening of just singing does not satisfy me as much as an evening of singing and speaking. I believe that the people who are passionate about opera are passionate about the sound of the human voice above all things,“ Sondheim said. “I care more about the song than the singer.

“Part of this comes from my being raised not on theater but on movies. I was particularly interested in the background scores. I grew up on classical music—Romantic 19th century through early 20th century music. For me, it was the thrill of the orchestra, not the human voice. And I loved plays. So, what combines the orchestra and plays? Musicals.“

Walking away trying to hum more than a few bars from one particular song after seeing a Sondheim show is nigh impossible.

“But that’s the way it is with all art,“ Sondheim said. “Some art you can ‘get’ on the first hearing or seeing, and that’s fine. But most any type of art form is meant to be seen or heard more than once. Maybe it will get better; maybe it will get worse. But if you like anything about something you’ve seen or heard, it’s worth going to again and maybe again.“

Sondheim clearly knows that the apex of his career is behind him.

“Short attention spans are prevalent now because of television and computers,“ he said. “People are very impatient and don’t want to give their time to anything, including reading.“

And few of his shows have had the runs of those that feature big cats, or little cats, or scar-faced monsters roaming the bowels of an opera house. Yet he presses on with his vision of educating a new generation to his work.

“The great thing about writing for the theater rather than movies, for example, is that it’s done differently for each generation,“ Sondheim said. “I’m in the thick of a lot of revivals right now. ‘Gypsy’ is on Broadway; ‘West Side Story’ is about to be done again. Next season, ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ is being mounted. Trevor Nunn has directed a recent run of ‘A Little Night Music’ in London, and there will be a revue of a lot of my work that is going to open in Atlanta in April.

“So a whole new generation of performers as well as viewers will be able to bite into it. And that’s what keeps the theater alive. For me, it’s a pleasure to have professional productions of the shows done again.“

Now, back to Hammerstein.

Sondheim’s parents divorced when he was 10, and he and his mother moved to Doylestown, Pa. While his mother worked long hours, he became close friends with a youngster his age named Jimmy Hammerstein, whose father just happened to be Oscar Hammerstein II.

The Hammersteins became sort of surrogate parents for Sondheim, and he spent a lot of time at their house. Hammerstein liked his son’s new friend, and when he found out he had a proclivity for music, he began to tutor him.

Sondheim became very attached to Hammerstein, who at the time was working on a little show called “Oklahoma.“ Once Sondheim started college, Hammerstein asked him if he wanted to work for him on a Broadway production called “Allegro,“ which Sondheim jumped at. The show did not turn out to be a hit, but Sondheim learned a lot about backstage ropes during his gofer process.

“I just wanted to be what Oscar was,“ Sondheim said. “I’ve said before, if Oscar Hammerstein had been a geologist, I probably would have become a geologist.“

And then came “West Side Story.“ At 27, Sondheim auditioned for Leonard Bernstein but was not offered a part. However, Bernstein, author Arthur Laurents and director and choreographer Jerome Robbins came up with the idea to have Sondheim create the lyrics.

“I didn’t want to take the job, but Oscar Hammerstein persuaded me. He said: ‘You’ll be frustrated not writing music, but you’ll learn a great deal.‘“

Thus did the wind come sweepin’ down the plain for Stephen Sondheim.

Contact Walt Amacker at (804) 649-6247 or .