Comedy Tonight: Fri. Week 1

Stephen Sondheim, the composer and lyricist, died on November 26, 2021, leaving behind an extraordinary body of work – not to mention two theaters named for him, one on Broadway and the other in London’s West End. In the 1950s, he wrote the lyrics to West Side Story and Gypsy. Starting in 1962, with A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, he wrote both words and music to all his shows. The 1970s brought Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd, followed by Into the Woods in 1987.

While Sondheim may be best known for torch songs such as “Send in the Clowns” and “Losing My Mind,” he possessed a wicked, wonderful sense of humor. Director Lee Duberman has assembled a cast of twelve singers and two pianists for a show called Comedy Tonight: The Lighter Side of Stephen Sondheim, containing some of the master’s funniest songs, among them: “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” (Company), “Gee, Officer Krupke” (West Side Story), “Agony” (Into the Woods), “Broadway Baby” (Follies), and “A Little Priest” (Sweeney Todd).

Most of the songs are ensemble numbers: duets, trios, quartets, full chorus. Three of the singers are veteran performers making their San Miguel musical theater debuts: David Daniels, Tara Lynne Khaler, and Ulises de la Cruz. The other performers are Aliya Benabderrazak, Clara Dunham, Desiree Duncan, Fredric Dannen, Lee Duberman, Phoebe Greyson, Richard Fink, Susan Varcoe, and Tuti Lennon. Susan Varcoe is musical director.