Send in Mr. Sondheim

"You just made my afternoon!" theater legend Steven Sondheim exclaimed to a thrilled audience in the Balch Arena Theater on Monday. Sondheim was responding to a student's complement of his work, but the sentiment was definitely reciprocated.

Sondheim is one of the most well known in the world of musical theater. He has written the music and lyrics to over 20 shows. Barbara Grossman, Chairman of the Department of Drama and Dance, introduced Mr. Sondheim as "the premier musical theater artist alive today." He wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story," and three of his shows, "Assassins," "Into the Woods," and "A Little Night Music" were recently performed by Tufts theater groups.

Rather than simply lecturing, Sondheim fielded questions about his art and career, and about the theater in general. At a reception following the question and answer session, Sondheim signed autographs and took more questions.

Sondheim became interested in theater as a child under the influence of neighbor Oscar Hammerstein ("Oklahoma!"). Sondheim wrote and acted during college (although he admitted freely during Monday's lecture that he was a "terrible actor"). After writing the lyrics for "West Side Story," he wrote such plays as "Gypsy," "A Funny Thing Happened on to the Forum," "Follies," and "Sweeney Todd."

Although Sondheim wrote both the music and lyrics for his productions, he stated in response to a student question that he thinks of himself as a "musical dramatist." Sondheim spoke of the need to find both a "lyrical language" and a "musical language" which inform and build off each other when creating a piece of musical theater. He also stressed the importance of teamwork in his creative endeavors.

"It's not inspiration, it's collaboration," he said, describing the hours of "endless discussion" that go into the creation of a show.

Among the many topics he touched on, Sondheim addressed the future of American theater, which he feels lies largely in regional theater. Sondheim noted that Broadway today relies on spectacle rather than narrative or other theatrical elements that are the core of his own work.

Sondheim also spoke about the difference between a theatrical production of a musical and a movie. "I have never seen a movie musical that I thought told a story well ... the stage is a poetic medium, while film is a repertory one." The techniques of storytelling used in each are therefore different, so musicals don't translate very well to the screen.

Speaking candidly of his successes and failure, Sondheim said that "Today, most of 'West Side Story' makes me wince. It's just so 'written' with a capital 'W.'" He went on to stress the need to "let music underwrite the poetry" -- to do the job for it. Sondheim's lyrical style has evolved over the years, but it remains one of the strongest, most captivating aspects of his shows. When asked what appeals to her about Sondheim's work, Senior Jenn Henriksson pointed to his skill with words. "I think it's his lyrics ... I think he's brilliant," she said. "I like the way the words and the music work together."

Sondheim's talk was formatted as a question and answer session. As a result, he did not focus on any particular subject area, but let the questions direct the discussion. Senior Amanda Haley appreciated the opportunity to question Mr. Sondheim freely. "It's hard to have any focus when you do question and answer, but I think it was really cool for everyone who got to ask questions."

The Department of Drama and Dance presented Monday's lecture, the event was supported by the President and Trustees of Tufts College.