ON THE STEPS OF THE SHUBERT
“SONDHEIM: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE”
CELEBRATES 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF LEGENDARY EVENING AND RECORDING
WITH COMMEMORATIVE VIDEO MARCH 11, 2023
Photo: Michael Stever
James William Productions and Stephenie Skyllas present Broadway veteran Kurt Peterson in On the Steps of the Shubert, a video commemorating the 50th Anniversary of “Sondheim: A Musical Tribute”, the first celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s work, originally presented at the Shubert Theatre, Sunday, March 11, 1973.
Narrated by Kurt from the steps inside Broadway’s Shubert Theatre in the rear orchestra where he sat beside Stephen Sondheim that evening, the launch of the video will debut Saturday, March 11, 2023, at 7:22pm EST (the exact time the concert started).
Follow the link on March 11 at 7:22pm: JAMES WILLIAM PRODUCTIONS
“As producer of the evening and in honor of my producing associates Craig Zadan and Neil Appelbaum, as well as the talented colleagues who were part of the historic evening, and of course, Stephen Sondheim, this tribute offers a “backward glance” at the very first celebration of this brilliant man who was yet to be fully recognized and appreciated,” said Kurt Peterson.
Kurt continued, “It is the full story of how this accidental, now legendary evening came to be. Beginning with the first phone call, it’s incredible blossoming from a small dinner to what it became, how it was almost derailed and the groundswell of support for a man who was often ignored, dismissed and misunderstood up until this point and event.”
Peterson (the original “Young Ben” in Follies) was approached in late 1972 by AMDA (American Music and Dramatic Academy), as one of its alumni, to help produce the event.
Directed by Burt Shevelove (A Funny Thing…Forum), with choreography by Donna McKechnie, music direction by Paul Gemignani and orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, the event was staged on Boris Aronson’s country-garden set for A Little Night Music, where it opened two weeks before to rapturous acclaim. The concert brought together more than 30 stars of his shows including Angela Lansbury, Larry Kert, Chita Rivera, Dorothy Collins, Alexis Smith, Len Cariou, Nancy Walker and others. It crystallized for Broadway that Sondheim’s body of work was not just impressive, but extraordinary.
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The video features unknown highlights of the star-studded night, musical gems not on the original cast LP or CD. Many never-before-seen pics, humorous introductions by artists whose careers were more recognized than him – Jule Styne, Sheldon Harnick, Hal Prince and Leonard Bernstein. There is also a collection of folks who were there and testimonials on how the evening affected them including Jack Viertel, Lonny Price, Angela Lansbury, Donna McKechnie, Paul Gemignani, and Frank Rich. Along with other rave reviews, as well as those influenced by the recording for this legendary evening are Sondheim’s own comments.
On the Steps of the Shubert is produced by James William Productions and Stephenie Skyllas. Videographer, Michael Stever. Special thanks to the Shubert Organization, Robert E.
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Wankel, Mark Schweppe, Neil Meron, Mark Maxwell Abushady, Associate Producer Claire-Frances Sullivan and Ted Chapin.
