Revolution Stage Company

Simply Sondheim

Revolution Stage Company, Palm Springs, CA, February 22, 2026

Reviewed by Joel Vig

A Night of Broadway Magic in Palm Springs

A benefit performance for the Revolution Stage Company delivered an unforgettable evening of music, memory, and community.

On the evening of February 22, 2026, the Revolution Stage Company in Palm Springs was buzzing with electricity. A sold-out, standing-room-only crowd packed the house. Many in the crowd were veterans of Broadway, national tours, and theater companies large and small across the country, and the event seemed more like a reunion than an opening night and an occasion that only the theater world can bring about. We were a family bound not by blood, but by shared stages and collective passion.

The occasion was Simply Sondheim, a benefit conceived by producer Greg Hicks and brought to life by director Paul Curran. The goal was twofold: to raise funds for the Revolution Stage Company, one of Palm Springs’ newer and most ambitious theatrical ventures; and to celebrate the enduring genius of Stephen Sondheim. The result exceeded every expectation.

The lineup was remarkable: nine men of Broadway, with Hicks himself jumping in for ensemble numbers, were joined by a single woman, the legendary Teri Ralston. What might have been an evening of solo audition pieces turned out to be something far more inventive. The cast arrived offered fully staged group numbers, duets, and trios that included a rousing rendition of “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” that brought down the house.

The gender-fluid casting choices were among the evening’s highlights. “Getting Married Today” became a comic showdown between two men. “Sooner or Later,” the sultry Madonna number from the film Dick Tracy, was reimagined as a charged duet that leaned into every note. “Barcelona,” Sondheim’s quietly devastating morning-after song was played out between two men in the aftermath of a one-night stand. Each choice felt appropriate and revelatory, and the Palm Springs audience embraced them wholeheartedly.

At the center of the show was Teri Ralston, who originated a role in the landmark Broadway production of Company and spent more than five decades working alongside Stephen Sondheim and director Hal Prince. Her stories of working with “Steve” and “Hal” gave the evening the weight and warmth of living history.

She was not alone in her memories. The cast’s Sondheim were some of the most moving moments of the night. Dennis Courtney described auditioning to be a replacement in the role of Tobias in Sweeney Todd; Sondheim gently coached him through the material and Angela Lansbury offered to be on stage with him so that he would have someone to sing to. Tim Ewing, a veteran of a New York revival of Pacific Overtures, recalled being invited to dinner at Sondheim’s Turtle Bay brownstone, which was next door to Katharine Hepburn’s longtime residence. Hepburn was known to pound on Sondheim’s door demanding he stop playing the piano late at night. Craig Ramsay shared how Sondheim personally helped him draft a letter to secure a green card to allow him to continue working in the United States. These vignettes painted Sondheim to be a man who was as devoted to the performers who brought his work to life as they were to him.

The evening closed when Ralston delivered a luminous performance of “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music, after which the full company joined together for “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George, which propelled the audience to its feet. The benefit proved so popular that a second performance was added on March 1, 2026 that effectively doubling the funds raised for the Revolution Stage Company, which was founded by Gary Powers and James Owens.

The exceptional work of music director Christopher Marlowe must be acknowledged.  MAC Award winner Marlowe has had a celebrated career as a music director, arranger, composer, and pianist. Alone on stage with a grand piano, he provided ideal arrangements, from his glorious Sondheim overture to intimate ballads and boisterous large choral numbers.

Sondheim once wrote, “Art isn’t easy.” But on this night in Palm Springs, surrounded by generous artists and an audience that truly understood what was at stake made it seem, for a few hours at least, that it could be.