Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021 at the age of 91, was one of the pillars of American musical theatre in the 20th century. In this course, we will take a look at each of his musicals from over a half-century of his career, hearing behind-the-scenes stories about their development, talking about the musical and lyrical structure in Sondheim’s songs, and discovering what made him not only a trailblazer but a rule breaker in both his hits and his flops during his long career. Songs from the original cast albums will be featured, as well as television performances and insights from Sondheim himself in archived interviews.
Week 1: The Wunderkind: “Saturday Night,” “West Side Story,” “Gypsy” (1954 - 1959)
Week 2: On His Own: “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Anyone Can Whistle,” “Do I Hear a Waltz,” “Evening Primrose” (1962 - 1966)
Week 3: Enter Hal Prince: “Company,” “Follies,” “A Little Night Music” (1970 - 1973)
Week 4: Breaking the Mold: “The Frogs,” “Pacific Overtures,” “Side by Side,” “Sweeney Todd” (1974 - 1979)
Week 5: Into the ‘80s: “Marry Me a Little,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods” (1980 - 1987)
Week 6: The Final Shows: “Assassins,” “Putting It Together,” “Passion,” “Road Show,” “Sondheim On Sondheim" (1990 - 2010)
Cary Ginell, M.A., is a Grammy-nominated writer and author of 12 books on American music. After a 30-year career in radio, he has spent the last 20 years as a public speaker, talking about music in classrooms, at conferences, and on cruise ships. Cary brings a lifelong passion for the recording industry to his work and is one of the world’s foremost authorities on his specialty, western swing. Cary previously served as President of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, an international organization of music scholars and world-renowned institutions. He holds a master’s degree in Folklore from UCLA and a bachelor’s in Radio/TV/Film from Cal State University Northridge.
Fifty and Better was designed to offer university-level courses and lectures (no tests, no homework) taught by experts in the field, and to host social engagement activities for individuals age 50 and older.
