Northwestern music theatre expert available to speak on Sondheim’s legacy
‘It was evident the specificity, intention, and care that he put into everything he wrote — we should all take his lead,’ professor says
EVANSTON, Ill. – Legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim died at the age of 91 after six decades of creating musical theatre. He leaves behind a treasure trove of award-winning shows as well as artistic acolytes, mentees and legions of fans who will keep his legacy alive on Broadway, regional and school stages for decades to come.
John Haas is an assistant professor of instruction in the department of theatre at Northwestern University, where he teaches in the music theatre and master of fine arts acting programs. His research and performance work focus on vocal music technique and pedagogy, music theatre history and music theatre repertoire. A course entitled Singing Sondheim is one of the courses Hass teaches. He can be reached at j-haas@northwestern.edu or by contacting Stephanie Kulke at 773-501-4360.
Quote from Professor Haas
“Stephen Sondheim’s impact on music theatre is immeasurable — and not just because of his brilliant lyrics or richly sophisticated, virtuosic scores, but his love of the art form of music theatre itself. How he, much like his mentor Oscar Hammerstein II, pushed the boundaries of conventional musicals to craft musicals around the stories of very flawed people and take the time to expose how those flaws came to be a part of that person’s character — finding humanity in all.
“There are many great examples of this, but one that most folks have seen is “Into the Woods.” He spends the entire first act weaving together many different well-known fairytales. Then, they come together at the end of the act in the iconic ‘happily ever after,’ only to spend the entire second act exposing the consequences of those actions and asking the hard questions about moral quandaries.
“During our online Sondheim Music Theatre Repertoire class in Spring 2020, I was able to invite two of Sondheim’s greatest stars, Mandy Patinkin (‘Sunday in the Park with George’) and Donna Murphy (‘Passion’), to speak with my class. Hearing them talk of working with Sondheim to develop these iconic roles, it was evident to us the specificity, intention and care that he put into everything he wrote. We should all take his lead.”