Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration by Broadway.com [Online Resource]

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This video celebration of Stephen Sondheim’s music and influence was entirely created during quarantine and includes performances by Bernadette Peters, Michael Cerversis, Josh Groban, Patti LuPone, Neil Patrick Harris, and many other extremely talented people. We have solo performances, duets, and even large ensembles (these last come across surprisingly well given the difficulties of making music as an ensemble during quarantine). We also here from a few non-singers—Steven Spielberg being the most memorable in my mind—but it is, of course, the music that makes this two-and-a-half hour long celebration worthwhile. The performances are entertaining and moving and heartfelt, and of course the craftsmanship that went into the music and lyrics is superb—it’s all by Sondheim.

Because the celebration is made up of many short clips recorded by different artists, it is easy to did in and out, enjoying the celebration slowly over time. And if you want to jump straight to a favorite artist or revist a favorite clip, just view the full description for a table of contests with links to the starting point for each clip. (Some highlights include 1:28:04 – Michael Cerveris – “Finishing the Hat”, 1:58:47 – Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep & Audra McDonald – “The Ladies Who Lunch”, and 2:11:46 – Bernadette Peters – “No One Is Alone”.)