Stephen Sondheim

Sondheim said, when he tried to write his soaring anthem, "Our Time," he had to hypnotize himself. He had to persuade himself that he was, again, an idealistic man in his twenties, working with Leonard Bernstein on "West Side Story."

Something is stirring, shifting ground...

It's just begun.

Edges are blurring, all around--

And yesterday is done.

Feel the flow, feel what's happening:

We're what's happening.

Long ago--all we had was that funny feeling--

Saying, someday, we'd send 'em reeling.

Now it looks like we can....

To evoke a sense of possibility, Sondheim seems to make an explicit reference to "Tony and Maria." Something is stirring. ("Something's coming...Don't know when, but it's soon....Catch the moon....")

In "West Side Story," Tony senses that the "air is humming." He's "got a feeling..." there's a miracle due....And, on a similar note, here's Sondheim in "Our Time":

Feel how it quivers....

On the brink--EVERYTHING!

Gives you the shivers, makes you think...

There's so much stuff to sing...

Finally, Sondheim tips a hat to one other show, "Follies." He plays with the idea of "being." He says, "Years from now, we'll remember, and we'll come back--buy the rooftop and hang a plaque: This is where we began....being what we can...." Toying with the concept of potential, the concept of hope, Sondheim (also) seems to be thinking of a famous line for an old, wizened "Follies" character: "The Ben I'll never be....Who remembers him?"

People are unloading the sets for "Merrily We Roll Along"; it's happening right now at the Hudson Theater, on Broadway. I'll include a photo below.

P.S. I'm headed to Maine and might be quiet for a few days. Yesterday is done!

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