Event Info
Best Worst Thing That Ever Could Have Happened: Lonny Price
Stephen Sondheim and producer-director partner Harold Prince had seemed unstoppa...
4:00pm
Event Description
Stephen Sondheim and producer-director partner Harold Prince had seemed unstoppable before their 1981 effort Merrily We Roll Along closed after a mere 16 performances, ending both their reign over Broadway and their decade-long friendship. After individual success, Sondheim (West Side Story) and Prince (Fiddler on the Roof, Cabaret) had collaborated on a series of Tony-winning musicals in the 1970s, culminating in 1979s smash hit Sweeney Todd.
Best Worst Thing director Lonny Price idolized the pair, and auditioned among thousands for a role in Merrily We Roll Along. The story of a trio of bitter and jaded adults, Merrily moves back in time as its scenes progress, so that by its end the friends are wide-eyed, hopeful youths. With present-day interviews and recovered footage from an unaired TV feature, Best Worst Thing works as its bittersweet complement.
A reflection on the nature of youth, idealism, and disappointment, Best Worst Thing is above all a love letter to the theatre. Buoyed by Sondheim's now-beloved score and the undiminished, irrepressible passion of Merrily's cast and creators, Best Worst Thing is an unmissable treat for even a casual theatre goer. Featuring composer Adam Guettel, NYT critic Frank Rich, Jason Alexander, Mandy Patinkin, and many more.
Venue
808 Douglas St (at Humboldt)
Open / Operational
In-Person Event
Tue. February 7th 2017 + Add to Calendar
Vic Theatre
