Many individuals, some famous, some not, have impacted me along my journey. Stephen Sondheim had a great effect on my feelings about musical theatre, and on my career, from the moment I saw COMPANY in 1970. This was the first Broadway show I ever saw, and it ended up affecting everything.
A decade later, I acted in my first Sondheim show, playing Bobby in COMPANY. I went on to productions of A Little Night Music, Sunday In The Park With George, and Into The Woods.
There were also three productions of SWEENEY TODD, spread out over 25 years. (I first met Mr. Sondheim during our 1996 Goodspeed Opera House production, which was the first scaled-down version of the show ever attempted.)
In 2005, I joined a production of Sondheim’s PASSION at the Rose Theatre at Lincoln Center, directed by Lonny Price; I played Colonel Ricci and appeared with Patti Lupone, Michael Cerveris, and Audra McDonald. (I didn’t realize when I accepted the offer that one of our performances was going to be LIVE-TELEVISED, something I came to find utterly terrifying.)
Following our final performance I attended the after-party at the Rose and, as I was chatting with our stage manager Dan DaSilva, I noticed Mr. Sondheim across the room. He saw me, made a beeline towards me, and said, “I want to tell you: You were just terrific.”
I can’t fully express what his words have done for me in the ensuing nineteen years. It’s a memory that’s gotten me through countless disappointments. He had a great impact on me, and I mourn his absence from the world.
