Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration

*Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration*
Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration
Genre	Musical benefit concert
Directed by	Paul Wontorek
Opening theme	"Prologue" from Follies
Ending theme	"I'm Still Here" from Follies
Composer	Stephen Sondheim
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Mary-Mitchell Campbell; Bill Curran; Raúl Esparza; Paul Wontorek;
Producer	Raúl Esparza
Production location	Virtual
Animator	Ryan Casey
Editors	Jim Cocoliato; Alexander Goyco; Mike Karns; Nick Shakra; Ryan Simmons;
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	143 minutes
Production company	Broadway.com
Original release
Network	Syndication
Release	April 26, 2020
Related
	Sondheim! The Birthday Concert

Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration was a virtual concert celebrating the 90th birthday of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim. The event also served as a fundraiser for Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).^[1]

Hosted by Raúl Esparza,^[1] whose appearances were curtailed due to technical difficulties, the concert featured many celebrities with ties to Sondheim singing his songs, alongside others offering birthday greetings between performances.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Context and timing

The April 26, 2020 livestream date coincided with the 50th anniversary of the opening night of the original Broadway production of Company. The 2020 Broadway revival of that show, originally slated to open March 22 on Sondheim's birthday proper, had been scuttled by the closure of all Broadway productions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Performances

In order of appearance

Performer(s)	Song	Show	Significance
Stephen Schwartz	"Prologue"	Follies	Fellow Broadway composer
Broadway musicians	"Overture"	Merrily We Roll Along	—
Sutton Foster	"There Won't Be Trumpets"	Anyone Can Whistle	Nurse Fay Apple in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle The Baker's Wife in Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl Replacement for Mrs. Lovett in the third revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Neil Patrick Harris	"Prologue" (The Witch's rap)	Into the Woods	Lee Harvey Oswald / The Balladeer in the original Broadway production of Assassins Bobby in the 2011 New York Philharmonic concert of Company Tobias Ragg in the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Charles in the 2001 recording of Evening Primrose Baker in the 2022 Encores! production of Into the Woods
Kelli O'Hara	"What More Do I Need?"	Saturday Night	Young Hattie/Ensemble in the Broadway revival production of Follies
Judy Kuhn	"What Can You Lose?"	Dick Tracy (film)	Fosca in the Off-Broadway production of Passion
Katrina Lenk	"Johanna"	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Bobbie in the third Broadway revival production of Company
Aaron Tveit	"Marry Me a Little"	Company	John Wilkes Booth in the West End revival production of Assassins Bobby in the Barrington Stage Company production of Company Replacement for Sweeney Todd in the third revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Beanie Feldstein and Ben Platt	"It Takes Two"	Into the Woods	Mary Flynn and Charley Kringas respectively in the upcoming film adaptation of Merrily We Roll Along
Brandon Uranowitz	"With So Little to Be Sure Of"	Anyone Can Whistle	Addison Mizner in the Encores! concert of Road Show
Melissa Errico	"Children and Art"	Sunday in the Park with George	Dot/Marie in the Washington, D.C. production of Sunday in the Park with George Clara in the Off-Broadway production of Passion Leona Samish in Encores! concert of Do I Hear a Waltz? Her 2018 recording Sondheim Sublime
Randy Rainbow	"By the Sea"	Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Adapted musical parodies of Into the Woods "Prologue" and Follies "God-Why-Don't-You-Love-Me Blues" for political satire
Elizabeth Stanley	"The Miller's Son"	A Little Night Music	April in the second Broadway revival of Company Gussie Carnegie in the Encores! concert of Merrily We Roll Along
Mandy Patinkin	"Lesson #8"	Sunday in the Park with George	Georges Seurat/George in the original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George Buddy Plummer in Lincoln Center's Follies in Concert
Maria Friedman	"Broadway Baby"	Follies	Dot/Marie in the original West End production of Sunday in the Park with George Fosca in the original West End production of Passion Mary Flynn in a London production of Merrily We Roll Along Directed a West End (later Broadway) revival of Merrily We Roll Along
Lin-Manuel Miranda	"Giants in the Sky"	Into the Woods	Fellow Broadway composer Charley Kringas in the Encores! concert of Merrily We Roll Along
Lea Salonga	"Loving You"	Passion	The Witch in the Singaporean production of Into the Woods Mrs. Lovett in the Philippines production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Performer in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
Laura Benanti	"I Remember"	Evening Primrose	Cinderella in the Broadway revival production of Into the Woods Louise in the fourth Broadway revival of Gypsy' Anne in the Los Angeles Opera production of A Little Night Music
Chip Zien	"No More"	Into the Woods	The Baker in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods The Mysterious Man in the Central Park production of Into the Woods
Josh Groban	"Children Will Listen" / "Not While I'm Around"	Into the Woods / Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street	Covered the aforementioned songs on his album Stages Sweeney Todd in the third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Brian Stokes Mitchell	"The Flag Song"	Assassins (cut song)	Sweeney Todd in the Encores! concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Cast member in Library of Congress concert version of The Frogs
Michael Cerveris	"Finishing the Hat"	Sunday in the Park with George	John Wilkes Booth in the original Broadway production of Assassins Sweeney Todd in the second Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Wilson Mizner in the Off-Broadway production of Road Show Giorgio Bachetti in the Kennedy Center and Live from Lincoln Center productions, and Tenth Anniversary Concert of Passion Count Carl-Magnus in a regional production of A Little Night Music Giorgio, Georges/George, and J. Bowden Hapgood, at the Ravinia Festival Concerts of Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, and Anyone Can Whistle respectively
Linda Lavin	"The Boy From..."	The Mad Show	Cast member of The Mad Show Rose (replacement) in the second Broadway revival of Gypsy Hattie Walker in Kennedy Center production of Follies
Alexander Gemignani	"Buddy's Blues"	Follies	John Hinckley in the original Broadway production of Assassins Beadle Bamford in the second Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Lieutenant Torasso in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion Boatman/Dennis in the first Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George Addison Mizner in the Off-Broadway production of Road Show
Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh and Thom Sesma	"Someone In a Tree"	Pacific Overtures	Cast members of the Off-Broadway revival cast of Pacific Overtures Harada: Jack's Mother in the 2022 Encores! Production of Into the Woods and replacement for Jack's Mother in the 2023 Broadway revival
Raúl Esparza	"Take Me to the World"	Evening Primrose	Georges Seurat/George in the Sondheim Celebration production of Sunday in the Park with George Charley Kringas in the Sondheim Celebration production of Merrily We Roll Along Bobby in the second Broadway revival production of Company Hapgood in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle Wilson Mizner in the Encores! concert of Road Show
Donna Murphy	"Send In the Clowns"	A Little Night Music	Fosca in the original Broadway production of Passion Phyllis Rogers Stone in the Encores! concert of Follies Mayoress in the Encores! concert of Anyone Can Whistle The Witch in the Central Park production of Into the Woods
Christine Baranski, Meryl Streep and Audra McDonald	"The Ladies Who Lunch"	Company	Baranski: Clarisse in the original Off-Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George; Mrs. Lovett in the Sondheim Celebration production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Cinderella's Stepmother in the film adaptation of Into the Woods; Phyllis in the London production of Follies; Carlotta Campion in the Encores! concert of Follies Streep: The Witch in the film adaptation of Into the Woods, Ensemble member in original production of The Frogs. McDonald: Clara in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion; Beggar Woman in the Live from Lincoln Center production and New York Philharmonic concert of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street; Clara and Nurse Fay Apple at the Ravinia Festival Concerts of Passion and Anyone Can Whistle respectively
Jake Gyllenhaal	"Move On"	Sunday in the Park with George	Georges Seurat/George in the second Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George
Annaleigh Ashford	"Move On"	Sunday in the Park with George	Dot/Marie in the second Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George Mrs. Lovett in the third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Patti LuPone	"Anyone Can Whistle"	Anyone Can Whistle	Mrs. Lovett in the New York Philharmonic concert and third Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Fosca in the Live from Lincoln Center production of Passion Rose in the fourth Broadway revival of Gypsy Joanne in the New York Philharmonic concert, second West End, and third Broadway revivals of Company Mrs. Lovett, Desiree Armfeldt, Fosca, Yvonne, Cora Hoover Hooper, and Rose in the Ravinia Festival concerts of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Anyone Can Whistle, and Gypsy respectively
Bernadette Peters	"No One Is Alone"	Into the Woods	Dot/Marie in the original Broadway production of Sunday in the Park with George The Witch in the original Broadway production of Into the Woods Fay in the 1995 Carnegie Hall concert of Anyone Can Whistle Rose in the third Broadway revival of Gypsy Desiree (second replacement) in the second Broadway revival of A Little Night Music Sally in the third Broadway revival of Follies One of the main performers in the 2013 Sondheim revue A Bed and A Chair: A New York Love Letter Recorded the albums Sondheim, Etc. – Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall and Sondheim Etc., Etc. Live At Carnegie Hall: The Rest of It Performer in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends
Company	"I'm Still Here"	Follies	—

Other appearances

In order of first appearance

Individual	Significance	Notes
Emily Dale Griffin	Sutton Foster's daughter
Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris	Neil Patrick Harris's son	Featured in The Witch's rap
Harper Grace Burtka-Harris	Neil Patrick Harris's daughter	Featured in The Witch's rap
Victor Garber	Anthony Hope in original Broadway production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street John Wilkes Booth in the original Off-Broadway production of Assassins Ben Stone in the Encores! concert of Follies
Iain Armitage	—
Steven Spielberg	Director of film adaptation of West Side Story
Lonny Price	Charley Kringas in the original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along Director of productions of Sweeney Todd, Company, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, and Anyone Can Whistle
Joanna Gleason	Baker's Wife in original Broadway production of Into the Woods
John Weidman	Librettist of Pacific Overtures, Assassins, and Road Show
Jason Alexander	Joe Josephson in original Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along
Nathan Lane	Co-librettist of and Dionysus in The Frogs, Pseudolus in the Broadway revival of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum