It was Monday in the darkness with Mandy Patinkin, with Mandy Patinkin earning this year’s Stephen Sondheim Award honors and a sparkling musical homage to his career on stage and on screen. Joined by his wife of 45 years, Kathryn Grody, Patinkin posted a center table at the annual gala, and held the national anthem for the second year in a row.
The concert venue has never been gone to sing the praises of Tony and Emmy’s winning performers of artistic creation roles on Broadway. Ebita, Secret Garden, Wild Partyand of course, Sondheim Sunday in the park with George“We helped win the Sondheim Award, which was established by signing to honor individuals for their contributions to American musical theatres.
This year’s event, Monday, April 14th, also raised a record amount to benefit the Arlington-based theatre’s Signature in the Schools program, and was the best in gala’s history, according to an evening intro by Signature’s Christine Stanley.
The turnout for that record was addressed by a soft and respectful programme of Powerhouse songs related to Patinkin, sung with a lineup of clearly inspired performers, including Ben Platt, Annalie Ashford, Matthew Scott, Anchell Rosada, Tracy Lynn Olivera and Our Salseca.
Following the well-edited video compliment – it also highlighted Patinkin’s indelible film and television role. yentl, Princess’s Brideand Criminals, Singing Sondheim with Madonna Dick Tracy – Secka launched the show with cutting edge art productions Sunday“Bundle it together.”
Backing up the singer, the John Calve Freish-led band actually found all the little syncopations in every little orchestration. Next was Olivera, whipped out Johnti Sondheim Ditti from Dick Tracy – Frankly, it’s not Patinkin related Dick Tracy I wanted to hear Song live, but it was a little known gem, “living alone” like jazz.
Olivera then brought her friend Seka back to a lovely duet of “Lily’s Eyes.” Secret Gardenlyrics by Marsha Norman, composed by Lucy Simon. Rosada, currently reading At height In Signature, Patinkin first sang on Broadway in a passionate performance of another song. Ebita.
Scott stood at Nathan Gunn in the weather, expressing the emotions of many of the artists in the room, speaking to Patinkin from the stage. Excited to honor one of his heroes, Scott said he offered the moving “The Games” to “The Games I Play.” Falsett.
Ashford maintained the mood of stirring with a mini-medry Sunday“Children and “Children and the Arts” are “children listen.” In the forestTony, Grammy Awards and Emmy winner Pratt closed the performance part with the words “one of the best songs ever created.” Sunday“The finishing touch.”
In that beautiful memo, James Lapin is a respected writer and director who is responsible for working with Sondheim to finish many hats – Sunday in the park with George, In the forest, We roll together in hilariously, passion – He took the stage for a standing ovation to present the award to a friend of 40 years.
“We’ve started SundayLapin recalled. “Mandy had all the experience. I was just doing my first real show, my first Broadway show with Steve.” During the production rehearsal, the two admitted that they “experienced several times together and came out on the other side,” and Rapine received Patinkin and his accolades. Sunday Co-star Bernadette Peters helps shape him as an artist.
“These two made me the director,” he said. “Because they came to the room. They were lovely and charming, and when they started working, they worked,” he added, praised the pair’s total focus.
Then, when Patinkin made it on stage to accept the award, he gave credit to Lapin, the 2015 winner of this honor. “James changed my life, not just Steve,” he said. “Steve wrote [music] From the words James first put on the paper. ”
During the rehearsal there was one word in direction from Rapine SundayPatinkin said, it was with him throughout his career. “He gave me the word that it’s repeated throughout George’s life in this play, and I was able to continue that in my life,” Patinkin said.
“And the words are: ‘Connect. ‘Connect, George, Connect.’ I don’t have the courage to decide what happens when my time is over, whatever this confusion is, wherever they are, how my part decides that my children and grandchildren want to sit down.
Patinkin certainly connected with Gala’s viewers, noting what he called the most important thing to remember. “I was thinking, ‘What do I say?’ and it hit me, ‘Mandy, this has nothing to do with you, tonight’s,’ he said.
“This has something to do with theatre, people who keep theatre alive and support theatre. And we cannot live without the lessons of fighting for theatre and morality, ethics, ethics, nobility, humanity, kindness, entertainment, and life, and seeing life in everyone, amongst everyone.
He continued for a heartfelt applause. “It’s very important to understand that you are a respected person tonight. What is respected tonight is a distinctive theatre, and it is your theatre that supports it.
“Thank you for making me part of this extraordinary and incredible theatre. For this town, this town needs you more than any town in the world right now. Bless you!”
So the full cast of performers is back in the grand finale. Sunday. To his surprise, Patinkin joined the ensemble behind Pratt and congratulated us by sweetly singing the evening with “people walking through the trees on a regular Sunday.”
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
