Black Friday got a lot darker with the passing of Steven Sondheim. At 91, yes it was inevitable but still feels like a shock. I imagine this is what it felt like when Shakespeare died. His body of work, the sheer artistry of his words will continue to outlive all.

I didn’t see the news until after finishing a few hours of pulling weeds out back. It’s funny we both responded by getting show tickets. Tomorrow we will see Twelfth night the musical, next Friday I’ll catch the 25th Anniversary of RENT, and February 1st we will see the Band’s Visit. The theater must go on. That said I hope Broadway dims the lights.

One of the things I hope they mention in at least one of the obituaries is his mentoring the next generation of writers. It was surprising hearing his voice on the answering machine in Tick Tick Boom toward the end of the film. Sondheim asked to rewrite the phone message scene and offered his voice to it. Bradley Whitford played him physically in the movie.

In terms of movie musicals, 2021 has been a pretty active year. I’m looking forward to viewing an all new version of West Side Story. If it does turn out to be excellent, I wonder how that will play come Oscar time. The original won many Oscars. In The Heights is worthy and Tick Tick Boom. I hope they all get nods in the Best Musical or Comedy category.