Village Theatre Guild rings in the new year with 'Sondheim on Sondheim'
Village Theatre Guild continues its 59th season with a production of "Sondheim on Sondheim," an intimate portrait of the famed songwriter in his own words and music.
Through the use of exclusive interviews and new orchestrations of many of his acclaimed works, audiences get an inside look at the personal life and artistic process of the "Father of the Modern Musical," Stephen Sondheim.
Sondheim was one of the most highly regarded composers/lyricists in musical theater history.
"Sondheim on Sondheim" is a revue of his considerable body of work, interspersed with taped interviews of Sondheim telling stories. The stories he tells are from his childhood and from his time working on various shows; some of the stories illuminate the method behind his craft and give insight into the origin of iconic musical theater moments. The revue was originally conceived and directed by James Lapine.
This production has been a labor of love for Village Theatre Guild. They have assembled 12 incredibly talented artists who breathe life into the lyrics and music of this incredible genius, Mr. Sondheim, often referred to simply as "God!"
Members of the company were asked which Sondheim song was their favorite.
The diversity of Sondheim's compositions made it difficult to narrow it down to just one. They also hypothetically mused what they might discuss if they had the opportunity to have met Sondheim, who passed away in November 2021.
"I would want to discuss his musical patterns and his thought process behind creating unpredictable melodic patterns," Sara Caligiuri said.
"His process for writing such brilliant lyrics - if they come before or after or in conjunction with the music," Christine Pfenninger offered.
"Language is something that greatly interests me and it would be amazing to talk to someone that used it so well," Chris Zeglin added.
The show opens Friday, Jan. 13, and runs until Feb. 5. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.
Shows are already sold out on Jan. 13-15 and 22. Only a few tickets remain for performances on Jan. 21.
All performances take place on the Sue Keenan Stage at Village Theatre Guild, 2S720 Park Blvd. (near the northwest corner of Butterfield Road. and Park Boulevard) in Glen Ellyn. Free parking is available.
"Sondheim on Sondheim" is directed by James Terrill-Liesz, produced by Rebecca Poole, and musically directed by Douglas Orlyk.
The company features Karen Bronson, Bob Bullen, Sara Caligiuri, Katherine Damisch, Karrie DeBlauw, Miguel DeLeon, Elenia Dokos, Christine Pfenninger, Mitch Schaeflein, Steve Solomon, Pam Turlow, and Chris Zeglin.
Tickets are $27 and are available at villagetheatreguild.com. You can also reserve tickets by calling the VTG box office at (630) 469-8230.
Village Theatre Guild requires masks be worn by audiences and production staff members. The actors will be performing without masks. Visit villagetheatreguild.com/covid-19/ for more information on VTG's COVID policy.