The Stephen Sondheim Society

In May 2022, The Stephen Sondheim Society, in partnership with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Youth Musical Theatre, hosted an afternoon exploring the challenges and joys of working on a Sondheim musical. 

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After an introduction by the V&A's Curator of Contemporary Performance Harriet Reed and Stephen Sondheim Society Chair Craig Glenday, the afternoon began with a panel discussion lead by theatre critic Matt Wolf. He spoke with West End performers Janie Dee (Follies, Anyone Can Whistle), Rosalie Craig (Company, Anyone Can Whistle, Sweeney Todd) and Julian Ovenden (Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along) about their experiences with Sondheim, and the demands of staging his musicals.

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Next, Janie lead a masterclass with three students from the National Youth Musical Theatre: Lucy Carter, who sang "Everybody Loves Louis", Laurie Jones ("Not While I'm Around") and Sophie Moringu ("Marry Me a Little"). 

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And to close the afternoon, Janie and her students delighted the audience with a short cabaret.

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The event was held at the V&A's beautiful Lydia and Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre. The MD was Stephen Higgins.

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Watch the Q&A here:

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