Stephen Sondheim's final musical to premiere Off-Broadway this fall
Stephen Sondheim had a Luis Buñuel musical, inspired by his films The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel, in the works when he died in November of 2021. That musical, Here We Are, will be staged in NYC in the fall, New York Times reports. The book is by playwright David Ives, Wicked‘s Joe Mantello will direct, Hadestown‘s Tom Kirdahy will produce, and the music and lyrics were written by Sondheim.
Sonheim discussed the project, which he described as incomplete, in an interview with New York Times given days before his death. “I don’t know if I should give the so-called plot away,” he said, “but the first act is a group of people trying to find a place to have dinner, and they run into all kinds of strange and surreal things, and in the second act, they find a place to have dinner, but they can’t get out.”
Hudson Yards art venue The Shed, also described as a co-presenter, will host performances of “Here We Are,” which are set to begin in September. Stay tuned.
Speaking of Sondheim, his musical Sweeney Todd is currently in previews at Lunt-Fontanne Theater for its first full-scale Broadway revival in 43 years, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. It officially opens later this month, and tickets are on sale now.
