Concord Theatricals has surprise dropped a live album of Jason Robert Brown and Stephen Sondheim's 2019 concert at Town Hall. The performance—which also features a roster of special guests including Katrina Lenk, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rob McClure, Shoshana Bean, and Joshua Henry—would turn out to be Sondheim's final public performance. The Broadway icon died in 2021 at the age of 91.
The album is currently available for streaming and digital purchase. A 2-LP vinyl release will drop December 13. Stream, download, and pre-order the album's editions here.
“Most people don’t get to say thank you to the artists who truly change their lives, but on that one night in 2019 I reached out to Stephen Sondheim, the man who gave me so much, and gave him the only gift I really knew how to give: the chance to make music,” says Brown in a statement. “Whatever else I accomplish in this life, I’m holding on to that.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say that this was a landmark concert at the time, and has only become more so since,” adds album co-producer and Chief Concord Theatricals Executive Sean Patrick Flahaven. “It was a magical night of colossal talents coming together, and the album captures those performances as well as Steve and Jason’s wonderful conversations, both verbal and musical.”
The concert, a benefit for Brady: United Against Gun Violence, was directed by Brown's Songs for a New World and The Connector collaborator Daisy Prince, and executive produced by Marc Kaplan. The evening also featured a 16-piece orchestra, conducted by Georgia Stitt. The album has been produced by Jeffrey Lesser, Brown, and Flahaven; recorded by Jon Weston; mixed and edited by Lesser; and mastered by Oscar Zambrano.
Take a look at the complete track list below:
1. Franklin Shepard, Inc.
2. Melinda
3. Children and Art
4. Another Life
5. Cassandra
6. Last Midnight
7. A Song About Your Gun
8. Nothing's Bigger Than Kong
9. I Love Betsy
10. The Next Ten Minutes
11. Move On
12. Sondheim Introduction
13. Good Thing Going
14. Sondheim Interview
15. It's Hard To Speak My Heart (Reharmonization)
16. Not While I'm Around
17. Wait 'Til You See What's Next
