Signature Theatre's new production of Simply Sondheim, part of the Virginia venue's 2021 Signature Features season—five fully staged plays and musicals made exclusively for the screen and professionally filmed in HD on set (with safety protocols)—begins streaming February 2.
Filmed over the course of three days in Signature’s MAX Theatre, Simply Sondheim is available through March 26 on Marquee TV, an on-demand streaming platform dedicated to global arts and culture.
Directed and choreographed by Associate Artistic Director Matthew Gardiner, the cast is headed by Norm Lewis (The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, The Phantom of the Opera), Solea Pfeiffer (Evita, Hamilton), Conrad Ricamora (The King and I), and Emily Skinner (The Cher Show, Side Show), who are joined by Nicholas McDonough (Signature’s Grand Hotel), Donna Migliaccio (War Paint), Christopher Mueller (Signature’s Assassins), Katie Mariko Murray (Signature’s Grand Hotel), Tracy Lynn Olivera (Ragtime), Paul Scanlan (Beautiful: The Carole King Musical tour), Awa Sal Secka (Signature’s Gun & Powder), and Bobby Smith (Signature’s Light Years, A Little Night Music). The artists are backed by a 16-piece orchestra.
Created for Signature Theatre with permission from Sondheim, the revue features over 30 songs from the composer’s canon, including “Finishing the Hat,” “Another Hundred People,” “Losing My Mind,” “The Worst Pies in London,” “Country House,” “Saturday Night,” and “Goodbye for Now,” with new orchestrations by longtime Sondheim collaborator Jonathan Tunick.
“After an eight-month hiatus, returning to Signature to film a production of Simply Sondheim was a joyous experience from beginning to end,” Gardiner said in an earlier statement. “The room was filled with artists who have meant a great deal to Signature over the years, and to hear them singing the songs of the man who has always been Signature’s signature—well there could be no more perfect homecoming. I’m excited for audiences who know us, as well as audiences who are new to us, to experience Signature and Sondheim together again on film.”
The creative team also includes music director Jon Kalbfleisch, lighting designer Adam Honoré, sound designer Ryan Hickey, hair and makeup designer Alison Samantha Johnson, vocal arranger David Loud, associate director and casting director Kelly Crandall d’Amboise, and production coordinator Kerry Epstein.
The production was filmed by Chiet Productions, with photography direction by Justin Chiet and edited by James Gardiner, assisted by Natalie Ridgley.
For ticket information, visit SigTheatre.org.
