Kerrytown Concert House is honored to bring back the enormously popular lecture series, The Great American Songbook: What Makes it Great? featuring the incomparable Brent Wagner (University of Michigan Emeritus Professor of Musical Theatre) with pianist Tyler Driskill (U-M Asst. Prof of Musical Theatre).
Exploring Stephen Sondheim’s work is a natural ‘sequel’ to the fall Rodgers and Hammerstein presentation, since Oscar Hammerstein was Sondheim’s teacher and mentor. With Sondheim’s passing just 4 years ago, major revivals and reassessments are proliferating, as we all appreciate Sondheim’s monumental achievements anew. He was surely the most impactful and inventive writer since Oscar Hammerstein himself.
Part Two focuses on Sondheim’s own “Golden Age,” encompassing his work with director Hal Prince, including Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, and continuing with his collaborations with James Lapine (Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods). These works continue to stimulate, entertain, and… astonish!