At 82,it still tickles Stephen Sondheim that his name is an anagram for "He pens demon hits".Credit:Wayne Taylor
Sondheim is such a big name there is a Stephen Sondheim Society in London and a quarterlySondheim Review magazine. Not Sondheim's initiative but he admits it is flattering - and it can help rectify wild rumours. For instance,no,he didn't send a note to friends thanking them for giving him a plate but asking:''Where's my mother's head?''Granted,he and his mum did not get on (she once sent a note saying his birth was a lifetime low point) but it's a''not guilty''re the plate.
So what about musical theatre in the 21st century? HisForum is almost 50 years old and up at the Princess Theatre,South Pacific is running. That was written in 1949.''Well,there are gigantic hits around,''he says,''but I worry about the received media,the passive media,where you don't need to leave home.''These couch-bound spuds miss out,says Sondheim,because every night at the theatre is unique. A movie? Same today,same tomorrow.
Sondheim loves words,loves playing with words. It tickles his funnybone that''Stephen Sondheim''is an anagram for''He pens demon hits''. And although he delights in the clever use of a well-turned rhyme,he kind-of likes the condensed lingo in the Twitter era.''It's fun. I know it denies the richness of the language in full,but I wish the two could co-exist. Certainly the perceived wisdom is that the language is deteriorating because of this shorthand. It may be true - but people are still writing books.''
Sondheim arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday and went to seeForum that night. He is going for a second helping,and on Friday will be on stage at Her Maj with Geoffrey Rush forAn Afternoon with Stephen Sondheim. He's not quite sure what will happen.''I think there's to be a bit of music,''he says. That's a surprise.