Lessee, theatrical memorabilia...
When it comes to playbills, there's the one from Into the Woods. No, not the Broadway production, the one from the original production at the Old Globe in San Diego. The song list is different, and it's got the insert with an updated song list ("No One is Alone" hadn't been written when the production began, but it was in place when der Brucer and I saw it.)
Der Brucer's the one with the big Playbill collection. He's also got an amazing t-shirt collection, some of which are x-rated, but that's another story.
The most prized posession? A t-shirt, again from something we saw. Once again, it's Sondheim related. And once again it's from the real thing, not the New York repeat. It's from the Company reunion concert. Not the one held in April of 1993 at the Lincoln Center, which was actually three performances. This was a one-time only performance, and it was held in Long Beach, under the auspices of the Long Beach Civic Light Opera at the Terrace Theater, on Saturday, January 23, 1993, a full three months before the NYC carbon copies.
What had happened was that Barry Brown, who was running the LBCLO at the time, had been the lover of one of the backstage crew (I'm blanking on exactly who, sorry). The lover had died of AIDS. So had choreographer Michael Bennett. So had the second Broadway Robert, Larry Kert. Brown decided that a fitting tribute to his lover and Bennett and Kert would be to stage a reunion concert of Company, raising funds for AIDS charities and the LBCLO. The top tix went for $500, which included a reception afterwards; next level down was $100, and there were balcony seats that went for $50.
Der Brucer, knowing me to be this total Sondheim nutcase, decided to get tickets. Silly him, he thought he'd be able to get the top tier tix even after waiting a few days after the first ad appeared in the LA Times Calendar section. He was lucky to get the $100 tix, they were selling hotter than hotcakes! The night of the event, which was very black-tie, there were people outside, dressed in very elegant formalwear, begging to get in!
And yes, although it wasn't announced earlier, Mr. Sondheim, Mr. Prince, and Mr. Furth were all there, and shared in the final bows. (Der Brucer was kicking himself for not getting those $500 tix! I forgave him long ago.)
The t-shirt has a few interesting notes. It reads "Starring the Original Broadway Cast," but this isn't exactly correct. Merle Louise and Charles Braswell were unable to attend, and their parts were played by subsequent Broadway players Alice Cannon and Stanley Grover. The musical staging, based on Bennett's original work, was by George Martin. The concert was hosted by Angela Lansbury, and narrated by George Hearn. (Only Hearn would be present for the NYC carbons.)
All of this is on the back of the shirt, which very much resembles the Company logo we all know and love...well, some don't love it, but I always have.
The front of the shirt carries a single line, four simple words in purple, right above the heart:
"Never Before...Never Again"
At the time, who knew?
