Ravinia Festival Will Salute Sondheim in 2010

By Andrew Gans
05 Jun 2009

Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
photo by Jerry Jackson

The Ravinia Festival, which has presented staged concert productions of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music, Passion, Sunday in the Park with George, Anyone Can Whistle, Sweeney Todd and Gypsy, among others, will celebrate the famed composer-lyricist in 2010.

According to a spokesperson for the Illinois venue, the Festival will present a starry concert in summer 2010 to celebrate Sondheim's 80th birthday.

"Ravinia is in talks with the principals of its previous Sondheim shows to reunite," according to a Ravinia spokesperson. "The greatest-hits concert could feature Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris with director Lonny Price and musical director Paul Gemignani."

No dates or participants have yet been named.

Stephen Sondheim, who penned the lyrics for Gypsy and West Side Story, is the award-winning composer-lyricist of Road Show, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Follies, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Anyone Can Whistle, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sunday in the Park with George, Assassins, Company and Passion, among others.

For more information about the Ravinia Festival, visit www.ravinia.org.