In this course, we’ll examine the musicals of Stephen Sondheim from Company (1970) to Road Show (2009) as a lens onto America. How have Sondheim’s musicals conversed with American history and American society since the mid-20th century? How do Sondheim’s musicals represent America and Americans, and how have various productions shaped and re-shaped those representations? We’ll explore how Sondheim and his collaborators used the mainstream, popular, and commercial form of musical theatre to challenge, critique, deconstruct, and possibly reinforce some of America’s most enduring myths.
Other Information
The seminar will include virtual visits with guest artists and scholars and a field trip to the New York Public Library’s theatre archives and to see a musical. If the course is currently full, join the waitlist.
