The Broadway community came together on Sunday (Nov. 29) to honor Stephen Sondheim, legendary lyricist and composer, who passed away at 91 on Friday (Nov. 26). Lin-Manuel-Miranda, Sara Bareilles and Josh Groban led the gathering, alongside Kathryn Gallagher and Lauren Patten, and performed a heartbreaking rendition of “Sunday” — the final song Sunday in the Park with George — which saw the lyricist earn Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1985.
During the gathering, Miranda decided to forego a traditional speech and instead read part of Sondheim’s Look, I Made A Hat to the crowd.
“Once during the writing of each show, I cry at a notion, a word, a chord, a melodic idea, an accompaniment figure,” the Hamilton star read. “In [‘Sunday in the Park with George’], it was the word ‘forever’ in ‘Sunday’…I was suddenly moved by the contemplation of what these people would have thought if they’d know they were being immortalized.”
Following the performance, Bareilles told Variety, “This felt like church…in his remembrance, we did what theater does best. We sang and raised our voices and came together in community.” The singer also reposted black and white photos from the event to her Twitter feed, writing, “such a joy. a tremendously aching joy.”
“Everybody who’s here has a touchstone for why Sondheim’s music has brought them to this place,” Groban also told the outlet. “And whatever part of the entertainment industry we’re in, everybody is here because we were first influenced by Sondheim’s music. To mourn his passing is a crushing blow.”
Watch the Broadway community come together for their performance of Sondheim’s “Sunday” below.
