I am a fan of musical theatre. I have always loved musicals and I find them intensely interesting to watch, discuss and learn about. That is why I found Courtney’s presentation on Stephen Sondheim so fascinating. Despite my abundant adoration for musical theatre, I am ashamed to say that I knew just a little about Stephen Sondheim. This is even more disparaging when I bring into consideration thee fact that Sweeney Todd is one of my favorite musicals (I own a replica of Sweeney’s straight razor). I found Courtney’s presentation both riveting and informative, as I knew little of this man’s life, and his works had brought me so much joy over the years. I like to learn things about people I admire, and I was very glad to hear so many interesting facts about Sondheim’s life, and how he got involved in the business of musical entertainment. While not one of my favorite musicals, I do thoroughly enjoy West Side Story and I was happy to see another of it’s creators, Leonard Bernstein also being addressed in one of my classmates presentations. In my opinion this formed an interesting relation between the two presentations, and gave insight into two of the minds behind a beloved musical classic.

In addition to being informative, I also found the presentation quite entertaining. The rendition of Not Getting Married, was fun and it helped liven up the performance and give an example of Sondheim’s work which, being auditory is difficult to show through imagery alone. However, I also found the use of the poster displaying Sondheim’s work to be extra helpful as we could look at the full scope of his range, and the lasting affect he’s had on our society, and the musical landscape.