Side By Side By Sondheim

Side By Side By Sondheim
Poster for the original Broadway production
Music	Stephen Sondheim Leonard Bernstein Mary Rodgers Richard Rodgers Jule Styne
Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim
Book	Revue
Productions	1976 West End 1977 Broadway 1978 U.S. tour 2007 West End revival 2011 Australia 2015 London revival

Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of the Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.

The musical had its origins when David Kernan was asked by Cleo Laine and her husband John Dankworth to put together a revue as a benefit for The Stables, a theatre they owned in Wavendon. Kernan contacted director Ned Sherrin and suggested that they do a revue of Sondheim material. The producer Cameron Mackintosh saw the benefit revue, which featured Millicent Martin, Julia McKenzie, Kernan, and Ned Sherrin as the narrator, and agreed to produce it.

The musical is in the form of a revue, with various sections tied together by being from a particular Sondheim musical, or having a common theme, and all of it tied together by the Narrator. He explains what show the songs are from, and in some cases provides background on why a song was written. He also notes comparing and contrasting Sondheim themes for the audience. As the cast enters they sing "Comedy Tonight", and then "Love Is in the Air", the Narrator explains that the later song was the original opener for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum but was dropped in favor of the more explicit lyrics of "Comedy Tonight". The Narrator notes that a theme that Sondheim has explored in many of his works is marriage, which introduces the next set of songs. Next are the unknown songs, one cut and one from a television program ("I Remember"). The medley from Company follows, and Act 1 closes with Follies, with the Narrator pointing out the different musical styles Sondheim has used in these songs, such as Vaudeville ("Buddy's Blues"). The female trio sing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" as the Act ends.