Off-Broadway Opening: HERE WE ARE (Final Musical by Stephen Sondheim at The Shed’s Griffin Theater)

A NEW SONDHEIM MUSICAL ANNOUNCED;
LET THE PRAYERS TO THE
THEATER GODS COMMENCE.

A few months before he passed, Stephen Sondheim told Stephen Colbert during an interview that he was working on a show. And here I thought that the musical he was writing with David Ives known as Square One  had been scrapped. Not so, announced The Shed, which said via producer Tom Kirdahy (The Inheritance) that the world premiere of Here We Are, the final musical by the great Sondheim, begins a strictly limited engagement in September 2023 at The Shed’s Griffin Theater. The musical, formerly known as  Square One, features a book by Ives and is inspired by two films of Luis Buñuel — The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie  and  The Exterminating Angel.    Direction of the new musical is by Tony-winner Joe Mantello. Executive Producers are  Sue Wagner,  John Johnson  and  Jillian Robbins.

Sondheim, who died in November 2021 at the age of 91, had been working on this project for years. A production of a musical, created by Ives and Sondheim, was set to premiere off-Broadway at The Public Theater in 2017, but never made it to the stage.

This is the latest Sondheim work to be presented in New York. A revival of  Sweeney Todd, starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford, is currently in previews at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway. And the off-Broadway production of  Merrily We Roll Along, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez, is  scheduled to transfer  to the Hudson Theatre on Broadway for an 18-week engagement starting Sept. 19.

The two productions follow a revival of Sondheim’s  Into the Woods, which ran on Broadway from June 2022 through January 2023, and  Company, which began previews before the theatrical shutdown and then returned to run from November 2021 through July 2022.

ABOUT THE SHED

The Shed is a new cultural institution of and for the 21^st  century.   We produce and welcome innovative arts and ideas, across all forms of creativity, to build a shared understanding of our rapidly changing world and a more equitable society.   In our highly adaptable building on Manhattan’s west side, The Shed brings together established and emerging artists to create new work in fields ranging from pop to classical music, painting to digital media, theater to literature, and sculpture to dance.   We seek opportunities to collaborate with cultural peers and community organizations, work with like-minded partners, and provide unique spaces for private events.   As an independent nonprofit that values invention, equity, and generosity, we are committed to advancing art forms, addressing the urgent issues of our time, and making our work impactful, sustainable, and relevant to the local community, the cultural sector, New York City, and beyond.