Watch Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, More Members of the Broadway Community Celebrate Sondheim

Broadway luminaries gathered with hundreds of members of the community and casts of Broadway shows on the iconid red steps in the Manhattan Theatre District's Duffy Square November 28 at noon to celebrate the life and art of late composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, who died November 26 at the age of 91. Participants sang “Sunday” from Sondheim’s celebrated work, Sunday in the Park with George. Watch video of the event, above.
Theatre icons on hand included Lin-Manuel Miranda, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Sara Bareilles, Raúl Esparza, Stephen Schwartz, Laura Benanti, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Josh Groban, Erich Bergen, Lonny Price, Jim Walton, Tom Kitt, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Marc Shaiman, Lauren Patten, Kathryn Gallagher, Abby Mueller, Judy Kuhn, Brandon Uranowitz, Adam Chanler-Berat, Tavi Gevinson, Erin Davie, Bryan Clark Tyrell, and many more. The event was co-presented by the Broadway League, the Times Square Alliance, and Playbill. The participants were conducted by Michael J. Moritz. Erich Bergen produced.
Throughout his six-decade career on Broadway, Sondheim earned eight Tony Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement honor in 2008, as well as eight Grammy Awards, one Academy Award, and a Pulitzer, influencing the musical theatre genre and inspiring countless artists.

[@TwistingWays]

"Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. Do not let it grieve you -- no one leaves for good."

[@oldprincebolkonskyiscrazya782]

Oh my god

[@poppyseed1058]

Beautiful

[@sampatterson3909]

Without Sondheim, there is no Lin Manuel Miranda, no Pasek and Paul, no Tesori and countless others. He changed the medium in ways which allowed these and many others to flourish and broaden the musical theatre art form even more. The breadth of his work is astonishing. That he inspired and will continue to inspire other composers and artists is a legacy that will live.... forever.

[@chloeperdrix8867]

We also wouldn’t have had Johnathan Larson. I can’t think of theatre without rent. Such a shame he didn’t get to see its success

[@methyglyn]

Amen brother

[@Flutergirl1124]

Beautifully said. I couldn't agree more!

[@itsbekasaur]

@@chloeperdrix8867 and if there wasn’t Larson we wouldn’t have lin

[@mrsdiana324]

So true he was the inspiration for all these people

[@jenniferschillig3768]

The line that chokes *me* up in this song is "on an ordinary Sunday." Because it's true--this WAS an ordinary Sunday. And Georges Seurat made it extraordinary. And so did Stephen Sondheim, almost a century later. That is the gift of the artist...to take the ordinary and make it spectacular.

[@Ryan_Hansen]

Same. Because recently I watched Sunday in the park with George for the first time. And when I heard that final line, "white. A blank page or canvas. So many possibilities." I fucking bawled.

[@jenniferschillig3768]

@@Ryan_Hansen I've been thinking that SitPwG would make a great movie...it might be interesting to employ CGI (though not in a flashy way) to represent the figures of the painting. Sort of how the Jake Gyllenhaal revival used projection techniques to represent them.

[@Ryan_Hansen]

@@jenniferschillig3768 I like it on the stage better imo :) a bit more intimate

[@dianarosen3861]

YES! I saw it in a 99 seat theatre and was overwhelmed.@@Ryan_Hansen

[@starcorder]

and then Larson, and everyone who puts on SITPWG and everyone who puts on TTB in the future. forever. turning an ordinary sunday into something extraordinary.

[@berniesiben6803]

I cried as Lin-Manuel finished reading, and again at the end of the song. Such a wonderful tribute.

[@deenadallas2802]

He looked so emotional too, and that made me start weeping so much. Man, I miss Sondheim. 😭💔

[@kathleencoleman6125]

I have been crying every time I hear this song. So beautiful.

[@deboragrenzel5201]

Exactly what I was going to say. I'm broken hearted.

[@WardNightstone]

Says a lot about the man that half the people singing are fighting back tears

[@mirandatilley2486]

Sondheim came into the musical theater world because he was mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, another great of that world. And now, his work has inspired all these people here and so many more, who will make more music on stage. There will never be another Sondheim, but there will so much more beautiful art made, and I look forward to it. May his memory be a blessing.

[@yujicortez]

This comes full circle, since Miranda was mentored by Sondheim himself.

[@mirandatilley2486]

@@yujicortez was he? I didn't know that

[@tishtashtishtash]

I believe he was influenced greatly by Sondheim, and he gave Hamilton his blessing, but mentored?

[@alexanderthegreat1270]

@@tishtashtishtash In an ideal world, Sondheim would have mentored Jonathan Larson had he survived Marfans Syndrome.

[@tishtashtishtash]

@@alexanderthegreat1270 correction: survived a misdiagnosed aortic dissection (though you’re not technically incorrect)

[@tracyroweauthor]

Thank you for capturing this for all of us who could not attend. I'll never hear this song the same way again. Rest in Peace, Mr. Sondheim. You touched us all with the beauty of your music and it will live forever. And no, I'm not crying, you're crying.

[@hestiaseptember5249]

No, I'm not! You are!

[@PatriceFitzgerald]

We're all crying. What a gift.

[@lillynichols9884]

Oh, I am definitely crying.

[@Rocketjay12]

Yes, I am crying.

[@TheArtsyTuber]

Are you kidding I’m weeping

[@mrbooklover1032]

We've had him for 91 years. It's only fair that now heaven wants him. But please, after 91 years or so, send him back to earth. Because no one leaves for good.

[@elisepower6121]

I wonder if Mr Sondheim could comprehend that his passing would bring to tears, not only the theater community, but everyone who ever heard his work. Including this 66 yr old in California.

[@nvadqs]

and this 43 three year en Madrid

[@josephkelley2975]

I watch this when I need to cry

[@marylynnmiller2991]

Me, too! It's so moving.

[@paulgduckworth]

“One more line from James Lapine and then we’ll sing.” Gets me every time. He’s just getting through it, and it’s time to sing and grieve. Beautiful. Love to everyone touched by Sondheim’s words and music. x

[@Hulahoopish]

I have never cried about the passing of a celebrity before. This one got me.

[@littlesongbird1376]

Same, I'm a mess😭He was one of the first composers I learned about in school, and I instantly fell in love with his work. He touched so many people with his artistry, I feel so lucky to have been alive during the same time as him.

[@operative2136]

You know, I have no idea if angels are truly singing Mr. Sondheim to his rest. But down here on Earth, he's certainly getting our best approximation of it. Rest in peace Mr. Sondheim.

[@katwil89]

That was lovely. ❤️

[@juliaedlund4107]

Beautiful ❤️

[@aimaxinacion]

Lin crying did me in. Glad we can at least collectively grieve the loss of one of this life's greatest artists. A fantastic tribute to the genius that is Stephen Sondheim.

[@patticraven1491]

There’s another giant in the sky. Thank you Mr. Sondheim.

[@walterhellmuth7364]

Ok. That did me in.....forever.....not on a Sunday.....but a Monday.....but I'm an easy crier too. Thank you Stephen Sondheim for all your poetry and song.

[@alanespinoza4870]

This song made me tear up in a normal circumstance. Now it makes me weep.

[@MissMiffed]

I’d love for this to be released as a single, it’s stunning. With the proceeds perhaps going to a charity that supports new MT writers/artists?

[@BrainyWoman]

Great idea. Me too.

[@Blkirish04]

Without this moment, I'd have gone on thinking that there was something wrong with me because I cry at works of art. A word, a chord, an image......I never see it coming. But because of Stephen Sondheim, I know that that the wave isn't something to be 'fought' but rather something to let wash over me. It means I am alive.

[@trilbyforrest3062]

A doctor once told me it wasn't "normal" to cry at music, at theater, at movies. That was the last time I saw her. A person who is never moved to tears by art and brilliance and copious unfettered love is a person who isn't in touch with their heart. Sondheim got that. You get that. And I get that too.

[@Broadwaybuff-pi1qg]

Well-put. Thank-you.

[@cka2nd]

I do so love theater people.

[@ClassicDepravities]

this cuts incredibly deep. Lin wouldn't be here if not for Rent, and Rent wouldn't be here if not for Sondheim. there isn't a show in the last 30 years that hasn't owed everything to the master.

[@DrGaellon]

Oh, my heart. There has never been another talent like him, and there never will again. Rest well, Stephen. You shall be remembered for as long as Broadway stands.

[@bman342a]

There have indeed been talents like him in the past, and superior in different ways. Let's keep things in perspective. Yes, he helped to reshape the musical theater landscape and was responsible for "opening doors" for others. Just as his predecessors did for him and others. He no doubt deserves the highest praise for how he mastered his art, but some of the hagiographic tributes are just a bit over the top.

[@takaono7243]

I thought I was done crying over Sondheim as that's all I did this past weekend. Then I saw this, and damnit now I'm a wreck again.

[@clarknk1]

Oh thank you for this more complete and steady version. This was a lovely thing for the Broadway community to have done, and it makes me happy to think of how much Stephen Sondheim would have loved it, and how he'd have cried. That he got to see the reopening of "Company" days before he left us was just magical and right. He was a treasure of the first water.

[@jordygarcia3119]

Still in tears. If it wasn’t for him, so many writers, composers, lyricists and theater lovers, myself included, would not have fallen in love with theater. He will be missed

[@BroadwayBabe10689]

I was standing beside Abby Mueller when they performed this. I cried my eyes out. It was such a beautiful tribute to a wonderful talent. Sondheim would’ve loved it.

[@geraldinedavila2086]

I was there yesterday, it was truly remarkable to see everyone and experience this ❤️

[@hestiaseptember5249]

I'm so jealous!

[@kathleencoleman6125]

How lucky you were.It must of been a moment in time you won’t forget

[@stephaniefox]

Such beauty in his music and lyrics. He made a hat where there never was a hat. 💜

[@elizabethm362]

Nobody asked but I’m still not over his passing

[@ros8986]

you are certainly not alone in that.

[@kevinmcquade3088]

I have watched this video at least twenty times since November. And I cry. Every time.

[@nvadqs]

Same here. And I also get chills every single time

[@rustisamust9079]

'Sunday' just kills me every time I hear it. A perfect piece of musical art. RIP Steve.

[@grifffaust]

An incredible and moving tribute.

[@gracehowell.]

I bet that as soon as he got to the afterlife, Oscar Hammerstein II was there to see him and told him how proud he was.

[@Grazilla52]

I’ve been thinking the same; it’s a wonderful thought & image to have.

[@galkalandscaping7132]

As moved as we are, those of us who’ve loved and internalized his words and the way they lay upon the music, in 100 years people will still experience that profound resonance. Sondheim spoke exquisitely, painfully, joyfully to the human spirit. His legacy is timeless. We have been so honored that in our time lived this man.

[@palmereldritch7777]

At a loss for words - a blank page - so many possibilities. So many emotions.

[@strigoviro5785]

AMAZING tribute. Hard to hold back tears. RIP, Mr. Sondheim. What an amazing legacy you've left American musical theater and to the world. May you continue composing, entertaining, and inspiring others wherever you are now.

[@mariajosefenton3728]

This. This is why I love theater.

[@BTURNER1961]

The man recreated and revitalized American musical theater into a modern art form. As if that was not enough of a legacy, Sondheim just kept on revisiting and renewing that audacious achievement over and over again. There were no boundaries to its musical structures, themes he did not test, no borders he respected in his quest to make musical theater profound and relevant to each generation .

[@ericholck3914]

Every couple of months I come back to this and I swear, it gets better each time. Sondheim wrote so many great songs, it's nearly impossible to pick a favorite, but "Sunday" is at or near the very top.

[@jasobres]

God bless you, Mr. Sondheim. We didn't deserve you, and yet we had you.

[@ChristinaCarucci]

I bawl every time I come back to this

[@SammiiHipster]

So emotional!!! Sondheim knew the people he inspired and will keep inspiring!!!

[@Survivor2002]

It's 2023, and I'm still 😢 watching this. Sondheim was one of a kind, and we shall never see his like again.

[@peerah]

Sunday is my absolute favorite song of his and I cannot even listen to it without tearing up. This one really hit home for me. Someone in the comment below mentioned not having cried about the death of a celebrity except this one. Same for me. His music, and especially his lyrics. I think about Move On every time I feel like I was not enough and a failure. This song saved me a few times from doing something after which I wouldn't have been alive to regret.

[@tadimaggio]

If it's possible for a group of people to make the word "love" visible and audible, this is it. God bless each and every last one of you.

[@michaelmiller1215]

We will always hear Stephen Sondheim in our hearts.

[@jonr6746]

I did not realize how similar Jonathan Larson’s song Sunday was so similar to Sondheims Sunday. What a wonderful tribute Larsons song is to his idol Sondheim😁😁😁

[@mostlysondheim1930]

Pardon me, I was there. And it was beautiful.

[@ros8986]

for those of us who were not so fortunate.....we will try to forgive you.

[@SuzeeVeronicaASMRXOX]

One of the greatest moments of my life

[@deborahhardy4445]

What a beautiful tribute from the Broadway "family" to the genius of Sondheim. Thanks,too,for the wonderful Lin Manuel Miranda,who has introduced live and recorded musical theatre to a whole new,and much wider,generation of Americans.

[@joelarama]

I had the biggest chills I’ve ever experienced. Literally from my head to my feet and back up again. I’m crying. Stephen Sondheim, thank you for your genius and for introducing me to the wonderful world of Musical Theatre. From one crier to another. We love you.

[@binx414]

Manuel is a great reader, and this is a wonderful tribute. Fly high Mr Sondheim

[@joyceglasgow2356]

The humanity…the heart…the music… RIP Maestro 🙏❤️

[@lunoronha8067]

No words to describe how Sondheim was a great person, and as others said, it's right to say that he wrote the soundtrack of my life. So thank you Steve for everything you've done to musical theatre, to the arts, to the world. We'll miss you.

[@alicemedlam]

Well done Lin-Manuel Miranda on your speech I could really feel your emtions and pain whilst you were reading!

[@jackspry9736]

RIP and long live Stephen Sondheim (March 22, 1930 - November 26, 2021), aged 91 You will always be remembered as a legend.

[@Bintaro]

Amazing moment! Thank you for capturing and presenting this historical day so beautifully. I cried all over again.

[@briobrandon911]

I'm sure Sondheim lived a content life. He was a rare talent that literally shaped generations. To see a diverse group of people honor his legacy is probably the greatest achievement one can have and he's earned every single one of it! Rest in Power!

[@VixenByNight72]

That was just a gorgeous tribute to a brilliant and innovative creator, who with his amazing talent inspired many others to discover the joy of performance and theater.

[@purpleshrimp32]

May his memory be a blessing🤍

[@marenmclean1301]

I wanted him to live forever. Such a powerful creator. His stories and songs where so vulnerable and intimate. It made me grateful to be apart of the human experience. So warm, deep and generous. I received better counsel and guidance from his shows then any therapist. Goodbye dear friend, hope to meet you on the other side someday.

[@suemunday7947]

He will live forever. That is the power of art and the message of this song.

[@anellawrites]

What a beautiful and moving tribute.

[@willrattigan9647]

wonderfull tribute ,and how true it is that just a few words or even one phrase from Steve can make him and us cry thank god we willhave his work for ever .

[@haleyshores1514]

Chills the entire time and tears falling constantly… how else could you thank and remember such a true artist than by revisiting their art when you miss them?

[@gwydionrhys7672]

This has to be one of the most beautiful artistic tributes I’ve ever seen.

[@LivingThroughLove]

Thank you Stephen. For all that you did. For everyone you supported. For the countless people you have and have yet to inspire. I hear this and I think of Jon Larsons Sunday in tik tik boom, because he was so inspired by you. Thank you Jonathan Larson. Thank you Stephen Sondheim. I can only hope that the two of you are now talking about how great you each were to all of us

[@debracook9937]

Genius is an under statement. He changed musical theatre forever. Thinking outside of the box has provided us with some of the greatest pieces of musical theatre ever written. Not only that, a kind, giving, compassionate man, devoid of bitterness despite his challenging upbringing. Full of love and humanity. What goes around comes around and this tribute is the most moving demonstration of the love the theatre community has for the maestro. Rest in peace, you beautiful, beautiful man.

[@AGMundy]

This was a lovely and fitting tribute to the genius of Stephen Sondheim. The BBC has just broadcast a whole evening of programmes in tribute to Mr Sondheim. It commenced with a moving and fulsome tribute from Sir Andrew Lloyd Weber.

[@corinnenh1217]

My heart. Such love, with extraordinary voices raised and a beautiful tribute...and not one dislike. Rest well Mr Sondheim, your legacy will live on.

[@marilynbagel9516]

His loss is so profound because he exquisitely captured so many of our human emotions. Fortunately his creative gifts will keep on giving forever.

[@teruin2]

A fitting tribute. I don't know if that song is Sondheim's best. it is certainly one of the most powerful and emotional.

[@williamwassmann317]

I was in three shows with a wonderful leading man of a local community theatre. One of which was Into The Woods. He played the Baker, and his real wife played The Baker's Wife. He passed away on January 2nd, 2021. January 2nd, 2022 was on a Sunday. Musical theatre brings so many together and performing live with a cast can create outrageously strong bonds. Without Sondheim, I never would have met my friend, and now Sondheim is here again to see him off. Vashon Island - Marshall Murray. A wonderful performer, and a once in a lifetime type of person. "Sometimes people leave you halfway through the wood. Do not let it grieve you -- no one leaves for good." - The Baker's Wife

[@ros8986]

small fact - the original cast Cinderella married the original cast Prince Charming.

[@sgtlamancha805]

Just to imagine having that kind of talent is stunning; let alone actually possessing it. Thank you for sharing

[@gwynnielsen5081]

Sondheim was respected by so many in the theatrical community and beyond. He has been an influence on my music as well.

[@chunellemariavictoriaespan8752]

I idolized this guy, with his deep adult themes. He is my favorite musical playwright. God, I am shocked to only know of his death through this vid...

[@yup7982]

im in tears

[@SoumiaMebarek]

Sunday, by the blue purple yellow red water On the green purple yellow red grass Let us pass through our perfect park Pausing on a Sunday By the cool blue triangular water On the soft green elliptical grass As we pass through arrangements of shadow Toward the verticals of trees Forever By the blue purple yellow red water On the green orange violet mass of the grass In our perfect park Made of flecks of light And dark And parasols Bum bum bum bum bum bum Bum bum bum People strolling through the trees Of a small suburban park On an island in the river On and ordinary Sunday Sunday Sunday

[@mister_vegas]

Sondheim achieved his goal of making the lyric a one-sentence description. There is scarcely a verb anywhere in the song. "Pass," "pausing" and "strolling" technically qualify, but you could hardly find three more passive activities.

[@evanwoodham6296]

His work on west side story was golden age stuff

[@WilliamWiltraut]

A wonderful, beautiful, moving tribute.

[@paulaevans5442]

A beautiful and moving tribute.

[@MrDevius2]

I’ve never stopped watching this.

[@heathers.9740]

That was beautiful. I cry at Animal Planet too lol. I lost it at "Sunday" Wow, what a beautiful tribute.

[@pammypurple]

Such a beautiful tribute. Forever in so many hearts. Goodbye Stephen. 🌸🌸

[@Tonner63]

I don’t cry, but at the end of the song tears were running down my face. I loved his music and lyrics and now he was gone.

[@scottbullitt723]

So my husband comes in from the balcony, where he has been napping, to find me bawling my eyes out at this! 😭

[@nvadqs]

"Sunday, by the blue purple yellow red water On the green purple yellow red grass Let us pass through our perfect park Pausing on a Sunday By the cool blue triangular water On the soft green elliptical grass As we pass through arrangements of shadow Toward the verticals of trees Forever By the blue purple yellow red water On the green orange violet mass of the grass In our perfect park Made of flecks of light And dark And parasols Bum bum bum bum bum bum Bum bum bum People strolling through the trees Of a small suburban park On an island in the river On and ordinary Sunday Sunday Sunday"

[@lyndsayhawkins8747]

As soon as I saw Josh Groban cry, I lost it. Rest in peace Stephen, your work has forever changed the world.

[@k.h.4698]

For anything New York may do wrong, they make up for it one hundred fold by things like this. Such respect, style, and dignity worthy of Mr. Sondheim, but only a fraction of his talent given to us, now in full in Heaven.

[@arliss123]

Absolutely beautiful and I’m absolutely gutted at his passing. RIP Sir.

[@olive.shmolive]

sondheim tributes with sitpwg will always make me cry because sunday is about the immortalization of someone through their work of art, and that is exactly what sondheim has done. may his memory be a blessing. forever.

[@angela897094]

I knew Josh Groban was gutted at Sondheim's death (as were many), but no one knew at the time they were workshopping sweeney and that he passed days before the 1st read through he was to attend. Breaks my heart for him and the cast.

[@MrNorcal81]

Just beautiful and the fact that it was probably put together on short notice speaks volumes about the level of talent that Broadway (and theater around the country) is blessed with.

[@hellbenthornball1153]

I so cherish this. Thank you so much, Playbill and all the creatives who memorialized this beautiful celebration in video.

[@TheArtsyTuber]

Sondheim in and of himself was and will continue to be a beautiful piece of art. How blessed the world is to of had him in it.

[@amikireicraftstore]

Seeing them so excited, moved to tears... Such a beautiful thing to do, such a beautiful moment and it just striked me... Stephen is gone... I can't believe he is gone...

[@ammaleslie509]

He's not gone. He'll never be gone. He lives on as long as we keep performing his work

[@tonistokes1790]

BEAUTIFUL. We are fortunate to have been blessed by an artist like Stephen Sondheim. His spirit lives on in his music and lyrics. He left a huge legacy to nourish our souls and that of generations to come.

[@jodyhoward8480]

We have lost a true Genius, a Giant. Rest peacefully sweet Soundheim, you have earned your rest. Thank you.

[@FLOWERSANDSLOTS]

WOW, That was just AMAZING. So many gifted artists (to represent the masses..) to honor and provide tribute to a LEGEND. Thank you for sharing!

[@robinpendergrast1625]

Friends...my performing and theater friends...I now understand so much more about this man meant so much to so many people. Thank you.

[@bohemianmiss6282]

Thank you for this amazing tribute to a legend who touched so many lives and inspired so many dreams.

[@peterschulze491]

Spectacular and powerful. That song brings forth emotion like no other I can think of. I'll be watching this one for years to come. 🕊 I sing a Sondheim tune or phrase every day. Kisses to you Steve.