What do you get someone for their 90th birthday? For Stephen Sondheim, a remixed disco medley of songs from his 58-year long career as a Broadway composer and lyricist seemed fitting.
To honor Sondheim, Joshua Hinck and Scott Wasserman reimagined over 40 of Sondheim’s songs in an album called “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream.” The album has 12 tracks and features an array of performers from every avenue on Broadway. The album released digitally on March 20, with a physical copy released on April 17. If you’re a true Sondheim fan, you may have heard of it in 2018 when it was performed live at Feinstein’s/54 Below in New York City.
There has never been a more perfect title to describe an album. “Losing My Mind” is a song from the musical “Follies,” but it’s a dead-on representation of what listening to this album feels like. I’ve heard the term “fever dream” countless times, but it wasn’t until listening to this album that I truly understood it. I racked my brain for a way to write “this album is on crack” in a more PG way, but that really is the best way to describe it. Crack for music theatre lovers.
Though it’s fun music for all, you’ll really enjoy this album if you’re familiar with a lot of Sondheim’s work. Every song is a brilliantly woven mash-up that takes you by surprise and fills you with joy. My jaw dropped so many times while listening to it that my voice teacher commented on my noticeable decrease in jaw tension.
The first track, “Opening Doors,” takes our hand as it leads us down into the abyss of this disco fever dream. It starts out by layering the song “Losing My Mind” and themes from “Company.” The song begins with a classic music theatre sound, but when the lyric finally says “losing my mind,” the beat drops and themes from other shows like “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Into the Woods” and “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” creep in. Though many tracks are named after singular Sondheim songs, there are often themes and lyrics from about eight other songs within them. This first song sets up the album perfectly.
“There are Giants Somewhere” combines “Into the Woods” with the world of “West Side Story.” Jack’s search for giants is paired with a pop-belted rendition of Maria’s “Somewhere.” The two songs paired together heighten each other’s themes of uncertainty and hope in times of adversity.
“Unworthy of Your Love” from “Assassins” features segments of “That’ll Show Him” from “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” and “There Won’t be Trumpets” from “Anyone Can Whistle.” When the two singers begin to sing the same lyrics, you realize just how similar their situations are. If anyone still thinks Sondheim doesn’t write songs you can hum to, they clearly haven’t heard this one.
A standout on the album is “The Miller’s Son,” sung by Aili Venho. You may have heard this tune in our school’s recent production of “A Little Night Music.” This is one of the only songs on the album that isn’t a mash-up, yet it’s just as innovative. The electric disco pop reimagining of this song is incredibly effective. Venho screlts so high at the end, I’m surprised she didn’t wake us up from the fever dream. But don’t worry, it continues.
“It’s Hot up Here in this City on Fire” is the marriage between “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Sweeney Todd,” and the newly-weds are straight up voguing for their first dance. The reimagined melodies and speak-singing delivery of many of the lyrics make the song even funnier. The indulgent harmonies of the lyrics “city on fire” not only serve as a reminder of the disco era but adds even more humor to the song about characters sweating inside a painting on a hot, sunny day. Genius.
The last song on the album, “Megamix: Take Me to the World” is the curtain call of the album. If every Sondheim musical was a character, this is the part where each of them has their own moment to take a bow. I almost wanted to stand up and cheer in my bedroom; I would give anything to be in an audience right now and experience a moment like this. “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream” is more than just feel-good dance music. The swift layering of musical themes isn’t just pleasing to the ear, but also digs deeper into the piece’s meanings in a way we haven’t seen before. The songs in each medley are pieced together in a way that they inform and comment on one another in a truly honest way. Sondheim has always been known for really making us think and inspiring passion through his music, and this album is no exception. There’s really no way to listen to this and not be in a good mood.
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I wanted to show you more, but… Illis, who was walking down the stairs downstairs for a long time, suddenly stopped walking. She followed Ilys and stopped walking one step above Ilys. When her steps stopped, Ilyce suddenly turned back. And… I smiled so happily and opened my mouth. “You look so pretty with your hair down.”
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I want to hug you.” “Oh, really?” Ilyce talked too comfortably about words that made her face hot. She replied, turning her eyes elsewhere with a slightly red face. Unknowingly, the mouth went up a little. Illis told her that and then walked back downstairs. As soon as he came down to the first floor, Kirion put a beer glass on the table and fought against it.
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I was staring as if I was going to. “Finally… Are you going to burn up your fighting spirit to the beer glass?” “Huh? Uh-huh… No. We’re running out of beer. Should I say it’s an unspoken protest?” Kirion said so and smiled, turning the empty beer glass of beer. She slightly approached Kirion, who was talking to Ilys. Kirion, who felt her footsteps, made slow and gentle movements.
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I turned to her. Kirion, who had been looking at her for a long time, suddenly clapped his hands and opened his mouth. “Oh! Ollie.” It’s olliero. I almost didn’t recognize her.” “Uh..yes.” She answered Kirion lightly and turned away. Kirion, who was watching her, opened his mouth again. “Hmm. Did you copy ILLIS?” Definitely… That hairstyle is good. But… ILLIS…
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“It’s definitely good.” Around her chest… It hurt strangely. She couldn’t turn her eyes back at Kirion, untied her hair tie at the end, and opened her mouth to Kirion. “Thank you.” “Uh… hey.” When she turned around, Ilys, who was standing next to Kirion, suddenly pushed Kirion’s belly with her feet. The sound of the chair falling was heard loudly.
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