For some people, the moment that locks them in to musical theatre for life is seeing their first Broadway show or being in their first production. For me, it was a PBS special replay of The Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert. Without that one chance watching over 10 years ago, I may not be here. It was the music of Stephen Sondheim (and the 6 women in their red dresses singing one torch song after another) that opened my eyes to all musical theatre could be - and what storytelling was really about. He seemed like he would live forever - our giant in the sky even while he was alive. The legacy he leaves behind will outlive us all - and how lucky we are to bear witness to it every time we pick up his pages and sing his words. He was a storyteller who never tried to give us life through rose colored glasses, but rather made us feel seen and represented with stories of life as it is - in all of its mess and glory. He was a word shaker whose lyrics have made us cry and laugh and shift uncomfortably and chuckle under our breath and raise an eyebrow and sigh in relief and challenge what we know to be true. He was a composer who changed everything - and then made room to help others do the same. He was a man who gave us more to see. So for the words, the music, and for always leading us out of the woods: Thank you, Sondheim. Here’s to you. (& one for Mahler. 🥂) #sondheim #stephensondheim #sondheimbirthdayconcert #intothewoods #nooneisalone #soprano #sopranosofinstagram #musicaltheatre #onanordinarysunday #broadway #broadwaymusicals #cinderella #ingenue #giantsinthesky #witchescanberight #giantscanbegood #youdecidewhatsright #youdecidewhatsgood #thankyousondheim