‘Take Me To The World’: Celebrating And Ranking Sondheim’s Best Songs

Stephen Sondheim is arguably Broadway’s greatest asset. He is credited with being one of the most important lyricist and composer of 20th century American Theatre, swindling his way into audiences’ hearts for generations.

He is such a musical theatre force that this weekend, stars of the stage and silver screen gathered to sing, celebrate and pay tribute to the man in Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration – live-streamed to Youtube courtesy of Broadway.com.

With countless hit musicals such as Follies, A Little Night Music, Company, Sweeney Todd and Into The Woods it’s an impossible task to choose an absolute favourite. It’s even harder to choose which would be the best. But I’ve tried.

Here’s my humble attempt at selecting a top three of Sondheim’s best and most loved songs. 

#3 ‘No One Is Alone’ – Into the Woods

‘No One Is Alone’ plays an integral part in the story telling of the fairy-tale crossover but also has an elevated meaning. Much like most of Sondheim’s lyrical masterpieces, it can be sung or listened to out of context, and you would still have the ability to draw deep meaning from it. Played with orchestral accompaniment in the 2014 Disney film adaptation, Sondheim’s use of motif and harmony is as impressive as ever. ‘No One Is Alone’ is effective in its unifying power in every guise and in every performance. 

#2 ‘Send in the Clowns’ – A Little Night Music

‘Send In The Clowns’ is perhaps the most thought provoking concoction of words and music. Put together for character Desirée, she takes a long journey through the events of her life and regrets of love and mistimed affections. The mood is captured beautifully in all aspects of the song; a song full of questions, the begs no answer. 

#1 ‘Being Alive’ – Company

‘Being Alive’ is my favourite Sondheim song of all-time, and here’s why.

Company tells an incredible story culminating in a five-minute escapade that is the finale, ‘Being Alive’; a poem detailing every doubt everyone has ever had about being in love. The musical follows Robert, ‘Bobby’, a bachelor who has for so long confined himself to loneliness for want of not getting hurt. ‘Being Alive’ is his realisation that not to love, or be loved, is hardly living at all. 

Many of these songs featured in theTake Me to the World birthday special which was not only a star-studded birthday party but an effort to raise money for Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).

Performers included Mandy Patinkin, Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Jake Gyllenhaal, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and crowd favourite Christina Baranski, Audra McDonald and Meryl Streep, to name a few. Despite some dramatic technical difficulties, the two-hour show is now available on YouTube, making it a great watch for fans of musical theatre – whether you love a Sondheim classic, or love it all. Watch it here.