Mar 15

Mar 15 Album Review: "Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream"

This month marks Stephen Sondheim’s 90th birthday, and there is much to celebrate regarding his music, his lyrics, and his influence over the shaping of musical theatre for the last sixty-plus years. As Mr. Sondheim becomes a nonagenarian, Broadway Records provides us with a unique way to explore his music. The new album “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream” offers an “off-the-beaten-path” assemblage of many of his well-known (and lesser-known) tunes dished up in a decidedly clever format that evokes mirror balls, Donna Summer, and Studio 54.

The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this album are the criticisms along the way that Mr. Sondheim doesn’t write “hummable” melodies. WRONG! Many theatre lovers already know that Sondheim’s melodies, though unconventional in style in comparison to the traditional showtunes that came before he revolutionized the game, are in fact intoxicating and do stay with you long after the curtain comes down. “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream” asserts this with a zesty exuberance, demonstrating that melodies such as “Any Moment” from Into the Woods, “Pretty Lady” from Pacific Overtures, “Our Time” from Merrily We Roll Along, and “Johanna” from Sweeney Todd are indeed earworms. What’s more, these songs are doubly energized through the insistent, vibrant arrangements by Joshua Hinck and Scott Wasserman who conceived the idea for this album.

What you will find on this recording is a mixture of mash-up medleys, and occasionally a closer look at one particular song that is given a full and unfettered rendition. Many of the tracks (listed below) are given a title that might seem to indicate only one or two songs are being covered. Often, six to eight Sondheim favorites show up, woven together with such dexterity and purpose, exploring themes and commenting on one another. Perhaps the best part of the choices for this album is that many of them are songs we haven’t been inundated with (on the so many Sondheim album celebrations over the years). There is a lot of Anyone Can Whistle to be found here (Sondheim’s short-lived 1964 musical), as well as the welcome use of “Take Me to the World” from the 1966 made-for-television musical Evening Primrose.

There is not a track that fails to entertain in some way, even if the album doesn’t always feel entirely disco in style. This is just fine. It is more a tribute to disco, while still maintaining its Broadway roots, with maybe just a touch of a Pentatonix flavor. It still adds up to sheer joy. Here are a few takeaways I experienced:

I never knew I needed a disco version of “The Miller’s Son” from A Little Night Music (and my favorite Sondheim song), but it is, for me, an exhilarating experience here. It pulses and propels forward with unyielding verve, throbbing rhythm and hypnotic melody. The best of the best on Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream.
Who would have guessed that the song “Lovely” from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum would actually get me out of my chair and shaking my ample booty? Seriously, this is such a bold reimagination of the song, and it works. Boy does it work!
“Unworthy of Your Love” from Assassins may well be one of Sondheim’s most underestimated and underappreciated melodies, and I am sure glad it is given such a lovingly thought-out rendition here.
The track titled “Artists Are Bizarre…” will thrill you. It is, in fact, a combination of “Tick Tock” from Company, the title song from Sunday in the Park with George,” “Simple” from Anyone Can Whistle, and, of all things, “The Letter” from Sweeney Todd. Sounds crazy, right? It is…and yet, you are going to love it for its audacity!
If you are an Into the Woods fan, you will find a lot of music from that show on the album. “Giants in the Sky,” “Hello, Little Girl,” “Any Moment,” “No One Is Alone,” and tiny snatches of “Your Fault” and “Moments in the Woods” all figure in somewhere.
Special recognition should be given here to Leonard Bernstein, whose melody for “Somewhere” from West Side Story (with Sondheim’s lyrics) shows up on the track titled “There Are Giants Somewhere.”
After “The Miller’s Son,” the track I keep returning to most is “Our Time” from Merrily We Roll Along. Creamy harmonies and an unbridled energy make it soar.

Not since “The Ethel Merman Disco Album” have Broadway showtunes been delivered in such a peculiarly delicious fashion. Please accept this as an enthusiastic recommendation to purchase this recording. Do so with an open mind and a clear understanding that, even though Sondheim’s brilliant lyrics might feel odd in such a setting (at first), you will have a groovy time and delight in the clever arrangements that spin his beloved music into danceable, pulse-raising fun. Whether you are an ardent Sondheim fan, a collector of camp, or simply can’t get enough disco in your life, “Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream” will most assuredly find a special place in your music collection.

Now… can we please have a sequel?

Losing My Mind: A Sondheim Disco Fever Dream

Track Listing: