The Songs of Sondheim Star in S.D. Comic Opera’s Revue

‘Send in the Clowns” may be Stephen Sondheim’s calling card, but slapstick is as remote from his style as burlesque is from Mozart’s. From “Follies” to “A Little Night Music”--source of “Send in the Clowns”--to “Sweeney Todd,” the prolific composer has held up the sophisticated end of American musical theater.

“He has a true theatrical gift,” said J. Sherwood Montgomery, director of San Diego Comic Opera’s upcoming Sondheim revue “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow.” “His songs are always a part of the dramatic structure, written to carry forward the development of each character. The typical musical theater composer, on the other hand, says, ‘What we need here is a good tune, or a snappy dance number.’ Essentially, they write numbers. That’s what distresses me about (British composer) Andrew Lloyd Webber. Not only is his ‘Memory’ a bit of ersatz Puccini, but it’s so unrelated to the dramatic structure of ‘Cats’ that it could be in 902 different shows. Sondheim is never like that.”

“You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow,” a revue of 24 songs sung by eight singers, opens Friday at 8 p.m. in Balboa Park’s Casa Del Prado Theatre. Montgomery explained that the revue, compiled in 1983 by producer Paul Lazarus as a benefit for New York’s Whitney Museum, was first performed at the Sotheby auction house with Angela Lansbury as narrator.

“ ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’ had been extremely popular, but rather than revise that revue and put in newer material, Sondheim smiled on the ‘You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow’ project from the beginning.”

This Sondheim revue marks San Diego Comic Opera’s first plunge into contemporary repertory. Moving from its beginnings as a Gilbert and Sullivan troupe, the company has staged in the last two years classic American operettas such as “Rose Marie” and “Desert Song.”

“I believe that we have a certain mandate to do music of our own time,” Montgomery stated. “We need to expose our performers to this material, as well as develop our audiences. One way, we thought, was to stage a sampler to see what Sondheim songs our audiences react most positively to.”

Economics, Montgomery was quick to admit, also figured into the decision to do a revue. Mounting one of Sondheim’s complete stage works would have taxed the company’s modest budget, although the budget-conscious director noted that any production by a living composer requires a higher royalty payment.

The versatile Montgomery is no stranger to local theater audiences. In addition to stage directing, his lively comic roles on stage have redeemed many a production. The San Diego native was one of San Diego Opera founder Walter Herbert’s first stage assistants and continues to guide productions of that company’s much heralded educational outreach program “Opera for Kids by Kids.”

He compared directing a revue--as opposed to a complete musical--to playing chamber music.

“Everything is exposed. There’s no chorus of happy peasants to hide behind. It’s like doing 24 three-act plays. Each song has to be energized without much preparation.”

According to Montgomery, the songs from “You’re Gonna Love Tomorrow” stress Sondheim’s more optimistic side--”He’s not dark and sardonic exclusively”--and include a pair of tunes from “Saturday Night,” the composer’s never-produced first musical.

“He wrote seven songs for ‘Saturday Night,’ but when the show’s producer died unexpectedly, the funds to stage it disappeared. After that crisis, Sondheim’s consolation prize was being asked to write the lyrics for Leonard Bernstein’s ‘West Side Story.’ ”

A bevy of local television personalities, including Hal Clement of KFMB-TV, Lisa Kim of KGTV, and Allison Ross of KNSD-TV, will narrate the revue. The April 4 program will be a benefit for Mama’s Kitchen, a locally based meals service for persons with AIDS and AIDS-related complex.

The production runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through April 5.

Have trombone, will travel. Heather Buchman, the San Diego Symphony’s principal trombone, will play Leopold Mozart’s Alto Trombone Concerto with Washington’s National Symphony from May 7-12. The intrepid musician won the National Symphony’s competition, held in January, to discover promising young American performers. Entering such a competition took more than average daring. Not only is the trombone rarely considered a true solo instrument, but female brass players are an unsung minority. Buchman, who has already soloed with the local orchestra and returns center stage next season to play the world premiere of David Ott’s Trombone Concerto, may just change those stereotypes.

Have voice, will travel. Soprano Carol Neblett, who has sung with the Metropolitan Opera and Los Angeles Music Center Opera in recent seasons, will join the Grossmont Symphony Orchestra in a benefit concert for the Homeless Task Force of El Cajon March 29 at 7 p.m. in Theatre East. Accompanied by the orchestra under music director Randall Tweed, the Coronado resident will sing arias from Beethoven’s “Fidelio,” Massenet’s “Le Cid,” and Dvorak’s “Russalka.” Tickets ($15 in advance; $18 at the door) are available from Theatre East box office 440-2277.

CRITIC’S CHOICE

CHORALE, SYMPHONY PERFORMS BRAHMS’ REQUIEM

Johannes Brahms’ dramatic, yet lyrically reflective German Requiem, “Ein Deutsches Requiem,” Op. 45, will be performed by the San Diego Master Chorale and San Diego Symphony Friday at 8 p.m. in Copley Symphony Hall. Music director Yoav Talmi, who has programmed a major Requiem each season, will conduct. Soprano Janet Perry and bass Jubilant Sykes are featured soloists.