Stephen Sondheim, the beloved Jewish-American musical composer, passed away four weeks ago yesterday. His influence on musical theatre composition was unparalleled, his flair for both earnestness and humor in his lyrics unrivaled, and his passion for the creative arts an inspiration to generations of American composers, actors, and artists alike.
I recently read the book Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George, by Sondheim’s three-time collaborator, James Lapine, a well-respected Broadway director (also Jewish). Lapine explores how he and Sondheim, even with opposing creative processes–Lapine unhesitating, efficient, methodical and Sondheim a famous procrastinator with genius ideas pouring out at the last minute–were able to create such masterworks like Sunday in the Park, Into the Woods, and Passion. Their common drive to share stories and generate beauty allowed for brilliant collaboration despite differences in creative process.
Sondheim explores the idea of creation in his song “Finishing the Hat” and famously said that “Art, in itself, is an attempt to bring order out of chaos.” In the very first lines of our Torah, God creates the universe not out of nothingness but instead out of unformed chaos (Genesis 1:2). The world is helter-skelter and we are called to partner with God in its order and repair. We cannot create worlds like God, but we can strive to make this world better, more loving, more whole, and more beautiful.
May Sondheim’s creativity and enthusiasm for collaboration continue to be a model for us of our Jewish legacies of tikkun olam and hiddur mitzvah (repairing the world and making our lives beautiful). May his music remind us–despite challenges or differences or encounters with chaos–to constantly work together to make the world God gave us a more magnificent and meaningful place.
-Cantor Emma Lutz
To listen to Sondheim’s “Finishing the Hat,’ click here:
