Broadway All-Stars for Stephen Sondheim's Birthday Celebration

The Broadway all-stars have lined up to celebrate the 90th year of the master Broadway composer, Stephen Sondheim.

An array of Broadway greats will bestow honor to the legend in a special concert, "Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration," which will be streaming on April 26, Sunday. The special tribute event to be hosted by Raúl Esparza will be broadcasted on Broadway.com and Broadway.com's official YouTube channel starting at 8 pm ET/ 5 pm PT.

The talented composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim turned 90 on March 22. The current lockdown caused by the coronavirus crisis forcibly closed the doors of Broadway's beloved theatres, but TV and stage actor Esparza will not let it just pass by without celebrating the milestone of the great man.

Esparza and his friends thought of the idea by organizing a birthday bash in the "new-normal venue" - the virtual platform. "Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration" concert will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the opening of Sondheim's "Company" on Sunday.

In his conversation with The Post, Esparza shared he started enlisting 10 performers to participate in the event. The list of all-star artists ballooned to more than 20.

Here is the complete line up of the Broadway artists who will toast Sondheim:

Iain Armitage, Annaleigh Ashford, Christine Baranski, Laura Benanti, Kristin Chenoweth, Michael Cerveris, Melissa Errico, Beanie Feldstein, Sutton Foster, Maria Friedman, Alexander Gemignani, Josh Groban, Jake Gyllenhaal, Neil Patrick Harris, Judy Kuhn, Linda Lavin, Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Donna Murphy, Kelli O'Hara, Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, Randy Rainbow, Lea Salonga, Stephen Schwartz, Elizabeth Stanley, Meryl Streep, Aaron Tveit, Brandon Uranowitz, and from the cast of "Pacific Overtures" at Classic Stage Company, Ann Harada, Austin Ku, Kelvin Moon Loh, and Thom Sesma. There will be special appearances from Victor Garber, Joanna Gleason, Nathan Lane, and Steven Spielberg.

Esparza had a breeze when he wrote an invitation to Meryl Streep. He said that the versatile actress got back to him "in about five minutes." She agreed at once. He further said, "Meryl's cooler than cool."

All the performers will, of course, be singing from the comfort of their own homes. Mary-Mitchell Campbell, the musical director of the event, will accompany many of the artists with her piano through a remote set-up. Campbell, a longtime orchestrator serves as the founder of Artists Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP), an organization that has meaningful programs for disadvantaged kids. ASTEP is the beneficiary of the funds that will be raised through the online concert. Broadway.com's Paul Wontorek is directing the show which will also support students of Juilliard.

Stephen Sondheim and his contribution to theater

Stephen Sondheim is a New York native born on March 22, 1930. His love for music began in his early years, studying piano and organ, then soon after started to practice songwriting. His exposure and knowledge of musical theater were largely influenced by the great lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. He eventually became Sondheim's mentor.

Sondheim penned lyrics for "West Side Story," which premiered in 1957. He also wrote for "Gypsy." With his contributions to these classic shows, he was accepted as a rising star of Broadway. Sondheim is well known for his other memorable works for theater - "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "A Little Night Music," "Sweeney Todd," "Sunday in the Park With George," and "Into the Woods."

Sondheim is recognized for his masterpieces winning eight Tony Awards and eight Grammy awards.