By Michael Avila
Special to DNAinfo
MIDTOWN — It seemed rather appropriate that a standing room only crowd gathered outside West 43rd Street Wednesday evening to see the former Henry Miller Theater re-christened the Stephen Sondheim Theatre.
A mix of VIPs and average musical lovers were on hand to honor Sondheim, one of the most influential composers of the American musical stage.
Sondheim, who turned 80 earlier this year, admitted to being embarrassed by the attention of the occasion.
"I don’t like my last name. It doesn’t sing," he joked. "It sings better than Schoenfeld or Jacobs [a reference to two other Broadway theaters] but still…"
Sondheim composed and wrote the lyrics for such unforgettable shows as "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "Company," "Gypsy," "Into the Woods," "Sundays in the Park with George" and "Sweeney Todd." He was joined on the outdoor stage with a few of his most distinguished collaborators, such as Nathan Lane and Patti LuPone.
LuPone, who starred on Broadway in "Sweeney Todd" and "Gypsy," talked about the challenge of mastering one of Sondheim’s notoriously difficult compositions. "Singing a Sondheim score is always difficult," she said, before adding, "Once achieved, it was a great accomplishment."
Lane, currently starring a few blocks north in "The Addams Family," joked that it was so much nicer to attend a theater naming for a Broadway legend as opposed to "say, the British Petroleum theater, or the McNugget."
"It’s a thrill and an honor to be a part of this celebration. He’s a theatrical legend, and a real hero to me," Lane said.
Also on stage were Tony Award-winning writer John Weidman, who collaborated with Sondheim on "Pacific Overtures, "Assassins" and "Road Show," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and executives from the Roundabout Theater Company, which runs the theater.
Special credit was given to a devoted group of Sondheim followers who helped make the renaming possible by contributing to the Roundabout’s Musical Theatre Fund.
Rebecca Spigeoman and Travis Brown attended the ceremony as well. Theater majors from University of Arizona, the two recently moved to Manhattan.
"This is a really big, exciting thing for us to witness," Spigeoman said.
When asked to name a favorite Sondheim musical, Brown, begged off, saying it was impossible to choose just one. "It’s too hard to pick a favorite," he said.
Spigeoman didn’t hesitate, however. "It’s 'Gypsy' for me."
Businessman Randy Smith, visiting from Dallas, stumbled across the event by accident. He was walking to dinner when he noticed Nathan Lane walking next to him and followed him to the theater. "My son was just cast in "Into the Woods" [at his high school], so it was cool to see this going on," Smith said.
Sondheim, who crafted stage standards such as "Everything’s Coming Up Roses" and "I Feel Pretty," kept his remarks brief on this occasion. Then he pulled the switch on a box on the stage. Above him, the marquee glowed instantly, illuminating this stretch of the Great White Way that shoulders Times Square with the name of arguably Broadway’s greatest musical craftsman.