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Written by Michael Muckian, Contributing writer
Sep 10, 2011
Musical-theater mastermind Stephen Sondheim. – Photo: Courtesy
A 40-year passion for the works of openly gay musical-theater mastermind Stephen Sondheim has resulted in a generous donation to Marquette University – and a tremendous opportunity for musical theater fans and historians worldwide.
Marquette alumnus Paul Salsini has donated his vast collection of Sondheim memorabilia to the Milwaukee-based university’s Raynor Memorial Libraries Department of Special Collections and University Archives. In addition to being one of the Broadway composer and lyricist’s top fans, Salsini was co-founder in 1994 of The Sondheim Review, which he also edited for 10 years. That gave him privileged access to both the composer and his works.
“I began collecting material in 1971, when I first saw ‘Follies’ on Broadway,” says Salsini, a former Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editor and part-time Marquette instructor. “I was blown away – the music, the lyrics, the story, the concept, not to mention the sets, costumes and performances.”
The Stephen Sondheim Research Collection, which is considered second in size only to the collection of personal papers that Sondheim committed to the Library of Congress, contains 40 years of Salsini’s passion for the composer’s works. Included in the collection are more than 600 programs and Playbills from productions on Broadway and elsewhere, more than 400 audio tapes, 200 videotapes and 100 compact discs of Sondheim shows. There also are more than four dozen personal letters written from Sondheim to Salsini when he was editor of The Sondheim Review.
“As a ‘collector’s collection,’ this is a remarkably deep and comprehensive set of research material,” says Matt Blessing, head of the Department of Special Collections and University Archives. “The hundreds of audio and video tapes are not the kinds of materials normally present in an individual’s personal papers. It requires considerable effort to amass a collection such as this.”
The collection also includes hundreds of articles, reviews and features about Sondheim, posters, window cards and long-playing records of Sondheim shows such as “Gypsy,” “West Side Story” and “Sweeney Todd.” Still active in the theater at the age of 81, Sondheim has won a Pulitzer Prize, an Academy Award, eight Grammy Awards and eight Tony Awards.
“Stephen Sondheim is the most significant composer and lyricist working in theater today,” says Salsini, who teaches a Marquette course called “The History of the Musical in America.” “His originality is incredibly daring. But even in his more conventional musicals, such as ‘A Little Night Music’ and ‘Into the Woods,’ there are so many layers, so many meanings in his lyrics.”
Sondheim isn’t Salsini’s only passion. He also has a collection of memorabilia of composer Kurt Weill, best known for “The Threepenny Opera” and “Lost in the Stars.”
“I love his work, but the collection is not nearly as extensive,” Salsini says. “I’m holding onto this one for awhile.”
The Sondheim collection, which has been tapped by various Sondheim biographers over the years, is a contrast to other Marquette collections, such as the original manuscripts of J.R.R. Tolkein, author of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and the papers of social activist Dorothy Day. But the composer’s works are in step with Marquette’s commitment to research, Blessing says.
“The great majority of our archival collections connect in some way to Marquette’s identity as a Catholic and Jesuit institution. Tolkein was a Catholic writer and Day founded the Catholic Worker movement,” Blessing says. “Occasionally we are offered an extraordinary research collection that warrants the long-term curatorial care of an archive. The Sondheim collection represented one of those opportunities.”
Marquette’s archivists have prepared preliminary inventories and all parts of the collection are available to researchers. Researchers seeking access to the collection can call 414-288-7256.
An exhibit highlighting the collection will be on display in the Raynor Library’s lobby from Oct. 10 to Nov. 28.
