Lady Gaga to Sing From Sondheim's Newest at the Tonys

Lady Gaga will be introducing two songs from the score of Stephen Sondheim and David Ives' new musical in development at the 2015 Tony Awards. The untitled musical is based on a pair films by Spanish director Luis Buñuel, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) and The Exterminating Angel (1962).

Sondheim was recently quoted in a Times of London interview, calling Lady Gaga's Academy Awards performance of a medley of songs from The Sound of Music "a travesty," noting that "she had no relationship to what she was singing."

"Yeah, I was running at the mouth a little during that interview," the 85-year-old musical theatre legend explained. "Like I said in Sondheim On Sondheim I drink while I'm writing lyrics and I had just spent a full day trying to come up with an internal rhyme for 'bourgeoisie.' I'm not in my 30s anymore. Brilliance like 'personable/coercin' a bull' doesn't just pop out after one chardonnay these days."

It was Sondheim's partner, Jeff Romley, a huge Gaga fan, who arranged for a meeting between the two at Bar Centrale.

"Like I said in the Times, Jeff and I don't exactly share a taste in music. Once he called me his Little Monster at a very inappropriate moment and I nearly kicked him out of the house."

"We had a nice chat," says Lady Gaga. "He didn't exactly apologize, but I know what Oscar Hammerstein meant to him and I'm sure he's very protective of the man's legacy. So he tells me he's working on a new one and I ask if there's anything for me in it. Just a joke. Next thing I know I'm agreeing to sing a couple on the Tony Awards."

"I made a quick call right there," explains the composer/lyricist. "I can still do that. 'This is Sondheim. I got Gaga and I need 6 minutes on the Tonys.' Done."

Though Lady Gaga would not discuss the possibility of starring in a full production of the musical, currently referred to under its working title, Surrealist Foreigners Singing, Sondheim is open to the idea of have a world-famous pop star in his cast.

"Looking back, I haven't exactly been a hit machine like my buddy Andy in London. Being an artistic god is great but it doesn't buy you a swimming pool and a guy can get by only so long on the royalties from high school productions of West Side Story."

BroadwayWorld wishes our readers a very happy April Fool's Day.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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