Here We Are Playtext

Sondheim's last work, finally published.  

Music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by David Ives.

It’s a perfect day for brunch.

Leo and Marianne Brink have found the ideal spot to take their friends. With great reviews, impeccable service and an extensive menu, it seems like nothing could go wrong.

But as their meal is interrupted by a series of increasingly strange events, they come to realise they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

Here We Are is the last work by Stephen Sondheim, written shortly before his death in 2021, with a book by playwright David Ives and inspired by the films of Luis Buñuel.

It was first performed in 2023 at The Shed in New York City, directed by Joe Mantello, and received its UK premiere at London’s National Theatre in 2025. This first publication of the complete book and lyrics of Here We Are is accompanied by a substantial and revelatory essay by David Ives on ‘Writing with Sondheim’.

Stephen Sondheim is the lyricist of West Side Story and Gypsy, and the composer/ lyricist of Company, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Follies and Sunday in the Park with George, amongst others. David Ives ’plays include All in the Timing and Venus in Fur.