Getting Married Today

"Getting Married Today" is a patter song from the musical Company (1970) with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It is sung by the manic Amy, as the thought of marriage sends her into a panic on the day of her wedding. It is often incorrectly referred to as "Not Getting Married Today." The song has been described as one of the most difficult songs to perform in musical theatre, with one verse containing 68 words to be sung in roughly 11 seconds; one expert says that successful performance “depends on clear diction, implicit pitch accuracy and breath support alongside imperative comedic timing.” The Evening Standard cited Jonathan Bailey in Marianne Elliot's 2018 gender-swapped West End production, and Katie Finneran in a 2011 New York Philharmonic concert version as stand out performances. Production "Getting Married Today" was conceived as "Sondheim's psychotic notion of a patter song" to simulate the sensation of having a mental breakdown through verbal diarrhea and constantly changing the subject mid-sentence. Stephen Sondheim gave a masterclass on some of his songs, including this one, at London's Guildhall School.