Here We Are

Here We Are is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by David Ives. It is based on two films by Luis Buñuel: The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel. Background and development In February 2012, it was announced that Stephen Sondheim would collaborate on a new musical with David Ives, and he had "about 20–30 minutes of the musical completed". On October 11, 2014, it was reported that Sondheim and Ives would collaborate on a musical based on two Luis Buñuel films, The Exterminating Angel and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, which would reportedly open in previews at The Public Theater in 2017. In August 2016, a reading for the musical was held at The Public Theater, and it was reported that only the first act was finished, which cast doubt on the speculated 2017 start of previews. A workshop was held in November 2016, with the participation of Matthew Morrison, Shuler Hensley, Heidi Blickenstaff, Sierra Boggess, Gabriel Ebert, Sarah Stiles, Michael Cerveris, and Jennifer Simard. The working title was reported to be Buñuel by the New York Post and other outlets, but Sondheim later clarified that they still had no title. In June 2019, The Public Theatre denied reports that it would be part of its 2019–20 season, as it was still in development, but would be produced "when it is ready". On April 27, 2021, it was reported that the musical was no longer in development. However, on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on September 15, 2021, Sondheim announced he was working on a musical called Square One in collaboration with Ives. The same day, Nathan Lane revealed that he and Bernadette Peters were involved in a reading of this new work. Sondheim died on November 26, 2021. In Sondheim's final interview before his death, he confirmed that Square One was adapted from the Buñuel films. In March 2023, it was announced that the musical, now titled Here We Are, would premiere posthumously off-Broadway at The Shed in September 2023. Productions