Paulanne Simmons
Old Friends
I am not a huge Sondheim fan. But Old Friends, the fantastic Sondheim revue now at The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, is one of the best shows I’ve seen on Broadway in a long time. It is produced and devised by Cameron Mackintosh, who came up with the idea with Sondheim during the pandemic. And it consists of songs from the shows he and Sondheim worked on together with their friend, Julia McKenzie. The revue is directed and staged by Matthew Bourne, with choreography by Stephen Mear, and hosted by Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga. However, much of the heavy lifting is done by an extraordinary ensemble made up of Broadway veterans, rising stars and newcomers. Stephen Metcalfe’s gorgeous arrangements go a long way to support the performers. At the beginning of his career, Sondheim worked solely as a lyricist. His budding talent as a word spinner is evident in West Side Story (music by Leonard Bernstein) and Gypsy (music by Jule Styne). Peters, Beth Leavel and Joanna Riding’s hilarious “You Gotta Get a Gimmick” and Salonga’s well-belted “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” represent Gypsy. While Salonga brings out all the poignant beauty of “Somewhere” and Jacob Dickey, Daniel Yearwood, Kyle Selig, Maria Wirries, Jasmine Forsberg and the Company do more than justice to Bernstein’s magnificent “Tonight Quintet,” both from West Side Story. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was the first Broadway show for which Sondheim wrote both words and music. Peters, Salonga, Forsberg, Lee Gavin and the Company pay tribute to those songs with “Comedy Tonight,” while Lee, Jason Pennycooke and Selig interpret “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” with all its priggish charm. From then on there was no stopping Sondheim. The show does not follow Sondheim’s career in any special order, but it does cover most of his most iconic songs. Peters, who played Desirée Armfeldt in the 2011 revival of A Little Night Music, sings a heartrending “Send in the Clowns.” Bonnie Langford, fearlessly interprets “I’m Still Here,” which has been sung by the likes of Lynn Redgrave and Patti LuPone. And Leavel gives us a biting “Ladies Who Lunch.” Matt Kinley has designed a set that frames the performers with the glitter of the Great White Way. Neon steps lead up to the bandstand, where the name “Sondheim” is displayed prominently along with a musical staff. And various set pieces descend for numbers that require more scenery such as “The Ballad of Sweeney Todd” and “The Worst Pies in London.” The show seems to end several times, with a series of pictures from Sondheim as a baby to old age and songs like “Being Alive,” “Old Friends” and “Side by Side.” But this is all a tease, as each time the performers come back with one more. Finally, the show ends most appropriately with “Love Is in the Air.”
|
| recordings | coupons | publications | classified |