Sondheim on Sondheim
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Cititour.com Review
Imagine a living breathing PBS special on stage right before your eyes. That's kind of what you get in James Lapine's new musical revue of his long time collaborator and friend, Stephen Sondheim in Sondheim on Sondheim. With a crackerjack team of singers, like the legendary Barbara Cook, and the popular Tom Wopat and Vanessa Williams heading the cast of eight, the show is a gently humorous biography about the great composer/lyricist.
Breaking into song at the least provocation, it's not really a jukebox musical. Although it does cover some of Sondheim's history, the joy here is Sondheim himself, live on tape, being interviewed about his shows, his childhood, and those with whom he worked like Jerome Robbins and Arthur Laurents.
The material ranges from his most well known compositions, like Anyone Can Whistle to unknown material like "Smile Girls" cut from Gypsy after only one night. Lapine does a great job of interspersing Sondheim’s comments with the songs thereby adding humor and he's very inventive in using the material in unexpected ways as when "Happiness" from Passion becomes a group number that morphs into a song about being dumped by your lover or using a YouTube composite of Sondheim's only hit, "Send in the Clowns."
The star-turns abound. Cook, with her signature number "In Buddy's Eyes" and a tender "Not a Day Goes By"; Williams, with an emotional "Losing My Mind"; and Wopat detailing "Finishing the Hat." The supporting cast boasts some well-known stars, as well, including Euan Morton, Norm Lewis and Leslie Kritzer, all with terrific instruments.
Despite a two-hour and 40-minute running time, the show feels a bit like Sondheim-lite. His material is so rich, his output so exemplary, that it's tough to do justice to it all in a single evening. But for Sondheim fans, Sondheim on Sondheim gives you entry into the genius’ inner sanctum. Not only do you see the composer's townhouse, but Sondheim talks about his creative process and then you're given a living example by a supremely talented cast.
Sondheim on Sondheim is a musical theatre lover's dream come true. If only it came in multiple episodes.
By Lesley Alexander
Visit the Site
http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/54/index2.htm
Cast
Barbara Cook, Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Erin Mackey, Euan Morton, Matthew Scott, Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat
Open/Close Dates
Opening 3/19/2010
Closing 6/27/2010
Box Office
212-719-1300
Theatre Info
Studio 54
254 West 54th Street
New York, NY 10019
Map
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