Sondheim on Sondheim
Studio 54
New York, N
Conceived and directed by Sondheim collaborator James Lapine (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George), this show not only celebrates, but co-stars Sondheim — at least in video clips. Sondheim was filmed chatting from his Manhattan and Connecticut homes, with anecdotes about his songs and his life and how they fit together. At one point, Sondheim mentioned a question posed by New York Magazine in 1994, “Is Sondheim God?” His answer was to write the sarcastic, self-mocking “God” for this production.
Sondheim effectively comes across with wit and affability, offering insights about conceiving and producing his work. Delightful is the series of versions for the opening number of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The winner, of course, was “Comedy Tonight.” Regarding Do I Hear a Waltz?, written with Richard Rodgers, Sondheim asserts it is uninspired and he is sorry he bothered writing it. Nevertheless, in this production, Erin Mackey performs a charming, lilting rendition of the title song. The show he is most pleased with is the dark and controversial Assassins and he admits a particular closeness to Sunday in the Park with George. These are among Sondheim’s numerous shows also represented with Gypsy, Company, Follies, and a cut of Sweeney Todd.
Barbara Cook, Vanessa Williams and Tom Wopat head an accomplished group of performers. Without the star power but proficient and ebullient is a second tier with Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, Erin Mackey and Matthew Scott.
Barbara Cook has sung the Sondheim songbook on concert stages and nightclubs and, while her voice is somewhat faded, she still sounds lovely singing “In Buddy’s Eyes” and Sondheim’s only hit song, “Send in the Clowns,” with heartbreaking insight. Regarding the latter song, a humorous addendum features YouTube clips by wannabe singers who have no understanding of interpretation, much less actually attempting it. Barbara Cook later illustrates how “Send in the Clowns” is done. Vanessa Williams’s delivery of “Ah, But Underneath” certainly shows off Williams’s come-hither qualities, but her best moment is singing “Losing My Mind” in counterpoint to Cook’s “Not a Day Goes By.” Wopat does a fine job with the complex “Finishing the Hat.”
Norm Lewis delivers “Being Alive” with robust eloquence. Leslie Kritzer’s "Now You Know" is wonderfully cynical and Euan Morton is energized with “Franklin Shepard, Inc.,” both from Merrily We Roll Along, a show aching to be revived on Broadway, and why not at the newly-named Stephen Sondheim Theatre, previously Henry Miller’s Theatre? A stylized group arrangement of “Something’s Coming” from West Side Story does not quite work but the entire cast sparkles with Follies’s "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs."
Unfortunately, Lapine arranged the show in thematic, not chronological groupings. After starting with Sondheim’s early career, the format careens in various directions and often feels cumbersome as the show nears three hours.
Videos are sleekly presented by Peter Flaherty’s projection designs and set designer Beowulf Boritt’s mobile panels and blocks provide an effective, modern look. Lighting is by Ken Billington. David Loud’s musical arrangements are vigorously delivered by an eight-piece orchestra.
Sondheim on Sondheim follows the route of other Sondheim revues like Side by Side by Sondheim and Putting It Together. This one, however, stands out with its engaging video clips highlighting his personality, his life and his art. Sondheim’s songs and shows are musical theater history, but seeing and hearing him discuss his work, even if on screen, stamps the evening as memorable.
(Pictured: Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat, Matthew Scott, Erin Mackey, Barbara Cook, Euan Morton, Norm Lewis, Leslie Kritzer. Photo by Richard Termine)
Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
April 23, 2010
www.cabaretscenes.org