There have been a lot of wonderful moments, a little greatly personal, in "Sondheim upon Sondheim," a Roundabout Theatre Company's revelatory revue celebrating Stephen Sondheim's theatrical career.
But zero quite tops other expel members sitting quietly upon stage as well as listening to Barbara Cook sing "Send in a Clowns." Cook's artistic rendition of Sondheim's best-known strain demonstrates a essence of low-pitched theater: an consultant actor capturing a emotional truth found in a perfect consistent of words as well as music.
And "Sondheim upon Sondheim," which non-stop Thursday during Broadway's Studio 54, reiterates what true Sondheim buffs already know about his work. His songs, while regularly intellectually nimble, have been additionally true from a heart, rich in emotion as well as feeling.
What's brand brand new here is which a assembly gets to see Sondheim, who turned 80 final month, speak about his strain as well as lyrics - as well as himself - in an similarly open manner. James Lapine, who created as well as destined a show, has peppered a production with video comments from a man. Most of them were recently recorded; a few come from television clips of long-ago programs such as "The Mike Douglas Show."
Lapine, who has worked with Sondheim upon such musicals as "Sunday in a Park With George" as well as "Passion," has cleverly packaged a revue so it doesn't pound of resume theatrics, even though it is filled with sum of Sondheim's personal as well as veteran life. The goal, of course, is to entertain, as well as besides Cook, a production headlines Vanessa Williams as well as Tom Wopat with assists from Leslie Kritzer, Norm Lewis, Euan Morton, Erin Mackey as well as Matthew Scott.
It's a different expel travelling several generations of musical-theater performers. Some have been improved served than others, with Cook, Williams as well as Lewis getting a showiest as well as many satisfying workouts.
Williams saucily cavort! s (and s trips) in "Ah, But Underneath," written for a London production of "Follies." Lewis vocally embraces "Being Alive," Sondheim's impassioned hymn to marriage. And Cook remains a wonder. At 82, she has returned to Broadway after as well prolonged an absence to broach a master class in verse phrasing.
Lapine has selected more than 3 dozen songs for a uncover - not an easy preference considering a resources of material. They range from a dash of a first strain a really young Sondheim wrote ("I'll Meet You during a Donut" - don't ask) to a number, "The Best Thing That Ever Has Happened," from his many brand new musical, "Road Show," seen off-Broadway during a Public Theater in 2008.
Among other things, "Sondheim upon Sondheim" celebrates qualification as well as collaboration. And only how many tough work goes in to writing a musical. Consider Sondheim's reworking of a opening series for "A Funny Thing Happened upon a Way to a Forum," a first Broadway uncover for which he wrote both strain as well as lyrics. It took 3 tries to get which opening right, as well as a inspiration came from Jerome Robbins who pointed a composer in a correct direction.
And afterwards there is a private Sondheim - many of a brand brand new video was shot in his East Side town house as well as we get a peek during where a beautiful routine starts. Plus a little rsther than extraordinary comments about his parents - particularly his mom - with whom he had, during best, a precarious, violent relationship.
One of a many moving sections of a uncover is Sondheim's salute to Oscar Hammerstein II. Hammerstein, a father of a boarding-school chum, became a surrogate father as well as coach during Sondheim's teenage years. "That's essentially how we became songwriter," Sondheim says. "Because, we longed for to do what Oscar did."
At one point during a show, Sondheim refers with evident emotion to Hammerstein, a lyricist for such classics as "Carousel," "Oklahoma!" as well as "South Pacific," as "a conspicuous fello! w." The same could be pronounced about a male during center stage in "Sondheim upon Sondheim," too.
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