When it was announced that there was going to be another Broadway overview of Stephen Sondheims' work I wondered why there was a need for another Sondheim revue. The last one to come along [Putting It Together] was about ten years ago and it failed, and this year [in honor of his 80th birthday] there have been many tributes and concerts dealing with his remarkable body of work, so I couldn't see doing another one unless it brought something fresh and new to the material.
SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM tries to be different. It was conceived by his long time collaborator and friend James Lapine, and his idea was to use video interviews with the great man himself and mix them in with the live performers. This concept does work well most of the time,but it is really a rehash of the familiar and the interviews may be facinating to the layman, but to anyone that has been following Sondheims' career or has read his excellent biography, they offer nothing new.
The cast is headed by Vanessa Williams, Tom Wopat and the magnificent Barbara Cook and they are all in fine form,but it is Ms. Cook who makes the strongest impression. She is a teriffic Sondheim interpreter and her legendary singing of Send In The Clowns is one of the high points of the entire season.
Mr. Lapine has staged the show admribly and the sets and videos by Beowulf Boritt and Peter Flaherty are artistic and visual masterpieces, but beyond the magnificent Ms.Cook and the stunning physical production, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM offers nothing new. Just the same old leftovers.
AT STUDIO 54 254 WEST 54th STREET N.Y.C.
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Perhaps newer theatre goers would appreciate a retrospective of a wonderful body of work. For such a career as Sondheim's ten years is enough time to wait for a re review. And what could be better than to get another interpretation of Sondheim from that treasure, Barbara Cook?
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