THANK YOU MR. SONDHEIM!

Or should we say Thank You to Mr. and Mrs. Sondheim who only had one child but what a child he is! The lifelong contributions that Stephen Sondheim has made to the world of musical theater and all the countless people who have enjoyed his music are certainly too numerous for us to even begin counting.

It is difficult to know where to begin here because there is so much to say. We’re giving up the space we usually devote to where we ate and what we ate, etc. etc. and blah, blah, blah. We aren’t going to mention that Nancy Ploeger and Nancy Ryan are still semi-stalking us and were also lucky enough to be in the audience last night at SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. They had better seats than we did so that’s all we’re saying about them!

While this exploration of highlights from the Sondheim songbook is not a typical Broadway offering, my God it belongs smack in the middle of Broadway. The staging, and lighting and direction were just as individual and unusual as Mr. Sondheim himself who has actually in the theatre audience last night. Although we missed meeting him alas, he missed meeting us as well.

A series of different sized and widely interestingly angled flat screen TV’s blend with one another to create a master kind of screen and Stephen himself appears throughout the show to talk about none other than himself. He talks about his life, how he came to write many of the musicals we all love and cherish and his thoughts on many of these shows. He even tells the audience that his mother once wrote a letter that said her only regret in life was having him. Talk about evoking a reaction of total shock!

Sondheim is disarming and truthful when he speaks (he was filmed in the present) and there are videos and stills that take us from his childhood through his life (he is now 80 years old) and even include appearances on the Merv Griffin show in the 1960’s. Sondheim talks about his sexuality and the fact that he was unable to fall in love and have a meaningful relationship until he was 60.

The show is a chronology of his music headlined by veteran Barbara Cook. Although she too is in her 80’s, Barbara has aged and it seemed as if her hip or knee was giving her an enormous amount of pain. When Barbara opens her mouth and sings you are transported back to her heyday. Actually, given the way she sang Send in The Clowns, she’s having a second heyday! There is no better Broadway actress for this role than Barbara Cook. Tom Wopat is wonderful as the male counter balance to Barbara’s strong vocals. Vanessa Williams is gorgeous and so is her voice. She is grace personified and a joy to both watch and listen to.

The supporting ensemble is absolutely fantastic. Euan Morton’s interpretation of Franklin Shepard Inc. was fabulous, as was Matthew Scott’s portrayal of Shepard. Erin Mackey is adorable and her voice is strong, and true and clear. Leslie Kritzer and Norm Lewis rounded out this ensemble, which was perfectly cast. It was especially heartwarming to witness the thoughtfulness everyone showed Barbara when as she was going and coming on and off stage, with apparent difficulty.

We simply loved every minute of the evening. We were continually nudging each other’s elbows and looking at one another at the end of each song as if to check and make sure we were equally enthralled. This is first class Broadway and you should treat yourself to this feast of Sondheim. You won’t leave the theatre full . . . you will be in that special place between satisfied yet craving more. Thank you, Mr. Sondheim for sharing your gifts with us.

Next up: ANYONE CAN WHISTLE!