Sondheim on Sondheim is a wonderful evening's entertainment that basically does exactly what it says on the tin - it's built around a series of clips from numerous documentaries, interviews and audio quotations from the "God" of the musical himself, describing his musical journey, the people who were integral to his development (his "adopted father figure" Oscar Hammerstein, estimable Broadway powerhouses such as Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins and Hal Prince, and the many writers who produced the libretto/"book" for his shows), and, most importantly the (often tortuous) evolution of some his best-known shows and the songs that eventually made the "cut" to become classics.
Meanwhile, on stage in the faded glamour of the venerable Alexandra Palace Theatre we were treated to a very fine ensemble cast indeed to perform some of those very hits and misses: Jenna Russell, Clive Rowe, Scarlet Strallen, Josefina Gabrielle, Jak Malone, Georgina Onuorah, Lucca Chadwick-Patel and (the rather cute) Jack Wolfe.
As Madam Arcati said, in conversation with two fellow Sondheimites outside while having a fag, it was "a great evening of entertainment and education."
And what of those numbers? Well, who knew that The Maestro's first musical hit for which he wrote both lyrics and music had not one, but two opening numbers dropped (Love Is in the Air and Forget War) before we eventually got the jolly toe-tapper Comedy Tonight? Or that the closing number of Company, the tearjerker Being Alive might well - had Sondheim not thrown out two previous versions Marry Me a Little and Happily Ever After - have never seen the light of day? From the same show, one of our "family favourites" Not Getting Married Today was a complete re-write of a number called The Wedding Is Off, and in Gypsy there was originally a song called Smile, Girls. Our cast sang 'em all!
The bulk of the show focused on songs from the shows that made his name (and a few that flopped first time around, like Passion, Anyone Can Whistle, Bounce/Road Show - that included Sondheim's first ever love duet between two men The Best Thing That Ever Happened - and Assassins) often with a "twist", including an unusual close-harmony version of Something's Coming from West Side Story, and a beautifully sung medley of Losing My Mind (from Follies) with Not a Day Goes By (from Merrily We Roll Along). Both shows were heavily featured throughout the show. Our duettists were Summer Strallen and Jenna Russell, but here's Miss Russell performing it with Rosalie Craig:
Just one of many moments that brought a tear to our eye.
Other highlights included Jack Wolfe's Finishing the Hat (from another heavily-featured show Sunday in the Park with George - from it, our first act closing number Sunday is another one that never fails to raise a tear), Clive Rowe's Epiphany (from Sweeney Todd), Children Will Listen (from Into The Woods), Miss Russell (again) on Send in the Clowns (A Little Night Music) ...
...and Josefina Gabrielle performing a song that Sondheim wrote specifically for Dame Diana Rigg to perform in the 1987 West End production of Follies (because he knew she was a better actress and singer than she was a dancer, so dropped The Story of Lucy and Jessie):
As one commenter out there on a message board [yes, people still use those, even in the age of social media] remarked: "It felt like a nice after-party/follow up to Old Friends, keeping the spirit alive all these months later!"
Despite the many shortcomings of the venue's slightly shambolic organisation, this was a stunner of a show - a perfect evening for any Stephen Sondheim fan! [Although this production was only a two-night run, I'm certain it'll pop up at another venue fairly soon.]
Sondheim on Sondheim on Wikipedia.
And, to finish, this:
Footnote:
Read more about the restoration of the Alexandra Palace Theatre, which only reopened after 80 years of neglect in 2018.
PS
The hectic social schedule continues...
Tonight, we're off to see a legend in conversation - none other than Dame Joan Collins!!!