'Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends' Broadway review — ebullient show spotlights an excellent ensemble
Read our review of Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends on Broadway, a musical revue celebrating the titular songwriter and starring Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, hosted by megawatt stars Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, is as cozy as a longtime friend’s living room. Best of all, the honeyed orchestrations (originally by Sondheim’s longtime collaborator Jonathan Tunick) and crisp sound mixing in the Old Friends setlist help remind us why the best of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s repertoire still attracts talented titans.
If I wanted to experience Sondheim’s art at its fullest, I would attend one of his musicals. If I wanted to dig into his idiosyncrasies, I would open his memoirs Finishing The Hat and Look, I Made a Hat. As devised by megaproducer Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Matthrew Bourne with Julia McKenzie, Old Friends is where you celebrate Sondheim in fragments. The production feels less about Sondheim himself and more about the performers who embody and interpret his work.
Headliners Peters and Salonga are melodious and radiant, coasting on their innate stage presence. Yet I found myself more magnetized by the ensemble that surrounds them, as if (re)discovering stars. Sticking in my memory is Beth Leavel’s heartbreaking “The Ladies Who Lunch” from the musical Company, in which she loads the lyric “clutching a copy of Life” with miles of ache. “Not a Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along stars a delightful group of divas (Peters, Salonga, Joanna Riding, Bonnie Langford, Kat Jennings Grant, Leavel). Another golden highlight is Leavel and Gavin Lee’s fiery chemistry in Company's “The Little Things You Do Together.” Stephen Mear’s choreography takes care of the comedic timing throughout.
I do have one note: As the exit music, we hear Sondheim singing “Love Is in the Air,” a cut song from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. If this production missed anything, it’s a meditative finale on the man’s artistic process. Many people were already out the door when Sondheim’s voice filled the theatre.
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends summary
Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends is a staged revue of the composer/lyricist’s greatest hits from musicals including Merrily We Roll Along (which contains this revue's namesake song), Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A Little Night Music, Follies, Into the Woods, Gypsy, Bounce, Sunday in the Park with George, Passion, Sweeney Todd, and West Side Story. It even features a lesser-known song from The Mad Show.
What to expect at Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
As in a concert, the orchestra is settled in the background near two curving staircases. Matt Kinley’s scenic design also makes use of balconies at the side. One of the lengthier, more elaborate segments is the litany of Sweeney Todd numbers, where a set of doorways closes in with claustrophobic effect, almost making you feel locked into a full-fledged Sweeney Todd production.
A screen intermittently descends from above to reveal photos of Stephen Sondheim from childhood and beyond. Jill Parker’s glittery costume designs honor the myriad of musicals included, such as Roman sashes for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and stripper garb for “You Gotta Get A Gimmick” from Gypsy.
What audiences are saying about Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
As of writing, Show-Score has 103 reviews of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, averaging to an audience approval score of 93%. Theatregoers describe the show as “Entertaining, Delightful, Enchanting, Awesome, Absorbing.”
- Show-Score user TheaterBuff called the show “a glorious immersion” for those familiar with Sondheim’s work.
- Show-Score user GreatAvi deemed Old Friends “a show of pure bliss.”
- “Old Friends is a cohesive exploration of Sondheim’s discography and legacy, told through an intergenerational cast that showcases the timelessness in the stories he tells through lyric and score. Many heavy hitters are crammed into Act One, so, when you get to some of his deep cuts in the second act, the pacing can feel a bit slower as you’re coming down from that high. Nevertheless, it moved me to tears because this was a very unique presentation of his work.” - My +1 at the show
Read more audience reviews of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on Show-Score.
Who should see Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends
- This show is made for Stephen Sondheim lovers, especially viewers of the Sondheim! The Birthday Concert or 2020's virtual concert Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration.
- Those who have never experienced a Stephen Sondheim production may delight in previewing his lyrics and compositions in Old Friends, as if being welcomed into a new social circle.
- See it if you want to watch superstars like Bernadette Peters (Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park With George) and Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) share a stage and songs.
- Beyond Peters and Salonga, the show is for those excited to experience a wide array of talented actors — some already well-known in the Broadway community, some unknown to the general audience — like Gavin Lee, Jeremy Secomb, and Jason Pennycooke.
- If you're worried about not always being able to hear the lyrics at Broadway shows, the crystalline sound mixing of multi-layered numbers like “Tonight Quintet” will be heaven for you.
Learn more about Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends on Broadway
The ebullient Old Friends is loaded with vocal talent that can move mountains. There’s little more to ask from this celebration of a late maestro who changed the landscape of theatre.
Photo credit: Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends on Broadway. (Photos by Matthew Murphy)
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