Kennedy Center Sondheim Celebration Question

Musicaldudepeter said: "I'm fascinated with the 2002 Kennedy Center Sondheim repertory celebration, and was wondering was there any talk during the time of any of those productions transferring to Broadway? Also, was there one production out of the six that was considered superior, or "the best"?"

I don't recall that there was any talk of a transfer for any of the productions. I'm not sure if any of the productions stood out as the best, but I do remember Sweeney Todd getting a broadly negative reception from the sondheim.com crowd at the time.

Personally, I thought Sunday in the Park with George and Passion were terrific productions, the latter markedly better (IMO) than the 1994 Broadway production and the former a real triumph thanks to its leads, Raúl Esparza and Melissa Errico.

At the time, the D.C. downtown library had videotapes of the shows, and I went there and watched some of them. They are probably long gone now. I also saw four of the shows in person—Company, Passion, Night Music and Merrily. That was a great summer to live in D.C.

TweetyPie2 said: "At the time, the D.C. downtown library had videotapes of the shows, and I went there and watched some of them. They are probably long gone now. I also saw four of the shows in person—Company, Passion, Night Music and Merrily. That was a great summer to live in D.C."



Yes...it was an embarrassment of riches. Heaven!

TweetyPie2 said: "At the time, the D.C. downtown library had videotapes of the shows, and I went there and watched some of them. They are probably long gone now. I also saw four of the shows in person—Company, Passion, Night Music and Merrily. That was a great summer to live in D.C."

Copies of those videos are held by the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive (TOFT), and can be viewed in their screening room at the Performing Arts Library, at Lincoln Center.

Sean Mathias' COMPANY was thrilling. John Barrowman was the perfect Bobby; Alice Ripley got a standing ovation mid-show both times I saw it; and the design, as I recall, was like riding a Derek McLane/Catherine Zuber-helmed time machine straight back to 1970.

Robert - John Barrowman, Sarah - Keira Naughton ,Harry - David Pittu, Susan - Christy Baron, Peter - Dan Cooney, Jenny - Emily Skinner, David - Marc Vietor, Amy - Alice Ripley ,Paul - Matt Bogart, Joanne - Lynn Redgrave, Larry - Walter Charles, Marta - Marcy Harriel, Kathy - Elizabeth Zins, April - Kim Director

Skip23 said: "Don't know about possible transfers, but my favorites were MERRILY and PASSION. The whole MERRILY production was vastly superior to the recent Broadway revival (Michael Hayden! Raul Esparza! and the glorious Miriam Shor! not to mention Emily Skinner as Gussie!!!! and Christopher Ashley's excellent direction.) And Judy Kuhn's Fosca couldn't be beat! I also liked John Barrowman's decidedly Gay take on Bobby in COMPANY. Not so enthusiastic for SUNDAY or SWEENEY."

I forgot I also saw Sunday. Did not care for it. So I saw all of them except Sweeney, which I had seen on Broadway and also did not care for. I remember the costumes and choreography for Company were pretty ugly, but that show blew me away. I loved Barrowman. That is my favorite production of the show that I have seen--did not see the recent revival. Also, it's good to know that those recordings are preserved at Lincoln Center.

SisterGeorge said: "Sean Mathias' COMPANY was thrilling.John Barrowman was the perfect Bobby;Alice Ripley got a standing ovation mid-show both times I saw it;and the design, as I recall, was like ridinga Derek McLane/Catherine Zuber-helmed time machine straight back to 1970."

AND they got permission to use the original 1970 book, not the revised (IMHO for the worse) 1995/96 version that all the major revivals otherwise have used and is all you can license (that said I think they cut Tick Tock something I always find disappointing, but I might be misremembering?)

One "bonus" production was bringing over Amon Miyamoto's Japanese production of Pacific Overtures, performed with English surtitles. I missed it but it was very well received and led to Roundabout's Broadway revival of the production, re-staged in English, where the general consensus seemed to be somehow something was lost...

I was only able to make it down from Montreal where I was still living at the time for the first leg of productions: Sunday in the Park With George, Company, and Sweeney Todd. I thought Sunday was very good (especially Melissa Errico--naked in a bath, no less) and Company--Tick Tock perhaps missing not with standing--pretty perfect. John Barrowman isn't always my ideal performer but he makes an ideal cipher like Bobby. And Sweeney Todd was disappointing but I was still glad to have seen it, and honestly can't remember why it was. I was sorry to miss the second leg though, Merrily and especially my favourite, Passion in particular (I seem to recall the reaction to A Little Night Music was much more muted than to those two.)



A short, nice little retrospective Kennedy Center did here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tBH6IRnZwM

abu islam said: "Great question! There was talk of some productions transferring to Broadway, but details are scarce. Into the Woods and Company were often considered highlights. Would love to hear more from others who followed the event!"

Interesting, since they didn't do Into the Woods! ;)

I saw all six and was thrilled to. However, I have since (or before) seen at least three or four other productions at other times and theatres of each musical that were better. These repertory productions were good...but nothing special, except some of the casting. But to see a good production of a Sondheim anywhere is always a treat.

all the events of the celebration

https://www.sondheimguide.com/concerts3.html#Kennedy

theblackumbrella said: "For those of you who preferred these productions to the more recent Broadway revivals namely Company and Merrily - can you elaborate on why? I found so much of the response to the Broadway revivalsnaming themnew definitive interpretations."

I saw Company at the Celebration but not Merrily, though I've seen the recording TOFT has of that production. For Merrily, I don't think material wise there were significant revisions made between that production and the Friedman (although there were definitely minor revisions.) DC had a great cast, though maybe not one that had the chemistry of the Broadway revival that seemed to make such a difference.

However, for Company I feel I can speak with a bit more authority. As I already said, one thing I really appreciated about the Celebration version was they went back to the 1970 original book, which they got permission to use. For anyone who cares, the book was revised in 1995/96 and that's the only version you can currently license, something that annoys me to no end. The Marianne Elliott "Bobbie" version uses that revised book as its basis--but that's neither here nor there for me as I do think the Bobbie version works, for the most part, for me. But I almost think of it as a different, or at the least, alternative version of Company and would never call it definitive. Whereas the DC version was just so wonderfully cast, they brought back the full (as far as I could tell) original oh so 1970s orchestrations (that Rock-Si-Chord!) and they captured the time period (1970--the only era I think Company really makes sense in anyway--one of my big issues with the 90s revisions which half heartedly tried to update it) while not pulling a Rob Ashford with his Promises Promises and H2Succeed revivals and overplaying nostalgia and 60s/70s pastiche. I just found it a thrilling production.

Interestingly, it was directed by Sean Mathias who 7 years earlier, when I was 15 on my first trip to London I saw his first Sondheim production, the NT A Little Night Music (aka the Judi Dench one) which was my first professional Sondheim production and along with Company one of my live Sondheim highlights.

Updated On: 8/20/24 at 09:41 PM