New Side By Side By Sondheim?

Maybe they are going to spruce it up for the concert with Broadway 'superstar' Ruthie (I will let you know) but that production in Australia at the moment is so basic...no set what-so-ever, a piano (or two) and a mediocre cast that is playing at Bistros and clubs for chump-change. I can't imagine the people producing this could organise a true A-list version of the show on Broadway.

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I live in Melbourne but will probably do a trip up to see this version. Looks brilliant - lots of A-list Australian stars (can't wait to see Lucy Durack from Legally Blonde and Helen Dallimore from the London Wicked is in it too). And yes, the cast of Love Never Dies is in it.

Would probably travel to the States to see an even bigger cast. It is a great show.

I think you're completely missing the point about Side By Side By Sondheim; it was specifically devised to be an intimate, cabaret like approach to Sondheim's work up to 1976. It's smart, sophisticated, and (again) intimate. It's definitely NOT a big-budget spectacular.

It's also a very full evening, featuring no material from Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday In The Park With George, Into The Woods, Assassins, Passion, Bounce, Road Show, Dick Tracy, or Singing Out Loud.

Rather than make a mess out of a well-crafted piece by trying to figure out what to cut, what to add, and then blowing it up into a spectacle, it would make A LOT more sense to start from scratch and try to create a new revue, if that's what's wanted.

Of course, that didn't work unusually well for either Putting It Together or Sondheim On Sondheim. Neither one of those awkward evenings will ever come close to achieving the popularity Side By Side had in the 70s and 80s.

I only know PUTTING IT TOGETHER from the DVD, and I quite enjoy it. SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, however, I did see live, and "awkward" is absolutely right, and then some. Yuck. What a sour apple.

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I enjoyed Sondheim on Sondheim. I thought they presented the songs more in the context of their shows than Side by Side and I thought it more clearly presented the progression/development of his songs over time. I guess all of the revues have a different purpose though.

For this recent concert, I agree "A Boy Like That/I Have a Love" was really thrilling. Meow Meow was hilarious although I think the humour was mainly derived from what she added to the song (i.e. her ad libs, props etc..) than her take on the music and the lyrics....

I like how they reunited Rachel Beck and Michael Falzon from the Darlinghurst's ORDINARY DAYS with "The Little Things You Do Together". I enjoyed Ben Lewis' (Australian LND phantom) reflective "I Remember" (It was almost as if he was singing it as the Phantom lol), and Stephen Mahy's take on Bobby. "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" was also very funny...I don't know why Arthur Laurents complained that the strippers in the 2003 revival were "Scenery Chewing", should we expect anything less from this song?


I didn't think Ruthie Henshall was very interesting...

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Updated On: 4/22/12 at 11:24 PM

How did Ruthie sound? Last I heard, she was on her way to sounding like late period Liza...

I'm not really familiar with how her voice has changed over time but at the moment she sounds fine...she might have been faltering a tiny, tiny bit by the end of "Losing My Mind" but her voice does not sound like it is on the outs by any means. I personally didn't see anything unique in her performance though (cf. Marin Mazzie, Donna Murphy, Bernadette Peters who have recently sung that song).

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Updated On: 4/23/12 at 06:03 AM

She's was in fine form on Friday. Absolutely stunning!

The version in Sydney with Ruthie headlining was a one night only concert, beefed up with major Aussie theatre performing alongside as a Charity Fundraiser, sort of a launch for the much much smaller more traditional touring version you are reffering to. Cheers