OLD FRIENDS Reviews - Page 2

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 9:23pm

Three stars from TimeOut

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/old-friends-broadway-musical-review-stephen-sondheim-bernadette-peters-lea-salonga

"To those unfamiliar with Sondheim’s oeuvre, Old Friends offers a respectable and professional introduction to the late master’s voice, both as a peerlessly witty lyricist and as a unique compositional dramatist. What it doesn’t provide is context. The show contains vanishingly little biographical information about Sondheim’s personal or even professional life; neither, for the most part, does it place its songs in the dramatic moments they were written for. (When it tries, the results are spotty: The semirealized microstagings of suites from Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd seems out of place amid the rest of the show’s rather stodgy style: performers in ballgowns and tuxedos, on a cheeseball set of light-bulp prosceniums and swoopy musical bars.) Extracting musical flowers from their original soil is fine for songwriters like Rodgers and Hart, but it’s a challenge with Sondheim, who tied his songs insistently to character and situation. "

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 9:39pm

Feldman nails this, and once again I'm convinced that Jesse Green is trolling us. A critics pick? Really? This production is such an overly long nothing burger of a show. Aside from one or two clever arrangements in Act 2, this show did absolutely nothing for me. Also, we need to stop handling Bernadette Peters with kid gloves. I saw the show on Sunday and she sounded terrible. Easily the weakest vocals among the cast. The rest of the performers were great, but the show is so nonsensically directed.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 10:27pm

DTLI Consensus: Charming and nostalgic, Old Friends contains no shortage of Sondheim tunes, but they don’t work quite as well out of dramatic context. 

7 positive (including the NYT), 6 mixed, 2 negative.

https://didtheylikeit.com/shows/stephen-sondheims-old-friends/

[ChairinMain]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 10:32pm

You are absolutely welcome to consider the show overlong or badly staged. I see where you are coming from, even though I do not entirely agree. But...what do you want from Bernadette Peters? What do you want from a 78-year-old legend in a review that essentially doubles as a career retrospective for her? Are you expecting that Bernadette will sound as good as she did in the 80s? Sadly, that is not how voices work. We are not preserved in amber. Voices change and shift, and especially after 75, we simply begin to sound old. She was in fairly decent voice when I saw the show, but I'm sure she has good and bad days.8 shows a week is hard, y'all (just ask Tituss Burgess.) In this production Bernadette Peters is asked to come onstage and sing a few songs, bringing the wealth of her experience to material. She is, essentially, doing a greatest hits concert. It's not about how she sounds. It's about being there to see her sing it. When Paul McCartney tours and warbles out an unsupported verse of "Hey Jude", do we go "well he doesn't sound as good as he used to" or do we go "I AM IN THE SAME ROOM AS PAUL MCCARTNEY OH MY GOD!" That's the vibe for her participation in this show. She is surrounded by extremely talented people, all of whom sound great. But Bernadette sounding "good" on these songs...it's just not the point. She's an ambassador from the past surrounded by those she and Stephen Sondheim inspired, ranging from the generation that immediately followed her (Bonnie Langford, Beth Level) to newcomers (Jasmine Forsberg, Jacob Dickey). She is here to pay tribute to her friend and low-key to receive tribute for her career in what is almost certainly her last Broadway show (knock on wood, you never know.). Don't turn your nose up at those who have given us years of listening pleasure as they bid us farewell. It's gauche. Thank them for the memory. 

[Robbie2]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 10:36pm

binau said: "No doubt everyone will give raves except Jesse Green who will give the show a pan, tell us that the Sweeney section is not as well sung as Depp/HBC, and declare Judith Ivey to be the best Sally of all time who should have been in the show in place of Bernadette."

 

Ha,go figure a critics pick! 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 10:38pm

ChairinMain said: "It's not about how she sounds. It's about being there to see her sing it. ... Don't turn your nose up at those who have given us years of listening pleasure as they bid us farewell. It's gauche. Thank them for the memory."

And it is perfectly fine that others expect a more consistent and better vocal performance even from an icon they adore.  Both perspectives have validity, particularly when paying top dollar.

 

Updated On: 4/8/25 at 10:38 PM

[TaffyDavenport]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 10:55pm

Bernadette sounded great when I was there for MTC benefit performance. Regardless of her voice though, I thought she carried the show, and provided the most emotion on the stage. Lea did very little for me, and I've been a fan for decades.

Updated On: 4/8/25 at 10:55 PM

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:07pm

ChairinMain said: "But...what do you want from Bernadette Peters? What do you want from a 78-year-old legend in a review that essentially doubles as a career retrospective for her? Are you expecting that Bernadette will sound as good as she did in the 80s? Sadly, that is not how voices work. We are not preserved in amber. Voices change and shift, and especially after 75, we simply begin to sound old."

Thank you so much for explaining to me how voices work.

I'm OBVIOUSLY not expecting her to to sound how she did in her prime, but when I saw the show, she could barely make it through her songs. She was straining a lot and having trouble finishing phrases. Now perhaps that was just at the show I saw and she's been better than that otherwise, but the performance she was giving when I was there was frankly hard to watch. And, in my opinion, the critics should do their jobs objectively and not have blinders on for people who are "legends". You can say "it's a privilege to have the legend that is Bernadette Peters on stage even if her voice isn't in top shape as it once was." There are ways of being critical while still being kind. But these reviews she's getting make it sound like she's a shoe-in for a Tony nomination when, in reality, she should be NOWHERE near the top of the pool.

ChairinMain said: "She is, essentially, doing a greatest hits concert. It's not about how she sounds. It's about being there to see her sing it. When Paul McCartney tours and warbles out an unsupportedverse of "Hey Jude", do we go "well he doesn't sound as good as he used to" or do we go "I AM IN THE SAME ROOM AS PAUL MCCARTNEY OH MY GOD!" That's the vibe for her participation in this show. She is surrounded by extremely talented people, all of whom sound great. But Bernadette sounding "good" on these songs...it's just not the point."

But actually, it's NOT a greatest hits concert. Your Paul McCartney example is not apt here because it's NOT a Bernadette Peters concert. It's a staged Broadway show. I'm not there to see HER specifically. If I were, I'd buy a ticket to see "Bernadette Live at Carnegie Hall." I'm buying a ticket to a Sondheim revue on Broadway. She is, as you point out, surrounded by other talented people. And if those other people weren't giving strong vocal performances, we'd hold their feet to the fire. So I'm sorry, but I strongly disagree with you that Bernadette sounding good is "just not the point." If you can't vocally sustain doing 8 shows a week, maybe don't do the show. I understand that she's attached to it because of her involvement in London when it was actually just a concert, but that doesn't mean she HAS to do the Broadway version if she can't sustain a top-level of performance.

ChairinMain said: "Don't turn your nose up at those who have given us years of listening pleasure as they bid us farewell. It's gauche. Thank them for the memory."

If I'm paying Broadway prices to see a show, I will enjoy what I'm shown in whatever way I see fit. You call it gauche; I call it genuine. I've seen Bernadette countless times on stage over the years. I have had many opportunities to thank her for the memory of an incredible career. But sometimes memories should stay memories...

Updated On: 4/8/25 at 11:07 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:11pm

I would imagine this kind of reception is enough to knock OLD FRIENDS out of the best musical conversation. 

The reception for REAL WOMEN HAVE CURVES in a few weeks should give us a clearer picture for the fourth and fifth slots up for grabs. (BOOP vs. DBH and REAL WOMEN vs. BUENA VISTA)

Updated On: 4/8/25 at 11:11 PM

[Kad]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:14pm

I don't think it was ever going to be nominated, absent a total collapse of most other shows opening this spring. It is a revue in a season with a number of strong musicals.

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:18pm

MemorableUserName said: "AMNY is negative

Review | Old Friends: You could drive a person crazy (with another Sondheim revue)

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/theater/review-old-friends-stephen-sondheim/

"The only actual “old friend” of Sondheim among the cast is Bernadette Peters.""

I think this guy missed the point. The songs are the old friends, not the cast.

 

[blaxx]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:25pm

bjh2114 said: "ChairinMain said: "But...what do you want from Bernadette Peters? What do you want from a 78-year-old legend in a review that essentially doubles as a career retrospective for her? Are you expecting that Bernadette will sound as good as she did in the 80s? Sadly, that is not how voices work. We are not preserved in amber. Voices change and shift, and especially after 75, we simply begin to sound old."

Thank you so much for explaining to me how voices work.

I'm OBVIOUSLY not expecting her to to sound how she did in her prime, but when I saw the show, she could barely make it through her songs. She was straining a lot and having trouble finishing phrases. Now perhaps that was just at the show I saw and she's been better than that otherwise, but the performance she was giving when I was there was frankly hard to watch. And, in my opinion, the critics should do their jobs objectively and not have blinders on for people who are "legends". You can say "it's a privilege to have the legend that is Bernadette Peters on stage even if her voice isn't in top shape as it once was." There are ways of being critical while still being kind. But these reviews she's getting make it sound like she's a shoe-in for a Tony nomination when, in reality, she should be NOWHERE near the top of the pool.

ChairinMain said: "She is, essentially, doing a greatest hits concert. It's not about how she sounds. It's about being there to see her sing it. When Paul McCartney tours and warbles out an unsupportedverse of "Hey Jude", do we go "well he doesn't sound as good as he used to" or do we go "I AM IN THE SAME ROOM AS PAUL MCCARTNEY OH MY GOD!" That's the vibe for her participation in this show. She is surrounded by extremely talented people, all of whom sound great. But Bernadette sounding "good" on these songs...it's just not the point."

But actually, it's NOT a greatest hits concert. Your Paul McCartney example is not apt here because it's NOT a Bernadette Peters concert. It's a staged Broadway show. I'm not there to see HER specifically. If I were, I'd buy a ticket tosee "Bernadette Live at Carnegie Hall." I'm buying a ticket to a Sondheim revue on Broadway. She is, as you point out, surrounded by other talented people. And if those other people weren't giving strong vocal performances, we'd hold their feet to the fire. So I'm sorry, but I strongly disagree with you that Bernadette sounding good is "just not the point." If you can't vocally sustain doing 8 shows a week, maybe don't do the show. I understand that she's attached to it because of her involvement in London when it was actually just a concert, but that doesn't mean she HAS to do the Broadway version if she can't sustain a top-level of performance.

ChairinMain said: "Don't turn your nose up at those who have given us years of listening pleasure as they bid us farewell. It's gauche. Thank them for the memory."

If I'm paying Broadway prices to see a show, I will enjoy what I'm shown in whatever way I see fit. You call it gauche; I call it genuine. I've seen Bernadette countless times on stage over the years. I have had many opportunities to thank her for the memory of an incredible career. But sometimes memories should stay memories..."

If racist, mysigonist, etc posts are not allowed, neither should awfully ageist posts like this one. You should be ashamed.

And many legends close to that age (Lansbury, Stritch, Rivera  etc) have graced the Broadway stage to the best of their abilities for their fans. You're one of the few mean spirited posters who feels they shouldn't be seen if they're not up to your standards.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:31pm

jimmycurry01 said: "MemorableUserName said: "AMNY is negative

Review | Old Friends: You could drive a person crazy (with another Sondheim revue)

https://www.amny.com/entertainment/theater/review-old-friends-stephen-sondheim/

"The only actual “old friend” of Sondheim among the cast is Bernadette Peters.""

I think this guy missed the point. The songs are the old friends, not the cast."

Listen, Matt Windman is a full idiot. He also says this: "The cast would have benefited from a male star capable of anchoring the “Sweeney Todd” material. In London, Michael Ball filled that role." Meanwhile, Ball only did the original gala performance in London while Jeremy Secomb did the West End run. NOT TO MENTION that Jeremy Secomb played Sweeney in the London and off-Broadway production back in 2017. His reviews are always a joke.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/8/25 at 11:40pm

blaxx said: "If racist, mysigonist, etc posts are not allowed, neither should awfully ageist posts like this one. You should be ashamed.

And many legends close to that age (Lansbury, Stritch, Rivera etc) have graced the Broadway stage to the best of their abilities for their fans. You're one of the few mean spirited posters who feels they shouldn't be seen if they're not up to your standards."

Well if that isn't a stretch, blaxx, I don't know what is. There's absolutely nothing ageist about this post. There have been PLENTY of older legends, as you point out, who have done 8 shows a week and done it IMMACULATELY. Lansbury, Stritch, and Rivera are all excellent examples of that. The roles that they inhabited on Broadway played to their strengths, and they were magnificent. Mary Beth Peil is another name that springs to mind immediately. Nowhere in my post did I say that an older legend CAN'T perform on Broadway. But they have to know what they're capable of doing when they take on a role. The problem here, for me, is that Bernadette is still TRYING to sound like she did 10, 20, and 30 years ago, and it doesn't work. Her most successful moments in the show were bits like Gotta Get a Gimmick because she was leaning into her playful side. I wish she had taken on more of a narrator role (in addition to the comic moments) because then it may have also helped give the show more structure! But listening to her try to sing Losing My Mind was simply hard to sit through.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 1:49am

bjh2114 said: "blaxx said: "If racist, mysigonist, etc posts are not allowed, neither should awfully ageist posts like this one. You should be ashamed.

And many legends close to that age (Lansbury, Stritch, Rivera etc) have graced the Broadway stage to the best of their abilities for their fans. You're one of the few mean spirited posters who feels they shouldn't be seen if they're not up to your standards."

Well if that isn't a stretch, blaxx, I don't know what is. There's absolutely nothing ageist about this post. There have been PLENTY of older legends, as you point out, who have done 8 shows a week and done it IMMACULATELY. Lansbury, Stritch, and Rivera are all excellent examples of that. The roles that they inhabited on Broadway played to their strengths, and they were magnificent. Mary Beth Peil is another name that springs to mind immediately. Nowhere in my post did I say that an older legend CAN'T perform on Broadway. But they have to know what they're capable of doing when they take on a role.The problem here, for me,is that Bernadette is still TRYING to sound like she did 10, 20, and 30 years ago, and it doesn't work. Her most successful moments in the show were bits like Gotta Get a Gimmick because she was leaning into her playful side. I wish she had taken on more of a narrator role (in addition to the comic moments) because then it may have also helped give the show more structure! But listening to her try to sing Losing My Mind was simply hard to sit through."

? Have you seen Stritch in Little Night Music?

[binau]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 3:16am

Bernadette’s singing sounds better than Stritch in night music, Lansbury in night music and Chita in the visit. Her ‘send in the clowns’ typically sounds just as good as it did in the show. 

I wonder if Bernadette’s appearance works against her with voice expectations. She looks much younger than she is so people expect her to sound young. But she is 77 years old. Imagine her to look like a 77 year old and she sounds as you might expect. 

The only peer I can think of who could out voice Bernadette at her age is Patti LuPone or Ethel Merman. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 3:58am

Given that Send in the Clowns was specifically written for a weak singer, this really is not much of an endorsement.

[binau]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 4:16am

But my point is that you are getting an incredible, first rate version of Sondheim’s most famous song by his most important interpreter live on stage today so her performance doesn’t need to be solely framed as trying to capture a little nostalgia of the past (even though it also does this). Clowns might have been written for a weak singer, but Bernadette’s vulnerability and the warm lyrical iconic sound of her vibrato slowly wavering over Sondheim’s melody is anything but. There are very few people who can do this. 

Updated On: 4/9/25 at 04:16 AM

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 6:18am

Oh I forgot.  You are always right when it comes to all things Bernadette.  My apologies for finding her vocals lacking in the performance I saw despite her ability to act the songs better than most.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 6:28am

I thought the show was fantastic and everyone had a moment to shine. And then reading the bios you realize how stacked the actual cast is with some really excellent West End vets.

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 6:32am

I guess I haven’t been paying close attention to this, because I only just now noticed David Harris is no longer a part of this. Hope he’s alright!

[Dreamboy3]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 7:28am

MemorableUserName said: "NYT Critic's Pick from Jesse Green

Review: A Party With 17 ‘Old Friends’ and 41 Sondheim Songs

Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga lead the festivities in a new Broadway revue of the great musical dramatist’s work.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/08/theater/old-friends-review-sondheim-peters-salonga.html

 


"These gems had been waiting in the 12 tones of the Western scale and the million words of the English language, unobserved, until he came along with his flashlight and pickax. Any opportunity to experience how the feelings he channeled and the connections he made have mined our psyches and reshaped our world is an opportunity even old friends should take.""

Having just read Green’s review in full, it’s odd that he named it a Critic’s pick. It’s more of a mixed leaning positive review given all of the things he didn’t like about it. His reviews get stranger and stranger. 

[bjh2114]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 8:23am

binau said: "Bernadette’s singing sounds better than Stritch in night music, Lansbury in night music and Chita in the visit. Her ‘send in the clowns’ typically sounds just as good as it did in the show.

I wonder if Bernadette’s appearance works against her with voice expectations. She looks much younger than she is so people expect her to sound young. But she is 77 years old. Imagine her to look like a 77 year old and she sounds as you might expect.

The only peer I can think of who could out voice Bernadette at her age is Patti LuPone or Ethel Merman."

It has nothing to do with her appearance at all. Those other actresses performed songs that played to their strengths. "Liaisons" for instance, isn't a super melodic ballad. It sits in a low register with a very small range, and can essentially be spoke-sung. Same is true for a lot of Chita's songs in The Visit. But watching Bernadette try to sing some of those classic Sondheim ballads gave the same feeling I had watching Idina trying to sing "For Good" recently with Kristin... sometimes your voice just can't handle those types of songs anymore. And last I checked, Idina isn't 77 years old. This has nothing to do with age and everything to do with trying to sing something your voice no longer allows you to sing.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 8:25am

No info on David Harris but he looks happy and healthy in Australia based on Instagram stories this week.

He is shown in this promo video holding a mic for Kate Jennings-Grant to speak, but we don’t hear him speaking at any point. Obviously not included in the final edit for… reasons! https://playbill.com/article/video-bernadette-peters-lea-salonga-the-cast-of-old-friends-recall-their-first-sondheim-show?fbclid=IwY2xjawJjZFdleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqqGvrGV2FZshVBu5FVZziz_vCqAC6WMAljzjGdOaB6sw2mHi27tUWLjl-rq_aem_W8djkMYlFtrB0yxv647Bmw

Updated On: 4/9/25 at 08:25 AM

[Owen22]

Posted: 4/9/25 at 10:45am

This is ridiculous. Bernadette Peters never had what would be called a "good" voice. Throughout her career she developed a very "distinctive" voice (same with Stritch). A character voice, which has, alas, weakened with age. But she was always a consummate singing actress which maybe gave the impression her instrument was better than it was.