Sondheim & Ives’ HERE WE ARE headed to London’s National Theatre in 2025 — Page 5

Thoughts on the cast and some other random comments:

• Overall, and I know it's strange to say but it is noticeable - the New York City cast as a group were an attractive bunch with very polished performances. It definitely felt like they had the rich asshole vibe down pat. Here, the group as a whole look a bit more normal and are a bit less polished which I think actually makes the show a little looser and funnier. I remember laughing a little harder this time than I did in NYC as did the audience. Some of the lines also take on new meaning, such as the reaction to "what is the name of the president" given it's 2025 and not 2023.
• Tracie Bennett - stunning in every way. Her vocals are in top form, she is hilarious playing all these different characters and each one feels like a mini transformation/play in itself. Feels like an Olivier/Tony performance to me. This is the closest we've ever had to Judy Garland originating a Sondheim role.
• Denis O'Hare - vocals sound even better than I remember at the first New York preview (he was off sick very soon after and I saw his understudy in New York so maybe he was sick). Perfect odd/strange/creepy vibes that fit the show tone perfectly and I LOVED watching the audience react to the 'latte later' lines for the first time. It was like you could hear the relief in the audience that "Here We are" has some classic Sondheim nuggets.
• Martha Plimpton - first 5 minutes I was thinking she wouldn't be able to match Amber Gray but very quickly it became evident she is hilarious and she plays the role kind of like as Patti/Joanne which is hilarious
• Paulo Szot - his look added a bit of sleaze factor (a character who is attractive but not as attractive as he thinks he is) and it was beautiful to hear his voice sing some of the Claudia lines
• Jane K - she has a pleasant sounding voice not quite of the same technical and pitch standards as Rachel Bay Jones, and a very strong Act Two. I do think Rachel Bay Jones' hilariously strange sincere vacant vibe really added more depth to the character than what is written on the page, and Jane K is channelling the same energy but it's not quite the same. That said, her recognisable face does some of the heavy lifting to make it feel like we know the character and it is kind of cool to see the balance of the show with a name/'star' in the lead role. I found it a refreshing enjoyable casting decision
• Harry Hadeon-Paton - look you're never going to be able to compete with whatever that thing that David Hyde Pierce seems to be able to do and I have a feeling that DHP would have been another transfer if he wasn't already busy but I thought he did a fine job and his experience doing the speak-singing thing is technically perfect I suppose he has had a lot of practice with My Fair Lady
• Cameron Johnson - he is physically a much larger presence than the NYC which perhaps makes the character a little more impactful
• Rory Kinnear - I appreciated that he can hold a tune (just) a little better than Bobby C which made some of the songs (that feel a little throwaway to me) a bit more enjoyable.
• Chumisa D-M - wonderful hearing her belt on some of Sondheim's best musical moments in this score
• Jesse Tyler Ferguson - his recognisable face/humour/persona adds a lot to one of the less charismatic characters. Jesse is a big Broadway fan and quoted one of my posts years ago defending Marin Mazzie's crying in next to normal in one of his parodies of this forum. Jesse, if you are reading this CONGRATULATIONS you must be completely overjoyed that you get the opportunity to do this I am so happy for you!
• Richard Fleeshman - for those that don't know he played Andy in the Patti Company revival in London. And my god he is SO HOT it felt like the whole theatre and chemistry between him an Chumisa was SIZZLING. Excellent voice singing some of Sondheim's most melodic melodies in this score (even if it sounds a bit like Passion). I don't think we 'need' a cast recording of this cast but I would have loved to have Richard's tracks in a studio
• Was very cool hearing the complete 'exit music' at the end too

Most of all, I continue to be shocked and impressed at the lavishness of this production and the efforts involved to make this a 'real' Sondheim show. While I don't think the writing is there the same way of his previous shows, as a distinct property it does stand alone as a 'real' Sondheim show like Company or Sunday in the Park with George. The idea of this show ever going to Broadway seemed ridiculous to me at the Shed, but now you know I COULD see it if they could manage to find an ensemble of stars that would also likely never happen. The show really works for me. I could see this on Broadway before Road Show, Passion or The Frogs.

And I could cry at how amazing the return of investment in being a Sondheim fan continues to be over the years. We truly get the best artists working on the best material between New York and London.

Updated On: 4/26/25 at 05:41 AM