Thoughts on 'Sondheim on Sondheim'- Page 2

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 10:09pm

I enjoyed it. I was pleasently surprised with Vannessa Williams after seeing her butcher the Witch some odd years ago in Into the Woods. Tom Wopat was just awkward to me, and Barbra Cook's wabbling around the stage was a disaster. I thought Euan Morton and especially Norm Lewis were terribly underused. That being said, I absolutely loved it. A wonderful and emotional tribute to Sondheim. Though, I will say this...it's no where near the magnificence that was Wall to Wall Sondheim.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 10:44pm

Barbra Cook's wabbling around the stage was a disaster.

First of all, only Barbra spells her name without the Inner "A"...everyone else spells it Barbara, as does Barbara Cook.

Second of all, it was not.

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:19pm

I'm trying to decide whether you meant waddling or wobbling, and I'm trying to decide which would be more insulting.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:21pm

I really don't understand what is SO wrong with leading a 82-year-old woman off a dark stage??

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/21/10 at 11:31pm

Perhaps the poor thing meant "warbling."

I think Chrysanthemum62001 is an idiot. THAT BEING SAID, I absolutely love him/her.

[Sauja]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 12:10am

Just home from tonight's show. Stephen Sondheim's so damned charming! I completely agree with those who said they loved the show even if it could have been better. For the record, Tom Wopat hasn't improved. His "Epiphany" is just bizarre. That said, I though he was solid on "The Gun Song." Seeing Barbara Cook was as thrilling as hoped. But Vanessa Williams was the surprise for me. I still think of her as a pop singer, but she was just so winning in all of her numbers, especially "Losing My Mind."

Highlights for me were The Gun Song and Happiness, which I thought were staged beautifully, Norm Lewis on Being Alive (duh), and all of the selections from Merrily, which....Encores? Would they?

[Chrysanthemum62001]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 12:42am

I meant wobbling. But she waddled and warbled as well, so feel free to take your pick.

[singtopher]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 12:45am

I saw it on Friday. For me, the songs interrupted the videos.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 12:46am

I hope the reviewers are kind. I can't help but think they will be nostalgic like some of us are. The "it's flawed but wonderful" kind of reviews. It was exactly as mormonophobic described it: a once in a lifetime experience.

~Steven

[TimesSquared]

Posted: 4/22/10 at 1:13am

Completely agree with the poster, right across the board. It's crazy that the best leading man Roundabout could come up with for a Sondheim revue was Tom Wopat. The video of the charming Sondheim was the only thing that rescued the evening for me.
Tour de force numbers like "Epiphany" and "Franklin Shepard, Inc.", amateurishly done, just don't "celebrate" Stephen Sondheim.
I just got the impression that no one really put much thought or effort into this production.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 12:47am

Saw it for the 3rd time tonight. Haven't seen it since the first week of previews. It is MUCH stronger now. The entire thing is much tighter. Act 1 is shorter, but act 2 has few to no changes.
The show now opens with a bit of an overture, instead of the opening of Night Music. It is MUCH better now. I am so glad they fixed the opening. Sadly, the Pacific Overtures Entr'acte is gone now.
Kritzer's Now You Know works much better than My Husband The Pig. And the "cream of wheat" line is included! PalJoey will be happy .

[adamgreer]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 1:10am

I love the new opening sequence in the show, which works much better than its predecessor.

The goofy columns and talking heads in the Forum sequence remain, however.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 1:24am

ljay, I was gonna say... I was listening all performance for the Pacific Overtures Entr'acte since it was listed in the Playbill. I thought I had missed it or that it was underscore or something! Sad that show wasn't included anywhere.

~Steven

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 3:42am

THE FROGS was also left out.

[srg129]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 4:40am

Probably next to "Come Fly Away" this is one of the biggest snoozefests to hit the boards this Spring. I love Sondheim, but do we really need to see yet another revue or cabaret performance that masquerades as a Broadway show? I think not, the energy in this cabaret lounge/cruise ship performance is sleep inducing. None of these performers should be eligible for any awards. Hopefully the Tony committee will deem this as a "revival". We've all heard the same songs before in much better contexts. Stephen, please do some real last minute work and write a couple of original masterpieces which will "WOW" us in your late age rather than a subpar "rehashing" of existing songs.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 9:42am

Leslie Kritzer's "Now You Know" is definitely worth a trip back.

And ljay--the Cream of Wheat lyric is still there.

[ljay889]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 11:09am

PJ, I know! I wrote that. I knew you'd be happy about it.
Updated On: 4/25/10 at 11:09 AM

[PalJoey]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 12:13pm

I musta missed that.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 4/25/10 at 2:06pm

THE FROGS was also left out.

Yes, true. But Pacific Overtures is, I think, one of Sondheim's boldest creations with some of his best material, including, according to the God himself, his favorite of his compositions: "Someone in a Tree." It's a major work that even had a revival at Roundabout! (They were selling the revival cast recording when I went to see Sondheim on Sondheim.) Ah well, can't fit everything in I guess. I still immensely enjoyed myself.

~Steven

[TonyVincent]

Posted: 4/28/10 at 8:29am

Finally saw it last night and thought it was beautifully done. Well integrated, nice set, and 6.5 of the 8 performers are very talented. If somehow Tom Wopat could be replaced with someone, I don't know, good, this would have been a fantastic production. Raul isn't working right now!

You choose only one song from Sondheim's greatest piece of work, and Wopat butchers it. Finishing the Hat was no better. The only time all night when I even remotely liked him was in The Gun Song.

Was very impressed with all the "young" people though, especially Euan Morton.

[heathurr2]

Posted: 4/28/10 at 1:03pm

I thought the show was great. Any Sondheim is better than no Sondheim. Tom Wopat's Sweeney was especially striking, and Barbara Cook is just perfection no matter what she sings. Was anyone there for the Sunday, April 25th matinee? Barbara Cook came to the stage door and instead of signing playbills she sang to us! it was amazing, I was right in front of her!! She sang "I'm Alamaba Bound'.