Sondheim Celebration Part deux!

[skynyc]

Well, it's another Monday evening, and once again, the theater queens, geeks, glitterati and goers assembled to pay homage to the extraordinary Mr. S.

This time it was at City Center, which only three weeks ago played home to a stunning revival of Sondheim's first (less than stunning) Broadway show, Anyone Can Whistle.

I am going to get right down to it before I forget anything.

Curtain went up to a 29 piece orchestra playing the Intro to Follies.

The host (and director) of the evening, John Doyle...a director best known for is trimmed down revivals of Sweeney Todd and Company, where the actor's play the instruments, enters and introduces our co-host: Mia Farrow.

Mia Farrow? Huh? What's her connection to SS? Well, it turns out they are close friends and have been for years. In fact, one of her (many) daughter is the god-child of the composer. She first laughed into the audience and said..."Look Steve, for you, tonight, I am wearing a dress." And then she related a story where Steve and his god-daughter exchanged gifts one Christmas when Madison was five. Madison gave Sondheim a shiny penny wrapped in toilet paper...Sondheim gave Madison a Thesaurus. Much laughter.

They announced that they were going to start the evening with the most recent arrival in the Sondheim canon, Road Show (or Bounce). Alexander Gemingani and Michael Cerveris came out and performed "Get Out of My Life."

Next, Doyle talks briefly about Passion and Donna Murphy comes striding out in a black dress with a gray shawl. She sits center stage and wraps the shawl around her and suddenly she is Fosca. She did the scene where she dictates the letter that Giorgio must write: I Wish I Could Love You. It was as heartbreaking here as when she did it all those years ago.

Next things lightened up with Debra Monk singing "Crook Your Little Finger/The Gun Song from Assassins. She got a million laughs and it was clear she was having a ball with the song again.

Joanna Gleason came out, looking like a million dollars, and sang A Moment in the Woods from Into the Woods. That show came out more than 20 years ago, and she still sounds great.

It was very interesting...and I don't know the logistics for how they chose the performers, but of the "big six" from the Lincoln Center celebration (Peters, LuPone, Mazzie, Murphy, Stritch and MacDonald) only Murphy was included here. So to do a number from Sunday in the Park with George they brought out Maria Friedman who was the original Dot in London. (I think the only thing that she has been seen in here is The Woman in White, but she was a "special guest" and not listed in the program.) She sang Children and Art and gave the audience a lovely look at her talent, which the Brits have known all along.

Now the City Center orchestra is pretty terrific, and they were given several moments to shine: like the Overture of Merrily We Roll Along. Lots of fun to hear the swingin' sounds of the early eighties.

Next Michael Cerveris is back, this time with Mark Jacoby, the most recent Broadway Sweeney Todd and the Judge (in the production directed by Doyle). They started Pretty Women, and part way through, the original Sweeney Len Cariou strolls out and joins in. I don't think many in the crowd recognized him at first, but the applause at the end of the number was amazing...requiring a return bow for the three singers.

Cariou sounds great by the way.

It was commented on several message boards, etc, about how Pacific Overtures has been pretty significantly overlooked at the year's galas. In fact, there is only a small snippet of one song in Roundabout's current Sondheim on Sondheim, yet it has been widely circulated that Someone in a Tree is one of Sondheim's own personal favorites of all his songs. Doyle tells us that when discussing the evening, SS personally requested a version of this song, to be sung with the full orchestra. Well, I personally am thrilled that he made the request because it was fulfilled with B.D. Wong singing the older narrator, and the other parts sung by Claybourne Elder (the boy) (Elder was Hollis in the NY premiere of Road Show at the Public Theater) Mark Jacoby (the interviewer) and Alexander Gemignani, (the warrior under the floor.)

Alexander Hanson, (Fredrick in the current revival of Little Night Music) and Catherine Zeta-Jones came out with the original Fredrick Len Cariou and the three of them sang You Must Meet My Wife. Okay, a moment has to be taken her to just rave about CZJ. From the second she appears at the side of the stage, she is mesmerizing. You look at her and know that she is a star. She was wearing a gorgeous gown, that belonged on the red carpet at the Oscars and she was really "wearing" it. Looking like classic Dior, it was a gown that not just anyone could have pulled off. And between the diamond and ruby earrings and diamond hair clip, she not only looked like a million dollars, she was probably wearing a million dollars. And while her singing is certainly not up to the caliber of her co-stars, she absolutely owns the stage when she is there.

A hard act to follow, but Raul Esparza was up to the task, singing a rendition of Being Alive for the ages. And with a full orchestra behind him it was amazing. (Remember when he did it on Broadway, he began by accompanying himself and then the rest of the cast playing their various instruments joined in.)

Harkening back just a couple weeks, to Anyone Can Whistle, Sutton Foster came out and sang the title song from that show.

And then it was Nathan Lane's turn. He was hysterical. He is introduced and comes out carrying both a tuba and a cello. He proceeds to rather shamelessly do the "my hands are so full I am incapable of doing anything" schtick for one, two, no three minutes. And it just got funnier and funnier...ending with him falling, and dropping the cello, and then the tuba onto the cello which breaks the cello. He gets up, smooths his hair and launches into "Gods of the Theater" from The Frogs, which transitioned back and forth with Comedy Tonight and Love is in the Air for several verses. With a bit of I'm Still HereANYONE still The number ended quite riotously with "Tragedy Tomorrow, Comedy Tonight, Tonight, Won't Be Just any Night, Does anyone STILL wear a HAT? I'm Still Here. I'm still here. the Clowns? They're all ready here." Thunderous applause. During which he goes over to John Doyle who has been sitting at the side of the stage all evening and pulls out his wallet and hands him a wad of cash to pay for the cello. Very funny.

The next bit was interesting. When Road Trip was in Chicago (as Bounce) prior to New York, the character played by Howard McGillin sang You are the Best Thing that Ever Happened to Me, to his girlfriend (Michelle Pawk). Well, but the time the show reached New York, the same song was sung by the OTHER Meisner brother, (Alexander Gemignani) to his boyfriend, Claybourne Elder. Well, tonight Gemignani came out and sang the first two verses with Pawk and the second two verses with Elder. It was very nice.

Donna Murphy came back out and sang Loving You is Not a Choice from Passion. Devastating. (This is the single song that I imagine would have been perfect Judy Garland later in life, had she lived.)

One of the unprinted treats of the evening was next: The original Into the Woods Quartet from No One Is Alone: Chip Zien (the Baker) Kim Crosby (Cinderella) Danielle Ferland (Little Red Riding Hood), and Ben Wright, (Jack) did the number as originally written. Crosby looked terrific, and it was nice to see Ben Wright who I suspect left the business years ago. This number received huge applause.

Maria Friedman returned to sing Broadway Baby...and she really did something different with it...starting very quiet and timid, and very girlish...and literally maintained that until the last three lines of the show. Charming...and the crowd loved it.

Next, John Doyle read some greetings from Sondheim's fans who couldn't be there: Sheila Hancock, the most recent London Mrs. Lovett; Julia McKenzie, the London Sally from Follies; Sondheim's teacher Milton Babbitt, and finally Glynis Johns who said: Stephen is such a nice young man. (huge laugh.) And of course, he gave me that song to sing.... And Catherine Zeta-Jones came out and sang Send in the Clowns. (It was a great treat to hear this with the full orchestra, since the current revival has an orchestra of 8.)

There was an audio taped message from Julie Andrews who sang a couple of lines of Not a Day Goes By.

And then out comes Angela Lansbury...in a beautiful silver gown. Instant Standing Ovation. She sang Liaisons. I do believe she will win her sixth Tony this year for this performance.

The curtain call brought all the stars out in alphabetical order. Probably the only time Catherine Zeta-Jones didn't get the last bow (Chip Zien)...but oh, no...Doyle wanted to have the pleasure of seeing Lansbury and Cariou walk out together.

And after all the bows: Here's Jim Walton the original Franklin Shepherd from Merrily, who sang Our Time. Joined first by Esparza who played Charlie in the DC Kennedy Center Production and then by Friedman who played Mary in London. And finally the cast joining in for the final verse.

Then Sondheim comes up on stage and bows, and the curtain falls.

No intermission.

With the exception of Pretty Women, no repeats from the Lincoln Center gala...but another thrilling evening. Sadly, this one was not recorded for Great Performances, but I imagine bootlegs will be rampant. I am just glad I was there.

[jimboivyo]

I was there. Only thing I can add is that sutton foster is no great interpreter of Sondheim and should stick to comedy, patter songs. Loved joanna gleason. Nice to see her back in her element.

[+ Lucky]

Skyncy gave us a great accounting of the night. I am impressed!