Broadway Blog - SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM Review Roundup

He brought us Into The Woods, Company, Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum, West Side Story and Gypsy (to name a few). By writing songs that reflect the complexity of his characters, he has changed the way we define a great musical. But even though millions of fans know his songs by heart, few know much about Stephen Sondheim himself. Until now. Roundabout presents Sondheim On Sondheim, an intimate portrait of the famed composer in his own words... and music. Directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator James Lapine, this unique experience aims to take audiences inside the life and mind of an ordinary New Yorker... with an extraordinary talent.

Michael Kuchwara, Associated Press: "At one point during the show, Sondheim refers with evident emotion to Hammerstein, the lyricist for such classics as "Carousel," "Oklahoma!" and "South Pacific," as "a remarkable fellow." The same could be said about the man at center stage in "Sondheim on Sondheim," too."

Ben Brantley, The New York Times: "This format has the disadvantage of often giving the performers the status of audio-visual tools. Mr. Sondheim says he’s always most comfortable when he can create for a specific character instead of an abstract type or emotion. And it’s not easy for singers to reflect that specificity in a show like this one. At its least inspired “Sondheim on Sondheim” has the smiley supper-club blandness of previous Sondheim revues, like “Putting It Together” and “Side by Side by Sondheim.”"

Melissa Rose Bernardo, Entertainment Weekly: "Alas, not all of the actors can handle any Sondheim song that's thrown their way. Williams actually does; she's in her element, and she gets better and better as the show goes on — her 'Losing My Mind,' paired with Cook's 'Not a Day Goes By,' is a complete heartbreaker. Lewis is spectacular. But Wopat, who's become a very fine stage actor since his Dukes of Hazzard days, doesn't have the range — vocal or otherwise — for Sweeney Todd's 'Epiphany,' a fact that's only underscored by Sondheim's video interruptions discussing the song's shifting moods. In Sunday in the Park With George's 'Finishing the Hat,' Wopat is marginally better, but as he sings he paces back and forth and clutches an artist's sketch pad almost for dear life. However, Cook is brilliant when she simply sings a Sondheim standard as she does in her concerts; that's what she's famous for. No one can touch her interpretation of 'In Buddy's Eyes.' But she doesn't fit into a revue."

Erik Haagensen, Backstage: "But all that aside, what makes the show special is Sondheim's running conversation with us. Even if you know the anecdotes and analyses, it's great fun to get them from the horse's mouth. An evening of your own with Steve? Grab it while you've got the chance."

Charles McNulty, LA Times: "Demigod, undoubtedly, but his exceptional body of work doesn’t really need this kind of plumping. The goods speak cleverly enough for themselves. Listening to Cook soulfully navigate “In Buddy’s Eyes” or “Send in the Clowns” is all the hagiography any composer requires."

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: "Thus, by the end of the night, you're left with a moving little show about a man who didn't get the love of his parents all children deserve, but instead got the support of a surrogate father in Oscar Hammerstein and, more significantly, the subsequent adoration and protection of a world of artists and lovers of art who just want him to go on forever."

Michael Sommers, NJ Newsroom: "So many beautiful songs are performed with such consummate artistry that it's impossible to detail most of the highlights in "Sondheim on Sondheim.""

Brendan Lemon, Financial Times: "Too much of a good thing can be wonderful. Sondheim on Sondheim, a theatrical cornucopia at the Roundabout’s Studio 54 space, includes songs from 18 of Stephen Sondheim’s professionally produced shows, as well as copious video commentary from Sondheim. The direction, by his frequent collaborator James Lapine, is fluid; the actors, led by Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams, are attractive. The result, a centaur of video interviews and live performance, is highly enjoyable."

John Simon, Bloomberg News: "The comments are charming, witty and often uncensored (especially concerning his manipulative mother, who was known as Roxy), a touch gossipy but always pertinent rather than impertinent, with neither false modesty nor genuine arrogance. And then there are the amazing visuals, but first some words about the cast."

Elysa Gardner, USA Today: "Musical theater's greatest living composer and lyricist, who turned 80 in March, is getting just that with Sondheim on Sondheim (***½ out of four), the funny, affectionate and revealing tribute that opened Thursday at Studio 54."

Robert Feldberg, Bergen Record: "Sometimes, you need to search for the right adjective to describe a show. I didn't have that problem, though, with "Sondheim on Sondheim," which opened Thursday night at Studio 54. The word "disappointing" firmly stuck in my head."

Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post:"Thank God for Stephen Sondheim. Not just for his songs, but for his running commentary, which punctuates the new revue "Sondheim on Sondheim" at regular intervals.Funny, informative, occasionally self-deprecating and often deeply touching, his insights -- shown  on moving video screens -- have more life than the wan performances onstage. Indeed, even with such skilled interpreters as Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams on board, the numbers flatline. The visuals are theater, the music is glorified cabaret."

Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News: ""Sondheim on Sondheim," a multimedia musical portrait, seesaws between exuberant highs and bewildering lows. It makes for a fascinating and frustrating experience."

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