Review: Impressive Young Talent on Display in SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM is a multi-media musical revue consisting entirely of the music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim. It was conceived by James Lapine and had a limited run on Broadway in 2010. It is based on a show produced in 2000 called Moving On that was created by David Kernan. Kernan also created another review of Sondheim material called Side By Side By Sondheim. The show featured narration recorded by Sondheim and had several performances in New York at Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in 2004, under the title Opening Doors.

Lapine conceived a version of the revue in 2008, titled iSondheim: a Musical Revue. Structured as a multimedia event, it incorporated both original and archival moments from Sondheim. The revue was promoted as taking audience members "to the very heart of Sondheim's life and work." This version never made it to the stage when producers failed to raise sufficient funding. It is this version that was the basis of SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM. The revue features video interviews with Sondheim along with some historical talk show interviews. The songs, which include some well known pieces, leans toward the less well known and songs cut from the final productions. In all, the revue includes a little over forty songs from nineteen Sondheim shows produced over a 62-year period. Among the shows included: West Side Story, Company, Follies, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, Passion, and Into the Woods. Songs from his school years are also included. Sondheim wrote a new song for the show, titled "God", which pokes fun at the composer and is sung by the company to open Act 2. Several of the numbers also feature new arrangements.

The show itself is unlike the revues of Sondheim's body of work that have preceded it. SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM offers you not only the glorious music of Mr. Sondheim, it also grants a rare look into the inspirations and processes behind the mind of the composer. Included in the gems that have never been heard before are the versions of the opening number that ended up being "Comedy Tonight" from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; "The Wedding is Off" changed later to "Getting Married Today" from Company; the progression of attempts that lead up to "Being Alive", also from Company; and a song that got cut from Gypsy called "Smile, Girls". In all, it's a fascinating look at the mind of the Father of the Modern Musical.

Originally an eight-member cast, the version on stage at McCallum Fine Arts Academy, has been re-imagined to include a company of thirty young performers. McCallum Fine Arts Academy was recently named by Playbill as "one of the boldest high school theatre departments [in] the country." In addition, McCallum High School has also been named the #1 2015 National GRAMMY Signature School. The Fine Arts Academy at McCallum High School is Austin ISD's district-wide fine arts intensive high school program and provides an exemplary arts education program for 9th - 12th grade students who are pursuing an accelerated arts curriculum as fine arts majors.

I am very impressed with the quality of these young performers. With a cast of thirty, one expects that there will be a range of ability. Not the case here. These young performers have polish, style and presence. While I found all of them to be worthy of any stage in town, there were two who really stood out and I can guarantee you that you will be hearing more about them in years to come. Max Corney has a strong voice, a natural stage presence and a maturity to his approach of the material. Courtney Crocker also has a maturity of approach and seems to really understand the emotionality and levels present in Sondheim. She also most strikingly resembles a young Angela Lansbury.

Director, Choreographer and Set Designer Joshua Denning has done a remarkable job here. The evening flows beautifully and is staged impressively. I especially loved the set which was part back stage, part costumer shop, part prop room and still its own creation. I do wish that more space was given to the multi-media screens and that they weren't cut up into panes, but that is a very minor quibble considering how great the set was.

The musical direction by Paul Pew was also impressive. Handling Sondheim can be a chore for even the most seasoned musical comedy performer and he has created a stellar sound from this group of young artists. Highlights of the evening include: "Take Me to the World", "You Could Drive a Person Crazy", "Franklin Shepard, Inc.", "I Read", "Sunday", "Being Alive", "Gun Song", "Do I Hear a Waltz" and "Send In the Clowns".

If you are a fan of Sondheim, then SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM is a must see. If you enjoy seeing budding talent, then SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM is a must see. And, most importantly, if you enjoy exciting musical theatre done well, then McCallum Fine Arts Academy's current production, SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, is definitely a must see.

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM Book by James Lapine, Music / Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Running time: Approximately Two Hours and Forty Five Minutes including one intermission

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM, produced by McCallum Fine Arts Academy, at 5600 Sunshine Drive, Austin, Tx 78756. Running through Oct. 25th. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 7PM and Sunday at 2PM. Tickets prices range from $7.00 to $16.00.

Tickets: http://www.mactheatre.com/tickets/