I feel that before I start my review, I need to give a brief overview of Stephen Sondheim and his influence on musical theater. Sadly, I know that just by saying “musical theater,” many people have already tuned out and moved on with their lives. They should be paying attention, though. His work broke down barriers in American entertainment and made audiences rethink love, relationships, and the traditional idea of heroes and villains. If you care about film, television, comics, or any other art form, you should care about Stephen Sondheim, and Sondheim! The Birthday Concert shows just how much he has changed songwriting and storytelling.
For those who do not know Stephen Sondheim by name, it is likely that you recognize some of his work. He wrote the lyrics for West Side Story. He wrote the oft sung and parodied “Send in the Clowns” as well as “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” “Comedy Tonight,” and “I’m Still Here.” Sweeney Todd is arguably his masterpiece, though it has to battle it out with the comedic A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the heartbreaking Gypsy, the divisive but ambitious Follies, and the exquisite A Little Night Music for that distinction. In Sweeney Todd, he made a musical out of a horror story of power, corruption, and cannibalism, and the hero is a bloodthirsty murderer. He might have been mentored by Oscar Hammerstein II, but his work is a far cry from Oklahoma! or The Sound of Music. He has given incredible leading roles to Mandy Patinkin (otherwise known as Inigo Montoya), Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, and Elaine Stritch (also known as Jack’s mother on 30 Rock).
Sondheim! A Birthday Celebration is basically the Broadway community getting together and paying tribute to Stephen Sondheim on his 80th birthday. Even his longtime friend and collaborator Paul Gemignani showed up to direct the New York Philharmonic for the event. David Hyde Pierce, who is best known as Dr. Niles Crane on Frasier, is the evening’s host, and he shows that he is as hilarious and charming on-stage as he is on-screen, though people who are familiar with his Broadway work will not be surprised. Featured singers throughout the night include Donna Murphy, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Audra McDonald, Marin Mazzie, and Mandy Patinkin to only name a few.
The song selections take the audience through Sondheim’s career. Though there are some songs which were noticeably left out like Send In the Clowns, they took the opportunity to show both Sondheim’s best-known work and songs that are not featured as often. For example, they included the song “We’re Gonna Be All Right” from Do I Hear a Waltz?, a collaboration with Richard Rodgers which convinced Sondheim that from then on, he would write his own music and lyrics. His original lyrics were censored at the time, but at this performance, the audience got to hear the song as it was meant to be heard with references to substance abuse and homosexuality.
Another part of the evening that was really special to me as a longtime fan Sondheim’s work was how they managed to get many singers who originally performed his songs to return and sing them again. Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin performed “Move On” from Sunday in the Park with George. Joanna Gleason and Chip Zien performed “It Takes Two” from Into the Woods. In my favorite tribute to Sondheim casts old and new, they had Patti LuPone take on the role of Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd, and George Hearn who originally played Sweeney Todd split the part with Michael Cerveris who played Todd in the most recent Broadway revival. Together, they performed A Little Priest, and it was a joy to see three such talented actors on-stage together.
I could talk all day about how incredible these performances were and how everyone should pick up Sondheim! The Birthday Concert. However, seeing as I’m limited by space and reader attention spans, I will only mention two last parts that I really appreciated. First, I adored the segment at the end where the leading ladies all sat at the front of the stage while each one performed a beloved Sondheim song. All were incredible, but I must give enormous props to Audra McDonald, Donna Murphy, Marin Mazzie, and especially Elaine Stritch for her performance of “I’m Still Here.” Stritch’s dry wit is perfect for lyrics like, “Good times and bum times, I’ve seen ‘em all…plush velvet sometimes, sometimes just pretzels and beer, but I’m here.”
Finally, I have to mention how they closed the evening because they couldn’t have made a better choice. All the singers from the evening plus a number of singers from other Broadway shows walked into the audience filling the stage and aisles, and they sang the goosebump-inducing “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George. There is nothing else to say except bravo to the cast, orchestra, and producers. They could not have put together a better tribute to one of Broadway’s biggest living legends, Stephen Sondheim.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
Sadly, there are no special features except for the option to skip to specific songs.
"Sondheim! The Birthday Concert" is on sale November 16, 2010 and is not rated. Concert-Film, Musical, Theater. Directed by Lonny Price. Starring Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Mandy Patinkin, Patti LuPone, Stephen Sondheim.
