A tribute to a master composer: “Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends”

There’s no question about it: composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim was the pre-eminent songwriter for the stage from 1957, when his lyrics were matched to Leonard Bernstein’s music for West Side Story, to 2023, when the last score he wrote by himself, Here We Are, appeared posthumously. The titles of shows he worked on read like a history of Broadway musicals of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries — West Side Story (with Leonard Bernstein); Gypsy (with Jule Styne); A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; Company; Follies; A Little Night Music; Sunday in the Park with George, just to name a few. In between, he also created stand-alone songs for shows (off-Broadway’s The Mad Show, to music by Mary Rodgers) and movies (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, Dick Tracy).

Sondheim’s long-time British producer, Cameron Mackintosh, presented Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends in the West End last season, where it played to packed houses. Mackintosh has brought the review to Broadway with most of the London cast and now presents it for our delight and entertainment.  

And a delightful entertainment it is too! Headlined by stars Bernadette Peters (Sunday in the Park with George) and Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon), Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends is two and a half hours of non-stop musical pleasure. Peters and Salonga kick off the show with “Side by Side” from Company. From there, they are joined by the ensemble in performing “Comedy Tonight” from Forum — and we’re off on a stroll down a musical Memory Lane!

A selection of songs from Company is followed by selections from Into the Woods, A Little Night Music, and Sweeney Todd before the first act ends with the hauntingly powerful “Sunday” from Sunday in the Park with George. The second act picks up the pace with the overture from Merrily We Roll Along, followed by  songs from West Side Story, Follies, and Gypsy, among other shows, ending up with the entire ensemble in a lively reprise of “Side by Side.”

Everyone in the cast gets their chance to shine. Peters puts her uniquely beautiful voice on display with songs like “Children Will Listen,” “Send In the Clowns,” and “Losing My Mind” while displaying her sense of comedy in “Broadway Baby” and “You Gotta Have a Gimmick.” Salonga reminds us of how powerfully expressive her singing is, performing “Loving You” and “Somewhere.” She also displays a surprising flair for broad comedy in “The Worst Pies in London” and “A Little Priest” teamed with the fearsome Jeremy Secomb. She even makes a powerful Mama Rose in “Everything’s Coming Up Roses”.

Beth Leavel (The Drowsy Chaperone) does a powerful “The Ladies Who Lunch”; Gavin Lee (Mary Poppins) shines not only in the comedic “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid” but also turns in a strong rendition of “Could I Leave You?;” and Bonnie Langford gives oomph to “I’m Still Here.” The “Tonight Quintet” from West Side Story is given a near-operatic-quality treatment by Jacob Dickey, Daniel Yearwood, Kyle Selig, Jasmine Forsberg, and Maria Wirries. Wirries also displays a lovely soprano voice as the preacher in “Getting Married Today” and Rapunzel in “Agony.” The elfin Jason Pennycooke scores with “Buddy’s Blues” and “Live Alone and Like It.”

The upstage orchestra, led by conductor Annbritt duChateau, nimbly follows the work of a talented array of experienced Sondheim orchestrators — Jonathan Tunick, Michael Starobin, Sid Ramen, Irwin Kostal, and Robert Ginzler — to bring Sondheim’s music to sparkling light. Matt Kinley’s sets, lit by Warren Letton, with sound design by Mick Potter and projections by George Reeve, are an open, fluid space that suggests the scenery of the original shows.

Many reviewers have called Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends a celebration of the life and work of this gifted composer. But “celebration” is not a good enough word. Those of you who are musical theatre devotees will feel the warm glow of Sondheim shows past. Those who are new to musical theatre, especially its history, will be awed and delighted experiencing these songs and this talent for the first time.  No matter which category you fall into — or even if you don’t fit into either one — you’ll have a wonderful time at this show. I strongly recommend you get yourself to New York to get acquainted with Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends!

Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends is presented by the Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th St., in New York, through June 29, 2025. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to manhattantheatreclub.com.