A thoroughly enjoyable multi-media evening spent learning about the musical legend, Stephen Sondheim, at the legendary Studio 54. My only complaint is that I spent over $400 bucks for a subscription to the Roundabout Theatre company - expecting to see great plays and musicals - and instead i get this. It's cheap to produce and not what I signed up for.
Thumbs up to Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams - two great voices from two generations. Kudos to Leslie Kritzer and Euan Morton who solidly rounded out the cast and brought many laughs. Norm Lewis is not stranger to the stage, but I'm not sure he was right for this role. And then there's Tom Wopat. Why people think he can sing and act, I'll never understand.
Mr. Sondheim materializes all evening on the fancy-schmancy TV monitors that morph all over the stage the entire evening. He sets the scenes, tells the story and even makes us laugh and cry in the trip of memories down Sondheim Lane. One wonders if he's so busy that he couldn't make an actual appearance live on stage in the very show that is a tribute to him. Oh well. The talent gets an A but Roundabout gets a D for effort on this one.
