Kate Jennings, Bonnie Langford and Joanna Riding (Photo by Matthew Murphy)
Reviewed by F. Kathleen Foley
Ahmanson Theatre
Thru March 9
RECOMMENDED
At the risk of sounding like a gushing teenage fangirl, let me say that Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, now at the Ahmanson for a limited run before its Broadway opening, is one of the most practically perfect productions I have seen in memory.
A revue of Stephen Sondheim’s deathless hits, Old Friends could just as well have been called Old Home Week, considering how many Sondheim associates were involved in its creation. It was brainstormed during Covid by Sondheim and his longtime associate, Cameron Mackintosh, who produced and “devised” the show, which has been directed and musically staged by Macintosh’s regular collaborator, Matthew Bourne. Bourne worked “side by side” (at least, that’s the credit) with yet another Sondheim/Macintosh stalwart, Julia McKenzie.
Many in this large cast are holdovers from the acclaimed 2023 West End run, as is Stephen Mear, who reprises his choreography for this North American premiere. This includes, of course, Bernadette Peters, the durable diva who headlines the evening along with fellow Tony winner Lea Salonga. Peters has been widely acknowledged as Sondheim’s foremost interpreter ever since her acclaimed turns in such Sondheim classics as Into the Woods and Sunday in the Park with George.
Sadly, Sondheim, who passed away in 2021, didn’t live to see his creation come to fruition, but there’s little doubt he would have been thrilled with the result.
Friends is presented in discrete parcels of Sondheim hits, both classic and lesser known. Emotionally torchy numbers such as “Loving You” from Passion and “Being Alive” from Company, beautifully rendered by Salonga and Jacob Dickey, respectively, are interspersed with wickedly witty comical novelty songs. There’s little cohesive “plot,” conventionally speaking. The segments are held together by the full force of Sondheim’s genius.
Salonga, who won the Tony for Miss Saigon at age 20, shows mature range as a commanding Mama Rose in “Everything’s Coming up Roses” from Gypsy and as the hilariously low Mrs. Lovett alongside the effectively haunted Jeremy Secomb in selections from Sweeney Todd. However, it is Peters, a professional performer for over 60 years and counting, who most dazzles in “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music and “Losing my Mind” from Company. Peters takes her time, playing every moment and stroking every lyric to heart-rending effect. Yet, as the goofily clueless Little Red Riding Hood from Into the Woods, her comedy chops are on full display.
The large cast display have heaven-sent voices, from belt to lyrical, under the adept musical supervision of Alfonso Casado Trigo and Stephen Brooker and buoyed by conductor Annbritt duChateau’s live orchestra. Special mention must go to Tony winner Beth Leavel, whose powerhouse rendition of Company’s “The Ladies Who Lunch” brings down the house. Among the superlative production elements, George Reeve’s projection design, which closes out the first act with a monumental backdrop of Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jette, adds a visual element as worthy as the music it complements.
While one never knows what goes on behind the scenes of any theatrical company, the performers display the camaraderie and ease of genuine old friends. The fact that everyone in the cast has their moment to shine may have something to do with it. Whatever the reason, we can bask in this faultless production, a fitting testament to a theatrical titan.
Ahmanson Theatre, 135 North Grand Avenue, L.A. Tues.-Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat. 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 1 and 6:30 p.m. Thru March 9. (213) 628-2772 https://www.centertheatregroup.org/shows-tickets/ Running time: two hours and 40 minutes with an intermission.
