Sondheim on Sondheim

[Chris L]

As I mentioned in yesterday's Daily, @AmyG and I went to see Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl last night. The production was spectacular, with an unusually huge cast: Sarah Uriarte Berry, Phillip Boykin, Lewis Cleale, Carmen Cusack, Claybourne Elder, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Jonathan Groff, Ruthie Ann Miles, Solea Pfeiffer and Vanessa Williams. Perhaps the most ingenious use of the full cast was the staging of "Happiness," where the cast gradually shifted from partner to partner, forming pairs of couples that were male-female, male-male and female-female. It became a comedy number, which the original is not, but it was surprisingly effective and a favorite with the large, large audience.

Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic provided the accompaniment for the most symphonic version of Sondheim I've ever heard. (Dudamel even got a line in "Broadway Baby," which got a big laugh from the audience.) There are a lot of good videos of the show on YouTube. Here's one that shows "Happiness" plus the Act One finale from Sunday (a lot of which was shot off the Bowl's large screens):

[Chris L]

Here's a good video of "Opening Doors":

[fjlumia]

Thank goodness for youtube for those of us who are so far from LA.  I also thought Jonathan Groff did a good job with Being Alive.  I've also forgotten how well Vanessa Williams sings though I saw her in the revival of Into the Woods.  The Happiness number was great fun.  It was the only "light" song in Passion.

If you go on youtube there are numbers from charity events for AIDS  There is an all male version of A Weekend in the Country which works well.