Fabulous review in the Houston Chronicle for #PuttingItTogetherMST! (The clickable link sometimes doesnt work, so heres the text. :) ) #YesMST #houarts houstonchronicle/entertainment/arts-theater/article/Sondheim-revue-a-solid-mashup-6017732.php#/8 The incomparable music and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim give the cast of Main Street Theaters Putting It Together abundant opportunities and challenges - and the talented team usually rises to the occasion in this entertaining production. Putting It Together collects 30 songs from a dozen Sondheim musicals, from 1962s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum to 1991s Assassins, repurposing them to express the emotional cross-currents among five characters at a cocktail party. The revue includes some of Sondheims best-known songs, such as The Ladies Who Lunch and Being Alive, along with virtually unknown pieces, such as Bang! and My Husband the Pig, both cut from A Little Night Music prior to its premiere. Putting It Together went through various permutations, from its 1993 off-Broadway production starring Julie Andrews to the 1999 Broadway production with Carol Burnett, tweaking the song lineup along the way. The current licensed version, which Main Street is presenting, more or less combines the best of both versions. The contemporary musicals pre-eminent composer and lyricist, Sondheim has created a canon of uniquely ambitious shows and a catalog of songs unparalleled in their brilliance, complexity and depth. The tricky aspect for a revue is that his songs are so organically rooted in their source shows that some may not play as well outside their original context. Putting It Together generally creates a serviceable framework. Sondheim even wrote new lines in a few cases to make numbers fit the format better. That said, a few moments still jar, for instance, the crisp aging bones lyric in Hello, Little Girl, the wolfish seduction song from Into the Woods. Yet thats a minor distraction amid the overall embarrassment of riches. Taking its title from a key number in Sunday in the Park With George, the show depicts: The Husband and The Wife, a veteran couple disenchanted with their marriage; The Younger Man and The Younger Woman, representing the seeking, flirtatious and opportunistic next generation; and The Observer, our master of ceremonies and commentator who announces each episode of the show with one-word titles such as Seduction, Competition and Revenge. The shows trajectory has the elder couple moving through dissatisfaction, conflict, temptation and reflection - and ultimately, to a better understanding of themselves. Partly because the performance gains in confidence and authority as the cast warms up, partly because the numbers that make the greatest impact come late in Act 1, and consistently, throughout Act 2, Putting It Together has the advantage of getting better as it progresses. As The Wife, Tamara Siler brings dynamic voice and dramatic conviction to many of the shows grandest solo turns, including the carefully calibrated rage of Could I Leave You?, the scathing wit and merciless honesty of The Ladies Who Lunch, the mile-a-minute hysteria of Getting Married Today and the poignant Like It Was. Terry Jones acts and sings The Husband with an air of wintry rue and knowing skepticism appropriate to the material - especially his pensive The Road You Didnt Take and his moving, simply expressed Good Thing Going. Christina Stroup invests The Younger Woman with vivacity and vocal clout, whether playing sultry seductress in Sooner or Later or dynamically belting More, the ultimate paean to unbridled greed. Stroup and Siler share one of the shows most potent duets in the hilariously catty Theres Always a Woman, a gem cut from Anyone Can Whistle. Justin White gives The Younger Man appealing directness and energy - most affecting in the yearning yet ambivalent Marry Me a Little and the unbridled ardor of his Unworthy of Your Love duet with Stroup. David Wald is well cast as The Observer, genial in addressing the audience, delivering such demanding turns as Bang! and Buddys Blues with biting precision and tongue-in-cheek intelligence. Director Andrew Ruthvens staging makes resourceful use of Ovations somewhat challenging space - maneuvering the singers through various levels of the tall playing area and the irregular audience sector. Ryan McGettigans Renoir-inspired collage setting serves as an interesting backdrop. Pianist Luke Kirkwood, percussionist Carol Daubert and bass player Gerald Masoud supply the lively, expert accompaniment. With the successful screen adaptation of Into the Woods bringing Sondheims work to a wider audience, Putting It Together offers a well-timed opportunity for new fans to sample other riches of the Sondheim songbook - and for longtime admirers to marvel yet again at his astonishing achievement. --Everett Evans
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 20:39:06 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015