Photo by Danie Ppronley
Sondheim on Sondheim is the quintessential biographical stage musical. The legendary contemporary American composer addresses the audience through pre-recorded video footage on large screens in the background as a live cast delivers various bits of his work to the stage. Sondheim’s charm and charisma serve as a fun backdrop for the action, which finds a good home at the intimate Tenth Street Theatre courtesy of Broccoli Theatricals and Encore Theater Company.
Admittedly, without the video to back it up, Sondheim on Sondheim would feel little different than any other Stephen Sondheim musical revue. For many seeing the show, this isn’t a bad thing at all. Fans of the composer can take comfort in the fact that all of Sondheim’s work is well represented here. Bits from Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and so many others have been faithfully crafted for the small stage. There’s a casual wit and classiness about the show that comes to prominence in some of the more intricate interplay between the cast and pre-recorded conversational Sondheim. An enjoyably glib performance of Sondheim’s little-known “I’ll Meet You at the Donut” foreshadows a brilliantly funny rendering of Sondheim’s “God” at the top of Act Two.
The cast is an interesting mix of seasoned talent and sparkling new energies. Local theater veteran Liz Norton manages the towering achievement of making “Send in the Clowns” sound new. On the other end of things, an irresistible Loyola University student named Grace McDonell is memorably stylish in a dreamy “Ah, But Underneath” that was cleverly choreographed by fellow cast member Parker Cristan.
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Through June 28 at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St. For tickets, visit broccolitheatricals.com.
