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Wednesday 04 October 2023 12:01 am
Extinct Pals evaluate and indispensable particular person rating: ★★★★★
What drew Bernadette Peters, living story of Broadway, faded 75, after a half of-century-long occupation in Unusual York, to finally gain her West Finish debut? In particular given she’ll gain a significantly worse wage here in comparison with financially flush Broadway? A knees-up to celebrate musical impresario, Stephen Sondheim.
Sondheim passed away faded 91 in 2021 after writing a pair of of essentially the most lauded musical scores of the stylish age, including Sweeney Todd, Follies and Gypsy. To celebrate his life, Peters is joined by a who’s who of campy theatrical skill for this joyously nostalgic romp down reminiscence lane.
Let’s face it, for these stars, standing and singing the songs that made them infamous in front of a condominium crowd of die-demanding Sondheim followers is rarely challenging work. The programme even notes that the solid spent totally two weeks rehearsing – however the energy created by bringing collectively a bunch of the largest musical theatre names onto one stage, and their gung-ho attitude in the direction of the final thing, makes for a thoroughly addictive, and incredibly special, evening on the theatre.
There’s the sense that this lot in truth wouldn’t be here if they didn’t desire to be. It’s admire watching a piss up round a piano in Elton John’s living room with his closest celeb guests, totally we happen to be in the Gielgud Theatre.
There’s no situation, lawful a sequence of Sondheim’s finest hits threaded collectively over two hours. The show used to be build collectively by longtime Sondheim collaborator Cameron Mackintosh, and Peters is joined by any other Broadway story, Lea Salonga, in addition to mountainous names including Bonnie Langford, Janie Dee and Jason Pennycooke.
Salonga and Peters initiate the show to whoops and cheers from one of essentially the most devoted audiences I’ve seen in the theatre. They are saying a pair of words prior to the non-sequitur songs begin. In the first act Joanna Riding’s frenetic Getting Married At the unusual time, from Putting it Together, is an absolute riot, Riding crawling a ways flung from her husband in a wedding dress whereas belting this stubborn ode to singledom. Ensemble number A Weekend in the Nation, from A Exiguous Night Music, is lawful sheer buffoonery, as Pennycooke, Gavin Lee and the comfort get into the shape of a automobile and faux to pressure around the stage. It’s juxtaposed with the plaintive Send in the Clowns, delicately and immaculately sewn collectively by Peters, who first sang this tune in 1976, reminding us that musical theatre will continuously be concerning the tools trade.
There’s chunk of time dedicated to Sweeney Todd, in which Salonga has a riot of a time chopping up individuals to place them in pies and singing about it. (Salonga, who hasn’t played the West Finish since she debuted the role of Kim in Omit Saigon in 1989, is additionally good in a rendition of Someplace from West Aspect Myth.)
Act two is equally numerous and barely dips in energy, from the ridiculous All individuals Ought To Personal a Maid, with the male solid in cramped pinnies, to the center-string-plucking Buddy’s Blues, from Follies, and a increased-than-life finale of Sondheim’s traditional, Aspect by Aspect in which the final solid own so powerful stress-free they search for admire a bunch of drunk freshers on the stroll house after a evening out.
59-365 days-extinct Bonnie Langford does the splits. Peters, who I’d mediate is now not in truth enraged by unusual projects, looks enraged. It’s adorable seeing her and longtime collaborator Salonga having a riot collectively as they explore which jokes work with London audiences. By the tip, a pair of of the sector’s finest musical stars are clapping at a projected image of the gradual Sondheim and half of the viewers are aggressively wiping away tears. It’d be OTT for any one else, but Sondheim’s legacy because the Shakespeare of musical theatre capacity he can get away with it.
Followers will own already equipped their tickets. But if Stephen Sondheim used to be a vague title in the relieve of your head, the lawful news is you in truth don’t favor to understand the final songs to revel in this show. Every is an education in itself, plus haven’t the plots of musicals continuously been arbitrary anyway? Having lawful the songs without the burden of the memoir line gives every person what they wish.
In the course of, Sondheim’s genius shines. There’s never been a closer excuse to get successfully acquainted with his work.
Extinct Pals plays on the Gielgud Theatre till 6 January 2024
