Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends (Manhattan Theatre Club)

By Harry Forbes

That ubiquitous genre, the  Stephen Sondheim revue -- one which had its genesis in Ned Sherrin and David Kernan’s “Side by Side by Sondheim” back in 1976 -- has provided us with numberless such tributes over the years, each one worthy in its own way. And this latest, derived from the one night only all-star gala at London’s Drury Lane in 2022, is no exception. (Fittingly, original “Side by Side” star Julia McKenzie serves as Artistic Director here.)

The evening was planned in its early stages by Sondhem himself in tandem with his British producer/colleague Cameron MacIntosh who, after Sondheim’s death, followed through with shaping the project. 

After the gala, the show was reworked for a regular West End run with different cast members. Now, on Broadway, only Bernadette Peters and Bonnie Langford remain from the festive one night occasion, but Peters is joined above-the-title with Lea Salonga, along with a classy roster of West End and Broadway talent, including Kate Jennings Grant, Gavin Lee, Joanna Riding, Beth Leavel, and Kevin Earley.

Unlike Broadway’s last Sondheim anthology -- “Sondheim by Sondheim” in 2000 -- there’s little narrative here, just number after number. Nearly all the songs will be more than familiar to fans, and if the show has a fault, that may be it. But one can’t argue with the quality of the material. And the audience at the performance I attended was highly enthusiastic throughout.

Though Salonga has not particularly associated with Sondheim, that instantly changes with “Old Friends.” Not only does Salonga offer gorgeous renditions of such lyrical ballads as “Loving You” and “Somewhere,” singing with the same crystalline clarity that brought her to fame in “Miss Saigon” in 1989, but most surprisingly, she takes on the raucous Mrs. Lovett in “Sweeney Todd” and force-of-nature dynamo Rose in “Gypsy.” And she’s quite fabulous in those atypical roles. 

As for Peters, the lady remains something of a marvel. She’s retained her classic look to a remarkable degree, and the voice, some occaional strain notwithstanding, is still capable of the purity of old. Given her long and distinguished career with Sondheim, it’s goose-bump time to hear her reprise bits of her original stage roles including “Sunday in the Park with George” and “Into the Woods.” as well as roles she played in revival during the composer’s lifetime, such as “A Little Night Music” and “Follies.” Both “Send in the Clowns” from the former and “Losing My Mind” from the latter are highlights. 

The first act gives us clusters of songs from “Company,” “Into the Woods,” and “Sweeney Todd,” along with other items, including a snippet of “Bounce” done by Peters, the rarest selection of the evening. Jeremy Secomb is particularly outstanding as Sweeney Todd, a role he’s played to acclaim. And in the “Into the Woods” sequence, there’s also standout work from Jacob Dickey as the Wolf, Early and Kyle Selig as the lovelorn princes, and Jasmine Forsberg as Cinderella. 

The second act includes an amusing riff on Peters’ distinctive version of “Broadway Baby,” and a funny version of “You Gotta Have a Gimmick,” with Peters, Leavel, and Riding as decidedly over-the-hill strippers. 

There are many highlights. For starters, Langford delivers one of the very best versions of “I’m Still Here,” propulsively sung with wonderfully firm tone, though one verse has undergone a lyric change to excise dated references. Riding, still fondly remembered for her Julie in Nicholas Hytner’s production of “Carousel” at the National Theatre, delivers the tongue-twisting “Getting Married Today” with aplomb. Lee sings a venomous gender-altered “Could I Leave You?” as Kernan did years ago in “Side by Side”; Leavel makes “The Ladies Who Lunch” her own. The “Tonight Quintet” from “West Side Story” gets a particularly exciting rendition from Dickey, Daniel Yearwood, Selig, Maria Wirries, and Jasmine Forsberg. Grant’s “The Boy from…” is a hoot. And Lee, Jason Pennycooke, and Selig cavort merrily through a riotous “Everybody Ought to Have a Maid.” 

The whole is beautifully paced by director Matthew Bourne (with choreography by Stephen Mear). Stephen Brooker’s musical arrangements are excellent, under the musical supervision of Alfonso Casado Trigo. (Annbritt duChateau conducts.) 

(The Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, 261 West 47th Street; OldFriendsBroadway.com; through June 15) 

Photos by Matthew Murphy:

(Top) - Jacob Dickey and Bernadette Peters perform “Hello, Little Girl” 

(Below) - Jeremy Secomb and Lea Salonga perform “The Worst Pies in London”

BOOP! The Musical (Broadhurst Theatre)

By Harry Forbes

“BOOP! The Musical” may not be one for the ages, but for now, I’d say this candy-colored concoction based on the adorable cartoon creation of the 1930’s Max Fleischer shorts is mightily entertaining. And it serves beautifully as a star-making vehicle for leading lady Jasmine Amy Rogers who wins all hearts with her delightful, perfectly judged portrayal.

She’s a fine human embodiment of the animated Boop -- eschewing the trademark voice of the cartoon’s Mae Questel (and others who voiced the characger in a Helen Kane little girl voice) -- but offering her distinct vocal charm. She excels in all departments, a genuine triple threat. Sabana Majeed’s hair and wig design (spit curls and all) help with the impersonation. Rogers maintains Betty’s innocence throughout, never breaking character. 

Very like the 2023 “Barbie” film, Bob Martin’s generally amusing book aims to make a case for the heroine’s relevance for today: her spunkiness, resourceful, versatile, and kind, and with a bit of a contemporary feminist perspective. But never in the heavy handed tiresome way of so many like-minded projects these days.

Martin gives us a Betty who’s weary of her black and white existence in the 1930s cartoon world, so she uses her inventor Grampy’s time travel device to be transported to the here and now, a world full of wondrous color. (The contrast between the black and white world of the past and the colorful present runs throughout the show, creatively embodied by Gregg Barnes' costumes and David Rockwell’s scenic design.)The Act 2 opener “Where is Betty?” is a witty visualization of that contrast, as the cast dances in costumes, color on one side, black and white on the other. (Nods to Fleischer's original renderings show up periodically in Finn Ross' projection design.)

Where Betty finds herself is smack dab in the middle of Comic Con in present-day New York, where she is befriended by teenaged Trisha (Angelica Hale) who, as it happens, has always idolized Betty Boop, and she takes the transplanted Betty under wing. Almost immediately, Betty falls for Trisha’s sometime babysitter Dwayne (outstanding Ainsley Melham), an aspiring trumpet player, who naturally falls for her himself.  

Rounding out the present day principals are Anastacia McCleskey as Tricia’s supportive aunt Carol who’s campaign manager for Erich Bergen’s oily politician Raymond Demarest running for mayor.

Veterans Stephen DeRosa and Faith Prince have some bright moments as Grampy (from the cartoon world of ToonTown), and his old flame Valentina with whom he reunites these many years later. Providing periodic diversion in the black and white world are Aubie Merrylees and Ricky Schroeder as Betty’s frantic director and his rather overly devoted assistant. And I mustn’t forget Betty’s little dog Pudgy, delightfully and unobtrusively manipulated by puppeteer Phillip Huber.

Music producer David Foster has fashioned a mostly traditional sounding score (with Susan Birkenhead’s expert lyrics), which is not 1930s pastiche as you might expect, but stylistically appropriate. The Betty-Dwayne duet, “Why Look Around the Corner” is a charmer, but there are lots of catchy tunes including Valentina’s “A Cure for Love” and her duet with Grampy, “Whatever It Takes.” Even the Demarest gets a good number, “Take It to the Next Level,” as he tries to make his lecherous moves on Betty. 

Betty’s eleven o’clock number, “Something to Shout About,” wins sustained applause. 

Director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell keeps things moving at a brisk, masterful pace, with plenty of invigorating dance numbers throughout. 

(Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W 44th St;  BoopTheMusical.com)

Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman © And tag @MurphyMade and @EvZMM:

(l-r) Jasmine Amy Rogers (Betty Boop) and Ainsley Melham (Dwayne)

The Picture of Dorian Gray (The Music Box)

By Harry Forbes

To cut to the chase, Sarah Snook --  known best globally for her role as Shiv Roy in HBO’s “Succession” -- is absolutely stupendous in this riveting adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s 1891 work, his only novel. 

Though technically a one-person show, the Australian actress brings to life 26 diverse characters by dint of her virtuosic acting skills and an astonishing video component that allows her to interact seamlessly with the myriad versions of herself on the LED video screens which float over the stage. The precision of it all is quite astounding. If you were blown away by the use of projections and roving cameras in Jamie Lloyd’s current revival of “Sunset Boulevard,” writer/director Kip Williams' work here goes several steps further.

Even Snooks’ mobile phone comes into play in a most creative, dextrous way, though the device was the cause of the one (brief) technical snafu of the evening at my performance.

Williams’ production was first mounted to acclaim by Sydney Theatre Company in 2010, and Snooks assumed the role in London where she won the Best Actress Olivier Award.

Marg Horwell’s scenic and costume designs were also so honored, and  -- coupled with David Bergman’s video design -- are simply dazzling. Williams’s direction keeps things going at a feverish, suspenseful pace that is nothing short of thrilling. Clemence Williams’ propulsive music adds to that excitement, and her sound design is superbly balanced. 

But for all the bravura technical effects -- and one does really focus on the screens more than the live actress underneath -- what really hooks you is Snooks’  mesmerizing storytelling technique, for this is narrative theater at its most accomplished. Even without the costume and wig changes, her facility at changing her voice and her persona from character to character is astonishing. Besides the foppish Gray (bedecked with a wispy blond wig (one that reminded me of the child actor Steven Warner in “The Little Prince” movie of eons ago), she conjures the decadent Lord Henry Wotton and the effete artist Basil Hallward, and a host of others, male and female. 

And, of course, Wilde’s tale of the beautiful young man whose increasingly dissipated and immoral behavior is reflected in the painting he keeps hidden in a locked room, while he himself retains his youthful beauty, is so beautifully adapted by Willaims and compulsively gripping that the dramatization registers with a rare intensity.

Williams directs with a humorously sardonic approach (reflected in Snooks’ often playful asides), and there are some occasional meta interjections, including concerning the video technique, and there’s one rather startling use of a Broadway musical song which I won’t spoil here which buffs will pick up on, but the themes of the story are related with appropriate gravitas right up to its devastating conclusion.

Snook is not alone on stage but aided by an unobtrusive crew of camera operators in black who manipulate the props and the cameras. They deservedly share the bows with her at the end.

(The Music Box, 239 West 45th Street; doriangrayplay.com; through June 29)

Photo by Marc Brenner: Sarah Snook