Old Friends – 10 April 2025

As theatre revues go, Old Friends is absolutely unique in a number of ways. The most distinct (and most amazing) is that it’s not just a couple of talented performers singing ballads and the occasional duet – Old Friends has fully realized and choreographed (Stephen Mear) ensemble numbers with a large cast. It perfectly captures the Gestalt of Stephen Sondheim’s work – particularly his quirky sense of humor, and how he frequently exposes one tortured soul with a comedic, slightly skewed definition of happiness displayed in the ensemble representing the rest of the world. Attending the performance was a fun experience, and the pacing was perfect to keep the show merrily rolling along.

Two of the most heavily advertised elements of this production were Lea Salonga and Bernadette Peters. Salonga delivered fantastically; she was the primary singer of ballads, and her deeply emotional performances were moving, especially when performing roles she wouldn’t typically be cast in. As for Peters, she gave a truly magical performance of “Losing My Mind” in the second act, but otherwise didn’t seem to have the energy required for some performances. It was certainly wonderful to see her reprise some of her roles of her youth, even if only for a moment. There were a couple of songs in which Peters sang the opening and then passed the song off to others, a beautifully symbolic passing of the torch to the future of Sondheim performers.

I delighted in the lesser known performers in this cast, all of whom shone beautifully. The ensemble performed full versions of numbers from Company, Into the Woods, West Side Story, and more – aided by incredible costuming (Jill Parker) and scenic (Matt Kinley) and lighting (Warren Letton) shifts that made each world feel real, while also subtly showing the similarities in Sondheim’s scores and stories. The production was a delightful reminder of the universality of some stories – human capacity for both kindness and cruelty, the pain of loneliness, tribalism when it seems the world is against you, unlikely love story endings, and of course, the score that mirrors the world with everyone screaming their own story at the same time, and despite their unique countermelodies fitting together into something greater, something musically, magnificent, and unique.

Old Friends did not tell a story or have a plot tying together a story, but the pacing and alternations of type of songs was both practically and artistically excellent. Cameron Macintosh’s curation was a real tour d’force. Set pieces clue the audience into some of Somdheim’s familiar settings: the trees/park/woods, performance spaces, residential settings, and moments where the world falls away and we’re alone with an actor who needs to tell the truth. Old Friends is a beautiful snapshot of all things Sondheim and a loving tribute that holds space for all of the themes he explored and the space between loneliness and a whole world that’s having fun just out of reach. Each section lingers with a story and allows us to savor our favorite moments, fittingly paying tribute to a man who we may not have all known personally, but whose work dramatically changed the musical theater landscape forever and deeply touched our lives and hearts.

I attended this performance on a press pass from The Press Room.