Stephen Sondheim Old Friends - Sondheim / TV / Gielgud

Agree with most of the above - fabulous night but felt like I saw a lot of the same performers. I was so excited to see which diva would tackle “Could I Leave You?” and was left cold by Michael Ball’s rendition.

Also, sadly no songs from Anyone Can Whistle which is has some of my favourites!



Thought the slip on the way out was a nice touch!

I know she was in the film but she just didn’t really do anything tonight.

Wow! I am speechless; completely without speech trying to process this all.

That was so good I would have flown over from Australia for it!

Yeah, way too much Michael Ball. Loving You loses so much of its beauty and power when you sing it like that, and I assume Could I Leave You? was originally intended for Hannah Waddingham, who would have been superb in it. A great evening with some true highlights – particularly Judi Dench's Send in the Clowns, Broadway Baby, Gotta Get a Gimmick, Not a Day Goes By, Ladies who Lunch (Haydn Gwynne should be a bigger name), Sunday. Jenna Russell was criminally underused and Rosalie Craig was criminally shrill even in the two lines she sang. I also wish people accepted that Buddy's Blues doesn't work as a solo. Not everything was top rate, but the whole was better than the sum of (some of) its parts. The duet between ALW and Sondheim was SO out of place, especially since it wasn't Cameron's memorial.

Also, Judi Dench and Siân Phillips (another criminally underused grande dame) were the CUTEST during the curtain call.

Agree with much of what has been posted before, Broadway Baby was beautifully done with so many Babies. Ball's Could I Leave You really didn't work, played for comedy rather than bile, like couldileaveyou I assume that was meant for Waddingham, but sad that they couldn't find someone better to take it on. Dench's Send in the Clowns had people sniffling all around me, Bernadette's Losing My Mind affected me more than I expected it to; I'd have liked more Daniel Evans; Haydn Gwynne's Ladies Who Lunch stood up to Patti's that I saw on Broadway last week. My only cringe was the clip from Hey Mr Producer which was an homage to CmK - if they wanted to show Sondheim performing there are loads of recordings of him workshopping stuff, but that clip was really bigging up Cameron and felt out of place. In terms of star-spotting, Matthew Bourne was a couple of rows in front of me and I'm sure that it was Ed Sheeran in the bar at the interval but it seems so unlikely...

But bottom line, one of my most fabulous nights in the theatre. Hope that it is coming to TV so I can experience it again.

Oh what an evening! So many memorable moments and nice little surprises. I shouted when Bernadette Peters revealed herself, and I was very happy seeing Imelda repeating her Gypsy performance. Dame Judie Dench’s number was absolutely beautiful, and Michael Ball singing Could I Leave You was just wrong.

Interesting to hear MB singing about burying rage with a "boy half your age in the grass / bet your ass" .... ok .....

What a memorabele evening that was on a Tuesday night! Bernadette Peters indeed had a big part in the concert, which was nice and there we're so many surprises and highlights!

Sounds like an absoultely amazing evening, I'm glad so many of you got to see it and grateful for all your reports of how it was.


He played Wolf/Cinderella's Prince at the Donmar back in 1999. I didn't know who he was back then, though!

That was such an amazing evening. As a very big Sondheim fan I have seen pretty much everything over my many years including several gala concerts and the Sondheim Proms and have to say that this concert wins hands down.
Really well staged with an orchestra of 26 and clever use of the stage (including the Les Mis baracades)the programme was so well put together and it flowed so well.
The wall of sound when everyone was singing was insane but bear in mind you had the best of the best all on stage at the same time.
As others have mentioned there were some stand out performances and mine would be, Judi's Send in the Clowns, Worst pies in London, Ladies Who Lunch, Broadway Baby, You gotta get a gimmick, I'm still here, Everything's coming up Roses and Sunday.
Bernadette Peters (as others have mentioned) was in several numbers and also AJ Casey who I feel should have been in the programme under the main cast. I was beyond thrilled to see Julia MacKenzie and to hear her sing. I only expected her to speak or introduce something but to hear her singing was a joy.
The "chorus" were sublime when they sang together and there was just a massive wall of sound. To be honest even if the concert only had what they called West End All Stars I would have been happy.
I have 4 favourite male performers Rob Houchen, Bradley Jaden, Julian Ovenden and Charlie Stemp so you can imagine my joy of seeing them all on the stage at the same time.
Minor gripe was that Daniel Evans and Jenna Russell were not used enough but looking at the programme I can see that 2 numbers at the start and 1 at the end were cut (due to time I would guess) and one of those cut would have been Daniel Evans singing Sunday in the Park.
I think someone mentioned last night that they would have liked numbers from some of the other Sondheim musicals but as Cameron said in his speech at the beginning that everyone has their favorites and it would have been impossible to put in everything but they had included shows that he had been involved with. This is why we didn't get anything from say Anyone Can Whistle.
The programme is lovely an a great idea about giving the set list at the end of the evening so as not to spoil the surprise and so we can remember who did what.
Audience was amazing and there were several standing ovations from everyone in the stalls where I was sitting and I am sure it was the same on the other 2 levels.
Others have mentioned some famous faces there. I was sitting a few seats away from Anne Reid, Biggins and Patricia Hodge were in the row in front of me and Dawn French behind.
Audience where I sat were a perfect example of well behaved audience. I didn't see a single person get up to go to the loo, no phones lighting up the theatre, no talking or scoffing sweets. It was so nice.

I'd love to hear the thoughts of anyone who went to the screening and find out how it came across and also if everyone joined in with the applause or just watched as if watching a film.

And can I finally just say - Bonnie Langford! high kicks and the splits!!!!