IT says a lot about Stephen Sondheim that Old Friends at the Gielgud is the third anthology to be compiled from his musicals. Side by Side by Sondheim was the first and was produced by a young Cameron Mackintosh in 1976. Sir Cameron has devised the new show, which was first staged in May 2022 as a tribute to the composer-lyricist shortly after his death. It proved so popular that it demanded revival and now offers one of the most exhilarating pieces of musical theatre you could hope to find.
Why does it work so well? One reason is that Sondheim never repeats himself: he was, as his biographer David Benedict says in the programme, a radical working in a form routinely seen as reactionary. All his musicals, from A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum to Pacific Overtures (which doesn’t actually feature in this new collection), are distinctive in subject matter, style and idiom. His songs often have the quality of a oneact play. The Little Things You Do Together from Company, for instance, wittily encapsulates the qualities, including ‘The concerts you enjoy together/Neighbours you annoy together/Children you destroy together’, that keep marriage intact.
Denne historien er fra October 18, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 18, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery
