Side by Side by Sondheim review

Lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim is widely believed to have revolutionised musical theatre with his intelligent, unsentimental lyrics that tackle very real themes, including loneliness, fear of commitment and the not-so-happy-ever-after of marriage.

By Faith Oxenbridge In Theatre

Print Share

27th February, 2012

Review

“It’s the little things you share together/Swear together/The neighbours you annoy together/Children you destroy together” – themes that previous musicals either sugar-coated or ignored. Side by Side by Sondheim, first performed in 1977, is a collection of Sondheim’s early songs loosely linked by theme, show and a narrator; the Court’s production, narrated by an elegant, if slightly erratic, David McPhail, is a delight. Playful and occasionally profound, it moves at a cracking pace. All three singers are strong, although Ali Harper is the standout performer. She carries ...

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