Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed that the full performance not shown
Review: I am a huge Sondheim fan, but I am disappointed that some of the performances that made the CD recording did not make it to the videotape. For example, the medley of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs - Love, I Hear - Live Alone and Like It" would have been enjoyable to watch, as was the "Remember" piece from "A Little Night Music." It makes an uneducated viewer wonder why these people join everyone in singing the end to "A Weekend in the Country." The order in which they present the songs is a little perplexing. This videotape would work much better if they maintained the integrity of the production by presenting everything in the manner in which it was performed.
Rating: 
Summary: if only you knew!!!!
Review: I think "deangold" (see his review) obviously knows nothing about Stephen Sondheim or his music, since he doesn't even know that the title of the the song is "Getting Married Today". Also, I think for him to bash the late GREAT Madeline Kahn for her INCREDIBLE performance is a little sad....Did you notice that she is on stage...and you are not!!! Jealous are we?
The beauty of Mr. Sondheim's music is that you can take it out of it's setting and original staging and still enjoy it and be moved by it. Granted that most of the hair-do's and clothing are a little outdated on this DVD....but that is just fun. There are many marvelous performances on this DVD....from Bernadette Peters' stirring rendition of "Not A Day Goes By", to Daisy Egan's very cute "Broadway Baby". Furthermore, "deangolds" review of "Putting it Together": He thinks that it is fantastic. Has he actually watched it. There are some very great performances in it...but I would have to say that his "idea" of what performing is....well, I don't think he has ever been on stage in his life...and if he has....it wasn't good. BUY THIS DVD!
Rating:
Summary: if only you knew!!!!
Review: I think "deangold" (see his review) obviously knows nothing about Stephen Sondheim or his music, since he doesn't even know that the title of the the song is "Getting Married Today". Also, I think for him to bash the late GREAT Madeline Kahn for her INCREDIBLE performance is a little sad....Did you notice that she is on stage...and you are not!!! Jealous are we?
The beauty of Mr. Sondheim's music is that you can take it out of it's setting and original staging and still enjoy it and be moved by it. Granted that most of the hair-do's and clothing are a little outdated on this DVD....but that is just fun. There are many marvelous performances on this DVD....from Bernadette Peters' stirring rendition of "Not A Day Goes By", to Daisy Egan's very cute "Broadway Baby". Furthermore, "deangolds" review of "Putting it Together": He thinks that it is fantastic. Has he actually watched it. There are some very great performances in it...but I would have to say that his "idea" of what performing is....well, I don't think he has ever been on stage in his life...and if he has....it wasn't good. BUY THIS DVD!
Rating: 
Summary: Why can't I give this negative stars?
Review: I was truly appalled at this DVD. There are certain artists whose compositions should not be approached except in the context in which they wrote their music. You cannot play a Thelonious Monk tune in a, say, Dixieland style. A monk tune is not just a set of chord changed with a lyric. There is a rhythm, a feel that must be there or it just isn't Monk. Same with a Bob Fosse dance number. You have to see all the finger positions, the hand holds, the precision that Bob Fosse wrote into his choreography for it to be Fosse. And with Stephen Sondheim, the songs must be sung with the precision, the emotion that he has imbued them. In DA Pennabaker's amazing DVD of the recording of the original cast album of Company, there is a scene where Sondheim tells the women singing 'Not Getting Married' "Let me hear the melody". Well for this DVD please artists, let me hear the melody, The emotion, the rhythms and the rests that Mr. Sondheim gave you to sing. If you don't want to sing Sondheim, pick another composer's work to rearrange to your own purposes. Ms Kahn sings the worst "Not Getting Married" I have ever heard. First of all, she is not singing it anywhere near fast enough. Then she is making is a comedic piece with changes of pace, with facial emotions, with putting her own melody in place. Her voice is just not supple enough to handle this complex lyric. Every version of this that actually captures the piece and delivers its impact that I have seen has the actress singing it in a straight face with a minimum of emotion and the lyric and melody deliver the humor. This is not the worst example of the atrocities we hear on this performance. The start, with a humorless piece of a stage hand reading lines that were written foe Angela Lansbury who was unable to make it were insulting to both her and us. Many of the selections I had to forward to the next chapter stop because they were so bad. If you want to learn about Sondheim, please get Putting it Together". This is another collection of Sondheim where the selections were fused together to tell a story. The songs are sung in Sondheim-ian style. Better yet get the DVD of the Concert Version of Sweeny Todd or hte DVD of the making of Company. Or buy the original cast recording of about any of the wonderful gift that is the work of Sonheim. I am a Sonheim fanatic having almost every case recording and concert recording of Sondheim available. Please stay as far away from this horrendous performance as possible. I played it once and will never play it again!
Rating:
Summary: Why can't I give this negative stars?
Review: I was truly appalled at this DVD. There are certain artists whose compositions should not be approached except in the context in which they wrote their music. You cannot play a Thelonious Monk tune in a, say, Dixieland style. A monk tune is not just a set of chord changed with a lyric. There is a rhythm, a feel that must be there or it just isn't Monk. Same with a Bob Fosse dance number. You have to see all the finger positions, the hand holds, the precision that Bob Fosse wrote into his choreography for it to be Fosse. And with Stephen Sondheim, the songs must be sung with the precision, the emotion that he has imbued them. In DA Pennabaker's amazing DVD of the recording of the original cast album of Company, there is a scene where Sondheim tells the women singing 'Not Getting Married' "Let me hear the melody". Well for this DVD please artists, let me hear the melody, The emotion, the rhythms and the rests that Mr. Sondheim gave you to sing. If you don't want to sing Sondheim, pick another composer's work to rearrange to your own purposes. Ms Kahn sings the worst "Not Getting Married" I have ever heard. First of all, she is not singing it anywhere near fast enough. Then she is making is a comedic piece with changes of pace, with facial emotions, with putting her own melody in place. Her voice is just not supple enough to handle this complex lyric. Every version of this that actually captures the piece and delivers its impact that I have seen has the actress singing it in a straight face with a minimum of emotion and the lyric and melody deliver the humor. This is not the worst example of the atrocities we hear on this performance. The start, with a humorless piece of a stage hand reading lines that were written foe Angela Lansbury who was unable to make it were insulting to both her and us. Many of the selections I had to forward to the next chapter stop because they were so bad. If you want to learn about Sondheim, please get Putting it Together". This is another collection of Sondheim where the selections were fused together to tell a story. The songs are sung in Sondheim-ian style. Better yet get the DVD of the Concert Version of Sweeny Todd or hte DVD of the making of Company. Or buy the original cast recording of about any of the wonderful gift that is the work of Sonheim. I am a Sonheim fanatic having almost every case recording and concert recording of Sondheim available. Please stay as far away from this horrendous performance as possible. I played it once and will never play it again!
Rating:
Summary: A Memorable Night At Carnegie Hall
Review: On June 10, 1992, I had the good fortune to be in the audience for "Sondheim - A Celebration At Carnegie Hall." As someone who has seen the original Broadway casts of every Sondheim show since (and including) "Company," I can only say that this was a THRILLING concert. And though some numbers have been omitted, this DVD captures the excitement of that memorable evening. Bill Irwin's hilarious opening monologue apologized for Angela Lansbury not being on hand to host the celebration. This of course alluded to Ms. Lansbury's great success presiding over the Tony Award telecasts, and how she'd become everyone's first choice to host ALL theatrical events. The audience got the joke and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Irwin's routine. From all indications even Ms. Lansbury was amused; she happily narrated the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert at Carnegie Hall three years later. Madeline Kahn delighted the crowd with her rendition of "Getting Married Today" and, based on the strength of her performance that night, was also invited to participate in the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert. Other rousing highlights included (and this is just a partial list) Liza Minnelli's "Back In Business," Dorothy Loudon's "Losing My Mind"/"You Could Drive A Person Crazy," Patti LuPone's "Being Alive," Karen Ziemba & Bill Irwin's "Sooner Or Later," Patrick Cassidy & Victor Garber's "Ballad Of Booth," Bernadette Peters' "Not A Day Goes By," Harolyn Blackwell's "Green Finch & Linnet Bird," the New York City Opera's "Weekend In The Country," and Glenn Close's "Send In The Clowns." Paul Gemignani (Sondheim's conductor of choice) performed his usual magic with the orchestra, and - if that wasn't enough - a proud Stephen Sondheim appeared at the end to set up the evening's moving finale, "Sunday." As you can imagine, this was a night of old-fashioned, full-throttle Broadway charisma. Truly an evening to remember!
Rating:
Summary: A Memorable Night At Carnegie Hall
Review: On June 10, 1992, I had the good fortune to be in the audience for "Sondheim - A Celebration At Carnegie Hall." As someone who has seen the original Broadway casts of every Sondheim show since (and including) "Company," I can only say that this was a THRILLING concert. And though some numbers have been omitted, this DVD captures the excitement of that memorable evening. Bill Irwin's hilarious opening monologue apologized for Angela Lansbury not being on hand to host the celebration. This of course alluded to Ms. Lansbury's great success presiding over the Tony Award telecasts, and how she'd become everyone's first choice to host ALL theatrical events. The audience got the joke and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Irwin's routine. From all indications even Ms. Lansbury was amused; she happily narrated the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert at Carnegie Hall three years later. Madeline Kahn delighted the crowd with her rendition of "Getting Married Today" and, based on the strength of her performance that night, was also invited to participate in the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert. Other rousing highlights included (and this is just a partial list) Liza Minnelli's "Back In Business," Dorothy Loudon's "Losing My Mind"/"You Could Drive A Person Crazy," Patti LuPone's "Being Alive," Karen Ziemba & Bill Irwin's "Sooner Or Later," Patrick Cassidy & Victor Garber's "Ballad Of Booth," Bernadette Peters' "Not A Day Goes By," Harolyn Blackwell's "Green Finch & Linnet Bird," the New York City Opera's "Weekend In The Country," and Glenn Close's "Send In The Clowns." Paul Gemignani (Sondheim's conductor of choice) performed his usual magic with the orchestra, and - if that wasn't enough - a proud Stephen Sondheim appeared at the end to set up the evening's moving finale, "Sunday." As you can imagine, this was a night of old-fashioned, full-throttle Broadway charisma. Truly an evening to remember!
Rating:
Summary: A Memorable Night At Carnegie Hall
Review: On June 10, 1992, I had the good fortune to be in the audience for "Sondheim - A Celebration At Carnegie Hall." As someone who has seen the original Broadway casts of every Sondheim show since (and including) "Company," I can only say that this was a THRILLING concert. And though some numbers have been omitted, this DVD captures the excitement of that memorable evening. Bill Irwin's hilarious opening monologue apologized for Angela Lansbury not being on hand to host the celebration. This of course alluded to Ms. Lansbury's great success presiding over the Tony Award telecasts, and how she'd become everyone's first choice to host ALL theatrical events. The audience got the joke and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Irwin's routine. From all indications even Ms. Lansbury was amused; she happily narrated the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert at Carnegie Hall three years later. Madeline Kahn delighted the crowd with her rendition of "Getting Married Today" and, based on the strength of her performance that night, was also invited to participate in the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert. Other rousing highlights included (and this is just a partial list) Liza Minnelli's "Back In Business," Dorothy Loudon's "Losing My Mind"/"You Could Drive A Person Crazy," Patti LuPone's "Being Alive," Karen Ziemba & Bill Irwin's "Sooner Or Later," Patrick Cassidy & Victor Garber's "Ballad Of Booth," Bernadette Peters' "Not A Day Goes By," Harolyn Blackwell's "Green Finch & Linnet Bird," the New York City Opera's "Weekend In The Country," and Glenn Close's "Send In The Clowns." Paul Gemignani (Sondheim's conductor of choice) performed his usual magic with the orchestra, and - if that wasn't enough - a proud Stephen Sondheim appeared at the end to set up the evening's moving finale, "Sunday." As you can imagine, this was a night of old-fashioned, full-throttle Broadway charisma. Truly an evening to remember!
Rating:
Summary: agree with Tyler K. Brown: deangold hasn't a clue
Review: One of the greatest joys of Sondheim is how he can be reinterpreted and still pack the same punch. deangold's review only proves that he not only doesn't grasp Sondheim's true artistry, but he's severely lacking in understanding theatre. Hint: that 'humorless piece of a stage hand reading lines that were written foe Angela Lansbury' is the irrepresible comic genius Bill Irwin doing a deliberate send up - deangold apparently missed it when Irwin shows up later in the show as the silent hysterical foil to Karen Ziemba for a show-stopping version of "Sooner or Later". Some songs are performed as originally conceived ("Ballad of Booth") while others are teased (Dorothy Loudon turns the sentimental "Losing My Mind into a comic tour de force by combining it with "You Could Drive a Person Crazy - and damn if it doesn't work!) and others are outright revamped (the Tonics' jazz up the usually quiet ballad "Good Thing Going" with "Company" snuck in the middle). This is theatrical caberet at its very best, with top performers putting a unique spin on great songs. If you're positively married to the Original Broadway Soundtracks, you may get a shock from some of these versions. But anyone who can appreciate artistry will thoroughly enjoy the uniqueness of this production which leaves you breathless time and again. Glenn Close singing "Send in the Clowns" proves WHY this song has been redone by every hack on 8th Avenue, Liza Minnelli and Billy Stritch put a little oomph in Back in Business that Madonna sorely lacked, and Bernadette Peters' rendition of "Not a Day Goes By" shows exactly why this petite woman is a Broadway powerhouse. And they're all doing it to the magic of Sondheim. This is not to be missed. (Do wish they hadn't cut those extra songs thought... darn it.)
Rating:
Summary: agree with Tyler K. Brown: deangold hasn't a clue
Review: One of the greatest joys of Sondheim is how he can be reinterpreted and still pack the same punch. deangold's review only proves that he not only doesn't grasp Sondheim's true artistry, but he's severely lacking in understanding theatre. Hint: that 'humorless piece of a stage hand reading lines that were written foe Angela Lansbury' is the irrepresible comic genius Bill Irwin doing a deliberate send up - deangold apparently missed it when Irwin shows up later in the show as the silent hysterical foil to Karen Ziemba for a show-stopping version of "Sooner or Later". Some songs are performed as originally conceived ("Ballad of Booth") while others are teased (Dorothy Loudon turns the sentimental "Losing My Mind into a comic tour de force by combining it with "You Could Drive a Person Crazy - and damn if it doesn't work!) and others are outright revamped (the Tonics' jazz up the usually quiet ballad "Good Thing Going" with "Company" snuck in the middle). This is theatrical caberet at its very best, with top performers putting a unique spin on great songs. If you're positively married to the Original Broadway Soundtracks, you may get a shock from some of these versions. But anyone who can appreciate artistry will thoroughly enjoy the uniqueness of this production which leaves you breathless time and again. Glenn Close singing "Send in the Clowns" proves WHY this song has been redone by every hack on 8th Avenue, Liza Minnelli and Billy Stritch put a little oomph in Back in Business that Madonna sorely lacked, and Bernadette Peters' rendition of "Not a Day Goes By" shows exactly why this petite woman is a Broadway powerhouse. And they're all doing it to the magic of Sondheim. This is not to be missed. (Do wish they hadn't cut those extra songs thought... darn it.)
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