“Whether you are an old friend of Sondheim or a new one, you will leave the theatre moved, thoroughly entertained and surely breathless for a revival or three.”
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"This celebration of the late Stephen Sondheim assembles three generations of big guns from musical theatre – including Broadway legend Bernadette Peters, making her West End debut – to fire a selection of greatest hits at a receptive audience. Devised by Cameron Mackintosh, and focusing on works he has produced, it’s a partial, loving, starry spin through a dazzling back catalogue. Sondheim’s versatility and wit shine through."
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“If you want to see a large number of Stephen Sondheim songs performed by talented people in an ultimately cosy and conservative revue, see ‘Old Friends’. If you want to understand why Sondheim was regarded as so brilliant that his nickname was literally God, see one of his musicals.”
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“Each song has its brilliance but the overall impact of the show – beautifully played by the orchestra, under conductor Alfonso Casado Trigo – springs from the way it knits together a lot of moments into a satisfying whole. It is both a tribute to Sondheim and an exploration of the qualities of curiosity, intelligence, humour and high seriousness that made him a giant of the theatre.”
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“ ‘Old Friends’ isn’t just a virtuosic display... it’s both celebration and requiem. Peters notes in her introduction that Sondheim wanted as many people as possible to see his work, and I can’t think of a better platform. This ‘great big Broadway show’ deserves to be a great big West End hit.”
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"This longer run of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity to see so many theatrical greats all on stage at the same time. It’s appeal beyond this limited engagement is questionable, but in terms of honouring the work of Stephen Sondheim it’s a triumph, and may just introduce audiences to the wonderful sound of his musicals that are not often heard on London stages."
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“The love driving every aspect of this production isn’t the only thing that impresses. However many times you hear a Sondheim lyric, you can be struck anew by its wit, its perceptiveness, its complex shadings.”
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"A cleverly cast tribute, featuring Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga and Bonnie Langford, reflects on the passing of time with comedy and melancholy"
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