This 70th birthday tribute to Stephen Sondheim, devised and directed by David Kernan, the man behind the fine Sondheim revue Side By Side, is a disappointment. It does not do justice to the great composer and lyricist's work.
It is not the songs themselves that are the problem, but the format and presentation - an irritating self-congratulatory showbiz aura prevails, which deflates the evening somewhat.
But the real weakness is the crude attempt to shoehorn the work into neat little biographical boxes, so that a snippet of film with Sondheim talking about his relationship with the city of New York is followed by a medley of songs including What More Do I Need? from his first musical, Saturday Night, and Me and My Town from Anyone Can Whistle. Or even more crassly, when Sondheim muses on the nature of friendship, up pops I Do Like You from A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum.
This approach insults the audience and the songs themselves, many of which are written with such audacious intricacy that they could easily stand alone. They do not need to be propped up in this way, particularly when the biographical details supplied are so sparse and anodyne.
The cast work very hard, and you never for a moment doubt their talent. Angela Richards brings a dramatic power and touching vulnerability to her songs, and Linzi Hateley reminds us what a fantastic voice she has, and makes you wonder why we don't see more of her. But the cast have been drilled to perform in that bland revue style that was popular 20 years ago and now looks old-fashioned - particularly at this venue, which has done so much to push the boundaries of new musical theatre forward.
Till August 19. Box office: 020-7936 3456.
