Sondheim: Putting it Together [2000] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

You'll never see or hear a better concert performance of Sondheim than this!.......2007-04-03

From the opening moment of this DVD one is captivated by the amazing performances of the cast. I had never heard of Bronson Pinchot. Why Not? He is a great performer. I have long been a fan of John Barrowman but have never heard him in better form than this. His Marry Me A Little is moving and really excellent. Ruthie Henshall singing More - what else could one wish for, no-one could sell a song as well. George Hearn and Carol Burnett in wonderful voice. I doubt if anyone could ever see or hear a better concert performance of Sondheim than this. It really is the most amazing performance I have ever heard. If I could have given 10 stars I would have done.

Combining Sondheim with the Divine Miss Henshall = winner.......2005-02-22

I'm sorry, this is a biased review... I am a huge fan of Ruthie Henshall, and I think she's the best performer I've ever seen on stage and heard on recording. Ruthie Henshall performing bubblegum pop would still be worth listening to, but Ruthie Henshall performing the songs of Stephen Sondheim is "out of this world".

OK, objectively now, all five actors in this revue are wonderful. Bronson Pinchot [I loved him in "First Wives Club"] is just maniacally crazy, and fun to watch - his rendition of "Instructions to the Audience" is his best moment in my opinion. John Barrowman has one of the most gorgeous male voices I've ever heard, and sometimes I repeat his version of "Marry Me A Little" over and over again just to listen to his great voice on that great song. George Hearn [2nd Sweeney Todd, La Cage aux Folles] gives an incredibly intelligent performance, considering he is often paired with the comic legend that is Carol Burnett, and therefore risks being completely overshadowed. I think that, while Carol Burnett is blessed with the best songs, best lines, and most of the stage time, George Hearn is so understated and controlled that he delivers a performance of as high a quality as she does. Carol Burnett [Miss Hannigan! and the original Princess in "Once Upon A Mattress] is a study in comic showmanship, with the audience in the palm of her hand from the minute she walks on to the stage. She knows how to get a laugh from EVERY line she utters, and her voice is fabulous after so many years in entertainment - my favourite Carol Burnett song is "Ladies Who Lunch".

But for me, this revue belongs to the one and only Ruthie Henshall - I am always aware that Ruthie is playing somewhat of a subordinate part to Carol Burnett in this show, yet it is testament to Ruthie's talent that she can manage, in my opinion, to even outshine her. Ruthie's performance in "Lovely" is mesmerising; she sings the fantastic song "More" with the sort of comic timing that comes with years of experience. Her face is so expressive, and her voice has been described as being able to "hold a note that turns through the colours of the rainbow".

Criticisms of musical revues have often centred on the lack of plot, and therefore lack of unity. I would say that "Putting It Together" benefits rather than loses out from its sparse storyline. The characters seem to inhabit some different world to our own [the set is very surreal], and so we don't need to make the leap of faith in believing that what we are seeing is realistic. A revue show by its very nature is unrealistic, so the staging of this show is perfect.

Buy this CD for the performances, the songs, and the fact that musical theatre revues are never as clever and sophisticated as this one.

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