Saadiqah October 6th, 2023
The final collaboration between Cameron Mackintosh and the late American theatre master Stephen Sondheim celebrated its opening night October 3rd at the Gielgud Theatre and will play until January 6th 2024. Following on from the pair's other shows (Side-by-Side-by-Sondheim, 1976 and Putting It Together, 1992) Old Friends will be an in-depth revue featuring some of Sondheim's greatest songs, performed by the very best talents.
The reviews are in! Let's see what the Critics had to say.
"It is a treat. Under the clever direction of Matthew Bourne and McKenzie, it has a drive and a purpose that gives the songs shape and context. The impeccably detailed choreography by Stephen Mear adds a layer of razzle and dazzle, which Matt Kinley's gleaming set design, filled with George Reeve's projections and Jill Parker's stylish costumes all serve to reinforce." - WhatsOnStage
"The question is, did the show live up to our collected expectations? OF COURSE IT DID! From start to finish, the show is an absolute joy and heartfelt, touching tribute to the man who touched our musical theatre souls." - West End Best Friend
From start to finish, the show is an absolute joy and heartfelt
"Performed as ensemble pieces, masterpiece "Being Alive" and the highly symbolic "Not A Day Goes By" leave very few dry eyes in the house. As well as being a fitting tribute to the man, the production showcases the extent of both his range and the incredible structure of his work." - Broadway World
Performed as ensemble pieces, masterpiece "Being Alive" and the highly symbolic "Not A Day Goes By" leave very few dry eyes in the house
"I expected to tear up (and did, frequently), but I didn't expect an output so essential to my own theatrical DNA to emerge so freshly. Bonnie Langford a child when she was in the Angela Lansbury Gypsy makes all kinds of sense to sing "I'm Still Here", and does so without a trace of shtick, letting the sheer grit celebrated in the lyrics power through to her rousing finish." - London Theatre
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I'm delighted that I have been able to put together one last great hurrah for my old friend, containing many of the greatest songs ever written for the musical theatre, in one great big Broadway show' - just as he wanted
Cameron Mackintosh
