Stephen Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim must be one of the most anthologized Broadway composers, his shows having been cannibalized into several revues, re-conceived musicals, and concert performances. This is a particularly good one. It is a concert featuring a cast of eight, among them Cris Groenendaal, Bob Gunton, George Hearn, and Angela Lansbury, recorded in 1983 and featuring songs written for shows ranging from Sondheim's unproduced first effort, +Saturday Night, to what was then his latest, +Merrily We Roll Along. Particularly notable are the songs cut from shows, such as "There's Something About a War" from +A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The composer himself turns up toward the end to play piano for Lansbury on "Send in the Clowns" and help sing "Old Friends." [The original two-LP set released in 1983 (CBL2-4745) contained 21 selections. When the album was released on CD in 1994 (09026-61174-2), two songs, "Fear No More" and "You're Gonna Love Tomorrow," were cut to keep the time down to the limits of one CD.] ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide