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The Stephen Sondheim Collection (1991) Review

I couldn't decide whether I should round down or round up. This set is a great one. The only thing I would have asked for is some extra DVD that was only in this set to make it more than just a bargain for 6 DVDs.
As it is, the set is fantastic. However, to start: Follies in Concert isn't the best of DVDs. It has very little replay value for me, but it was really interesting on the first view. And chances are good if you are interested in this set as a whole, then you'll be interested in watching the rehearsal process which is what this DVD is. 3 stars for this disc alone.
The exciting inclusions on this set are the 3 original cast recordings.
Into the Woods was the first to be released on DVD and it shows. There are no extra features at all. It just plays when you pop it in, and you can access a chapter menu when the show ends (or by pressing menu on the remote). Johanna Gleason is gold. She is reason enough to watch this disc. But she's not the only one; the entire show is great fun. 4 ½ stars to this disc.
The gem of Sunday in the Park with George is Bernadette Peters. I wasn't too keen on her in Into the Woods, but she's phenomenal here. This show benefited from multiple viewings. The first time I saw it, I was confused. I still am. Just less so. Mandy Patinkin is good. And I really dig Mr. and Mrs., the southern Americans. Sure they are a bit of low comedy, but I like `em. This DVD offers a commentary (whee!), which is exciting, if a little hard to hear. However, as reviewers of this specific DVD have mentioned, Patinkin dominates the conversation, and as Sondheim said (I think he said it, at least) it sounds a lot like a big back-patting meeting. But that's almost to be expected. It's fun to hear from these people who truly loved the work on which they commented. And they offer some fun insights to the show. 4 ¾ stars.
Passion gives us probably the most feature-packed DVD of the set. And it's jolly. The commentary is a lot better. I can hear it, and they don't have any silent moments (the silent moments on Sunday... made me antsy, for what it's worth). The bulk of the commentary seems to be about how the show didn't do too well, but it's still informative. Passion isn't my favorite show of the set, but it's a good production. I need to watch it some more times to solidify my reaction, but from the initial viewing, I wasn't so keen on Fosca. She seemed a bit too devious for me. I didn't sympathize with her nearly as much as I wanted to. 4 stars.
Sweeney is probably the brightest gem of this set. It is perhaps my favorite Sondheim musical, and it's the greatest production on video. I am not a member of the Patti LuPone fan club, but I thought she was a great Mrs. Lovett. She was good enough to not make me want Angela Lansbury. George Hearn is fantastic, as is the entire cast. Tim Nolan really creeps me out. And the massive orchestra is really great. You don't get to hear this music played my so many instruments that often, so it's super exciting when you do. This is one DVD that I really would like some commentary on. Ah well. It includes a small "Making of..." featurette. 5 stars.
The Sondheim at Carnegie DVD is another sparkly gem of this set. There are a couple of off moments, but overall, the concert is great, giving the owner of this set more exposure to more of Sondheim's canon. Most of the performances are really great. 5 stars.
Overall, the set is a great one. If you have a passing fondness for musical theatre, you probably shouldn't invest in this set (really, if you only have a passing fondness for musical theatre, you probably aren't reading this review). If you like musical theatre, you'll dig this set. If you like Sondheim, you'll wet yourself when it comes in the mail. Start pinching your pennies and get this collection.

The Stephen Sondheim Collection (1991) Overview

Celebrate the brilliance of Stephen Sondheim, one of musical theater's most acclaimed and popular talents, with this special collection. A CELEBRATION AT CARNEGIE HALL: This star-studded salute to Sondheim's most enduring melodies features Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, Madeleine Kahn, Victor Garber, Glenn Close, Betty Buckley and many more! FOLLIES IN CONCERT: The incomparable Stephen Sondheim brought his sensational Follies to the stage in 1971 where it was hailed as "monumental theater" by The New York Times. Fourteen years later, the magic was recreated by an unparalleled gathering of stage and screen luminaries performing with the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center for a wildly enthusiastic audience. Includes the memorable songs "Losing My Mind" and "I'm Still Here" and an all-star cast. INTO THE WOODS: A baker and his wife journey into the woods in search of a cow, a red cape, a pair of golden slippers and some magic beans to lift a curse that has kept them childless. Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason and the rest of the original Broadway cast weave their magic spell over you in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, a seamless fusion of fairy tale characters and what happens after "happily ever after." PASSION: An unforgettable chronicle of the redemptive power of love, this is a mesmerizing musical rhapsody in which a soldier torn between two women discovers the true meaning of love. A haunting study of obsessive love, this striking production offers a visual and musical feast that will linger in your heart and soul forever! Winner of 4 Tony Awards. SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE: Sondheim and James Lapine construct a dazzling story from one of the world's most famous painting, Georges Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grand Jatte," creating a moving exploration of art, love and commitment. Winner of the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. SWEENEY TODD IN CONCERT: This delicious production, a musical thriller of revenge and romance set in Victorian England, features Broadway diva Patti LuPone as Mrs. Lovett and veteran stage actor George Hearn in the title role. Premiering in 1979, the legendary show went on to win nine New York Drama Critics Circle Awards and eight Tony Awards; recorded with the San Francisco Symphony as conducted by Rob Fisher.

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