Cameron Mackintosh Is Bringing Sondheim Home

Bit by bit, Cameron Mackintosh has been putting together the masterpiece that is his latest musical project. Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, a tribute to his old friend who passed away before seeing it onstage, comes to Broadway this spring following acclaimed runs in London and Los Angeles. 

"I'm thrilled to be bringing it back home where all the material was written," Mackintosh told BroadwayWorld during a break from rehearsals.

"My friendship with Steve started in London with Side by Side by Sondheim back in '76. That was my introduction to a broader spectrum of Steve. And indeed, what was thrilling both for Steve and for me is that that show brought Steve's brilliance to a general public that didn't know who he was, or thought, 'Oh no, he's too intellectual for me.'

"That is why he liked this revue format. In many ways, it's given a platform for his material which, even though they were written for shows, sometimes the books weren't as good... and yet they are wonderful songs which can be appreciated by anyone.

Old Friends is in fact the fifth major Sondheim revue- the others are Side by Side by Sondheim, Putting It Together (both produced by Mackintosh), Marry Me a Little, and Sondheim on Sondheim. Learn more about all five.

"The great thing about doing Old Friends, which was Steve's suggestion during COVID, is that I've been able to pick really from the 45 years of all the shows, including my own Hey, Mr. Producer, which we worked on together. It was imbued with Steve's impish sense of humor. He was a wickedly funny person to be with. We never used to stop laughing and dishing. And all of that is in Old Friends.

"It's one of the joys of Broadway, and doing musical theater is that you can have such good fun. It's all in here- the joy of doing it, as well as the absolutely heartbreaking material that's also in the show, which is so touching, which makes him such a genius writer."

How did the team select which iconic songs made it into the show? It was easy- they went with the best of the best. "The thing I wanted to do with this one, more than the other two, I wanted the show to represent all his greatest music, so that you came out of the theater knowing that he not only was the greatest lyricist, but he's also one of the greatest composers. The lyrics and music are equal. That is what makes him one of the giants of all time of musical theater."

Mackintosh is quick to admit that his focus was on cementing Sondheim's enduring legacy. "My overall aim for the show was to put together the finest of his stuff for future generations. I want the destiny of this show to be a show that any group of talented people can do. They will never have better material to do, to perform, and they will never have better material to learn how great the musical theatre can be, and that's thanks to Steve, and that's why we're here."

Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends will open on April 8 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. View the full 2025 Spring Preview!