Review: A TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN SONDHEIM at Old Council House Vienna

Stephen Sondheim is one of Musical Theatre's most splendid of all time. He gifted us with numerous shows full of hit songs everyone is familiar with. Sondheim sadly passed away, but his work will live forever on. He changed Musical Theatre for good. He taught us that Musical Theatre could be funny and witty at the same time, musicalcocktail, together with René Rumpold ( Tony in West Side Story on Broadway), invited into Vienna's beautiful Old Council House for their Tribute to Stephen Sondheim. An evening filled with some more and some less famous Sondheim Songs. Rumpold has chosen Shlomit Butbul to join him on this journey. Together with Johannes Terne as the Narrator and Barbara Rektenwald at the piano, they presented a colorful repertoire to pay tribute to Sondheims Genius. From West Side Story, where rumor has it, Sondheim has written more than "just" the lyrics, to Follies, Passion, Company, and many more, Butbul and Rumpold ( with the slight handicap of a sore throat) knew what it means to perform Sondheim. It is more than just music, there is something deeper, something mysterious, more than just words and notes. It is a meaning, something that touches you deep inside. Sondheim composed Musical for those ready to dig deeper because it is so much more than only for the clowns. Let's hope for another evening like this because it is like ice cream with Sondheim. Once you get started, you can't get enough of it.

Wolfgang Springer from musicalcocktail, Johannes Terne, Shlomit Butbil, René Rumpold and Barbara Rektenwald