Sondheim's Swansong's Fascinating Farewell
Paul: “Anything but Mexican”
Raffael: “Why, what’s wrong with Mexican?”
Paul: “It’s too spicy”
Claudia: “It’s too cheese-y”
Paul: “And it always looks pre-eaten”
This musical has its origins in 1982 when Stephen Sondheim met the off Broadway playwright and director James Lapine. They were to work on a musical inspired by two films by the Mexican director Luis Buñuel, The Exterminating Angel and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie. Nothing happened for almost three decades until Sondheim asked playwright David Ives to work on another project. What we have now is director Joe Mantello on board.
The first act would be based on The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeiosie with six rich friendsmeeting up and searching for brunch. They are billionaire Leo Brink (a totally convincing and assertive American, Rory Kinnear), his interior designer wife Madeleine (Jane Krowkowski) and her rebellious kid sister Fritz (Chumisa Dornford-May).
Their guests are plastic surgeon Paul (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), a noisy and grasping talent agent Claudia (Martha Plimpton) and a charming and debonaire Casanova, Raffael Santello Di Santicci (Paulo Szot). Two stock characters from the Broadway cast, are the waiter/butler played by Denis O’Hare and the waitress by Tracie Bennett who provide much of the fun at the various cafés.
The first port of call is Café Everything where everything is off and should probably be called Café Nothing. As the waiter here, ironically called “your enabler”, Denis O’ Hare is a star act dealing with encyclopedic type menus and Leo’s order of an ”abalone Omelette with extra saffron”.
Still hungry, they move to a French Restaurant, Café a la Mode where the food is deconstructed and the waitress Tracie Bennett says that the chef Philippe has died and all is passé. We see Phlippe laid out on a dining table surrounded by mourning staff. On to the Italian Osteria Zero where they find themselves under military arrest as drug barons with Colonel Martin (Cameron Johnson) and his Lootenant, a highly muscular Richard Fleeshman. Cue some operatic music.
They relocate to Raffael’s tiny European corrupt duchy embassy where Raffael sings to Marianne, still clad in her morning negligée, how much he has to have her. In the Embassy is a bishop (Harry Hadden-Paton) with a penchant for designer shoes. They all sample the martinis to close Act One.
Tying both Buñuel films together Act Two sees the embassy darken into a more sinister place and one which they appear to be locked into. The butler Denis O’Hare starts to exploit the guests as he manifests villainous tendencies. He says, “This is laissez faire economics, I’m the lazy, you’re the fare.” Fritz will fall for Richard Fleeshman’s muscles. Everything descends into chaos in this less musical act.
David Zinn’s design for the embassy is amazingly intricate and detailed and his cafés are immediately recognisable. The music is Sondheim’s usual fare, not easy with its discordant harmony and switches from major to minor keys but of course with marvellously witty lyrics. I found Here We Are really enjoyable and quirky.
Musical Numbers
Act One
Here We Are (Overture)
The Road 1 (Part 1) – Who’s hungry?
The Road 1 (Part 2) – Are we not blessed?
The Road 1 (Part 3) – Only just the end of the world
Café Everything (Toast 1)
Waiter’s Song
The Road 2 – If it isn’t the food…
Bistro à La Mode (Toast 2)
It Is What It Is
The Road 3 – Such an afternoon
Osteria Zeno (Toast 3)
The Soldier’s Dream
The Road 4 (Part 1) – Did you leave a tip?
The Road 4 (Part 2) – Marianne…
Oh, Look, Here’s the Embassy!
Bishop’s Song
End of Act One
Act Two
Entr’acte
Digestion
Shine
Hesitation
Double Duet
Interlude 1: Marianne and the Bear
Interlude 2: Wandering
Interlude 3: Snow
Hesitation (Reprise)
Exit Music
Production Notes
Here We Are
Book by David Ives
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Directed by Joe Mantello
Cast
Starring:
Rory Kinnear
Richard Fleeshman
Alastair Brookshaw
Amira Matthews
Cameron Johnson
Denis O’Hare
Edward Baker-Duly
Harry Hadden-Paton
Jack Butterworth
Jane Krakowski
Martha Plimpton
Molly Lynch
Paulo Szot
Steven Serlin
Tracie Bennett
Chumisa Dornford-May
Jesse Tyler Ferguson
Creatives
Director: Joe Mantello
Choreographer: Sam Pinkleton
Designer: David Zinn
Musical Supervisor : Nigel Lilley
Lighting Designer: Natasha Katz
Sound Designer: Tom Gibbons
Orchestrator: Alexander Gemignani, Jonathan Tunick
Information
Running Time: Two hours 20 minutes with an interval
Booking until 28th June 2025
Theatre:
Lyttelton Theatre
Reviewed by Lizzie Loveridge
at the Lyttelton Theatre
on 29th May 2025
