Putting It Together
Encyclopedia
Putting it Together is a musical
revue
showcasing the songs of Stephen Sondheim
. Drawing its title from a song in Sunday in the Park with George
, it was devised by Sondheim and Julia McKenzie
. The revue received several productions beginning with its premiere in England in 1992 and finally on Broadway
in 1999.
. Having resisted a new show, he was finally convinced by producer Cameron Mackintosh
, and Julia McKenzie was brought in to assist.
Putting It Together was first performed on January 27, 1992 at the Old Fire Station Theatre in Oxford, England, where it ran for 24 performances. Directed by Julia McKenzie and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, the cast included Diana Rigg
, Clive Carter
, Claire Moore
, Clarke Peters
, and Kit Hesketh-Harvey
.
production opened on April 1, 1993 at New York City Center
, where it ran for 59 performances and 37 previews. It was directed by McKenzie and choreographed by Bob Avian
, with scenery by Robin Wagner
, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge
, and lighting by Tharon Musser
. The cast included Stephen Collins
, Christopher Durang
, Michael Rupert
, Rachel York
, and Julie Andrews
, making her return to the New York City stage after an absence of more than 30 years.
The markedly revised revue now had a slight plot: At an all-night, black-tie party in a penthouse, an older couple (Andrews and Collins) face their disillusions and marital troubles; a younger, less jaundiced couple (Rupert and York), and a commentator (Durang). The spouses deal with infidelity and divorce but finally reconcile before dawn. A double-compact disc
recording was released by RCA Records
.
(Los Angeles
, California
), from October 22, 1998 to December 6, 1998. The cast included Carol Burnett
, John McCook
, John Barrowman
, Susan Egan
, and Bronson Pinchot
. This production transferred to Broadway
, opening on November 21, 1999 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
, where it ran for 101 performances and 22 previews. It was directed by Eric D. Schaeffer
and choreographed by Bob Avian, with the cast featuring Burnett (The Wife), Barrowman (The Younger Man) and Pinchot (The Observer) reprising their roles, with George Hearn
(The Husband) and Ruthie Henshall
(The Younger Woman), with Kathie Lee Gifford
replacing Burnett at some performances. The production marked the return of Burnett to the Broadway stage after performing in Moon Over Buffalo
in 1995. Hearn was nominated for the Tony Award
for Best Actor in a Musical.
A taping of a live performance is available on both videotape
and DVD
as Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway
At the final show, Burnett's skirt fell down during the song "Back in Business", which was included in the DVD.
Act II
Act II
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
showcasing the songs of Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
. Drawing its title from a song in Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George
Sunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
, it was devised by Sondheim and Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie
Julia McKenzie is an English actress, singer, and theatre director. She is best-known for her performance in Fresh Fields, but to current television audiences, she is best known for her role as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple...
. The revue received several productions beginning with its premiere in England in 1992 and finally on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1999.
Original UK production
The revue came about due to many requests for a new version of Sondheim's 1976 revue, Side by Side by SondheimSide By Side By Sondheim
Side by Side by Sondheim is a musical revue featuring the songs of Broadway and film composer Stephen Sondheim. Its title is derived from the song "Side by Side by Side" from Company.-History:...
. Having resisted a new show, he was finally convinced by producer Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
, and Julia McKenzie was brought in to assist.
Putting It Together was first performed on January 27, 1992 at the Old Fire Station Theatre in Oxford, England, where it ran for 24 performances. Directed by Julia McKenzie and produced by Cameron Mackintosh, the cast included Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
, Clive Carter
Clive Carter
Clive Carter is a British actor and singer.Carter studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. His West End theatre credits include Someone Like You with Petula Clark, A Man for All Seasons with Martin Shaw, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Brendan Fraser and Ned Beatty, We Will Rock You, I...
, Claire Moore
Claire Moore (singer)
Claire Moore is an English soprano singer and actress, best known for her leading role as Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and as Ellen in "Miss Saigon"....
, Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters
Clarke Peters is an American actor, singer, writer and director best known for his role as Detective Lester Freamon on the HBO drama The Wire.-Early life:...
, and Kit Hesketh-Harvey
Kit Hesketh-Harvey
Christopher John "Kit" Hesketh Harvey is a British musical comic performer, translator, composer and scriptwriter.Born in Nyasaland , he was educated as senior chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and then Tonbridge School in Kent before moving on as a choral scholar under John Rutter to Clare...
.
Original Broadway production
The Manhattan Theatre ClubManhattan Theatre Club
Manhattan Theatre Club is a theater company located in New York City. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Lynne Meadow and Executive Producer Barry Grove, Manhattan Theatre Club has grown since its founding in 1970 from an Off-Off Broadway showcase into one of the country’s most acclaimed...
production opened on April 1, 1993 at New York City Center
New York City Center
New York City Center is a 2,750-seat Moorish Revival theater located at 131 West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in Manhattan, New York City. It is one block south of Carnegie Hall...
, where it ran for 59 performances and 37 previews. It was directed by McKenzie and choreographed by Bob Avian
Bob Avian
Bob Avian is an American choreographer and a theatre producer and director.Born in New York City, Avian's spent his early career dividing his time between dancing in such Broadway shows as West Side Story, Funny Girl, and Henry, Sweet Henry and working as a production assistant on projects like I...
, with scenery by Robin Wagner
Robin Wagner
Robin Wagner is an American figure skating coach. She was a competitive skater in the late-1970s and competed at the United States Figure Skating Championships at the Novice and Junior levels. She trained with Sonia Dunfield, Peter Dunfield, and Gustav Lussi....
, costumes by Theoni V. Aldredge
Theoni V. Aldredge
Theoni V. Aldredge was a Greek-American stage and screen costume designer.Born Theoni Athanasiou Vachlioti in Thessaloniki in 1922, Aldredge received her training at the American School in Athens. She emigrated to the United States in 1949 and attended the Goodman Theatre at DePaul University,...
, and lighting by Tharon Musser
Tharon Musser
Tharon Musser was an American lighting designer who worked on more than 150 Broadway productions. She was termed the "Dean of American Lighting Designers" and is considered one of the pioneers in her field....
. The cast included Stephen Collins
Stephen Collins
Stephen Weaver Collins is an American actor, writer, and singer. He is perhaps best known for playing the role of Eric Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven and more recently as Dr. Dayton King on the ABC TV series No Ordinary Family.-Early life:Collins was born in Des Moines,...
, Christopher Durang
Christopher Durang
Christopher Ferdinand Durang is an American playwright known for works of outrageous and often absurd comedy. His work was especially popular in the 1980s.- Life :...
, Michael Rupert
Michael Rupert
Michael John Rupert is an American actor, singer, director and composer.Rupert made his Broadway debut in 1968 in Kander and Ebb's The Happy Time where he received his first Tony nomination...
, Rachel York
Rachel York
Rachel York is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in City of Angels, The Scarlet Pimpernel, Les Misérables, Victor Victoria, Kiss Me, Kate, Sly Fox, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels...
, and Julie Andrews
Julie Andrews
Dame Julia Elizabeth Andrews, DBE is an English film and stage actress, singer, and author. She is the recipient of Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, BAFTA, People's Choice Award, Theatre World Award, Screen Actors Guild and Academy Award honors...
, making her return to the New York City stage after an absence of more than 30 years.
The markedly revised revue now had a slight plot: At an all-night, black-tie party in a penthouse, an older couple (Andrews and Collins) face their disillusions and marital troubles; a younger, less jaundiced couple (Rupert and York), and a commentator (Durang). The spouses deal with infidelity and divorce but finally reconcile before dawn. A double-compact disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
recording was released by RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
.
Broadway revival
A production ran at the Mark Taper ForumMark Taper Forum
The Mark Taper Forum is a 739 seat thrust stage at the Los Angeles Music Center built by Welton Becket and Associates on the Bunker Hill section of downtown Los Angeles...
(Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
), from October 22, 1998 to December 6, 1998. The cast included Carol Burnett
Carol Burnett
Carol Creighton Burnett is an American actress, comedian, singer, dancer and writer. Burnett started her career in New York. After becoming a hit on Broadway, she made her television debut...
, John McCook
John McCook
John McCook is an American actor best known for his roles on daytime soap operas.-Career:Since 1987, he has played the role of Eric Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful. From 1976 to February 1980, he portrayed the character of Lance Prentiss on The Young and the Restless. In addition, he has...
, John Barrowman
John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
, Susan Egan
Susan Egan
Susan Egan is an American actress and singer known for her work on the Broadway stage.-Early life and career:Egan was born in Seal Beach, California. She attended Orange County High School of the Arts and UCLA. In the meantime she started her career touring with the performance group The Young...
, and Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Pinchot
Bronson Alcott Pinchot is an American actor. He has appeared in several feature films, including Risky Business, Beverly Hills Cop , The First Wives Club, True Romance, Courage Under Fire and It's My Party...
. This production transferred to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
, opening on November 21, 1999 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre
Ethel Barrymore Theatre
The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 243 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan, named for actress Ethel Barrymore....
, where it ran for 101 performances and 22 previews. It was directed by Eric D. Schaeffer
Eric D. Schaeffer
Eric D. Schaeffer is a theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia.He is the co-founder and Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for small black box venues...
and choreographed by Bob Avian, with the cast featuring Burnett (The Wife), Barrowman (The Younger Man) and Pinchot (The Observer) reprising their roles, with George Hearn
George Hearn
George Hearn is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway musical theatre.-Early years:Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before he embarked on a career in the theater, training for the stage with actress turned acting...
(The Husband) and Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall
Valentine Ruth Henshall , better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986...
(The Younger Woman), with Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford
Kathie Lee Gifford is an American television host, singer, songwriter and actress, best known for her 15-year run on the talk show Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, which she co-hosted with Regis Philbin...
replacing Burnett at some performances. The production marked the return of Burnett to the Broadway stage after performing in Moon Over Buffalo
Moon Over Buffalo
Moon Over Buffalo is a 1995 comic play by Ken Ludwig set in Buffalo, New York in 1953. This play marked the return of Carol Burnett to the Broadway stage, after 30 years.- Characters :*George Hay, a traveling actor....
in 1995. Hearn was nominated for the Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for Best Actor in a Musical.
A taping of a live performance is available on both videotape
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
as Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway
Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway
Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway is a 2001 film of the Broadway production of the musical revue Putting It Together as captured live in performance on Broadway featuring the show's original Broadway cast...
At the final show, Burnett's skirt fell down during the song "Back in Business", which was included in the DVD.
Original production
Act I- Invocation and Instructions (The Frogs)
- Putting It Together (Sunday in the Park with George)
- Rich and Happy (Merrily We Roll Along)
- Merrily We Roll Along (Merrily We Roll Along)
- Lovely (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
- Everybody Ought to Have a Maid (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
- Sequence:
- Sooner or Later (Dick Tracy)
- I'm Calm (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
- Impossible (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
- Ah, But Underneath ...! (Follies - London)
- Hello Little Girl (Into the Woods)
- My Husband the Pig/ Every Day a Little Death (A Little Night Music)
- Have I Got a Girl for You (Company)
- Pretty Women (Sweeney Todd)
- Now (A Little Night Music)
- Bang! (A Little Night Music)
- Country House (Follies - London)
- Could I Leave You? (Follies)
Act II
- Entr'acte/ Back in Business (Dick Tracy)
- Rich and Happy (Merrily We Roll Along)
- Night Waltzes (A Little Night Music-stage and film)
- Gun Song (Assassins)
- The Miller's Son (A Little Night Music)
- Live Alone and Like It (Dick Tracy)
- Sorry-Grateful (Company)
- Sweet Polly Plunkett (Sweeney Todd)
- I Could Drive a Person Crazy (Company)
- Marry Me a Little (Company)
- Getting Married Today (Company)
- Being Alive (Company)
- Like It Was (Merrily We Roll Along)
- Old Friends (Merrily We Roll Along)
Broadway production (1999)
Act I- Invocation and Instructions to the Audience (from The FrogsThe Frogs (musical)The Frogs is a musical "freely adapted" by Stephen Sondheim and Burt Shevelove from The Frogs, an Ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in Yale University's gymnasium's swimming pool in 1974....
) — The Observer - Putting It Together (from Sunday in the Park with GeorgeSunday in the Park with GeorgeSunday in the Park with George is a 1984 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical was inspired by the painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" by Georges Seurat...
) —The Company - Rich and Happy (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Company
- Do I Hear a Waltz? (from Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz?Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally...
) — The Wife, The Husband - Merrily We Roll Along #1 (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Observer
- Lovely (from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
) — TheYounger Woman, the Older Woman - Hello Little Girl (from Into the WoodsInto the WoodsInto the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It debuted in San Diego at the Old Globe Theatre in 1986, and premiered on Broadway in 1987. Bernadette Peters' performance as the Witch and Joanna Gleason's portrayal of the Baker's Wife brought acclaim...
) — The Husband, The Younger Woman - My Husband the Pig (from A Little Night MusicA Little Night MusicA Little Night Music is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a literal English translation of the German name for Mozart's Serenade...
) — The Wife - Everyday a Little Death (from A Little Night Music) — The Wife, the Younger Woman
- Everybody Ought to Have a Maid (from A Funny Thing Happened On The Way to the Forum) — The Wife, The Observer
- Have I Got a Girl for You (from CompanyCompany (musical)Company is a musical with a book by George Furth and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The original production was nominated for a record-setting fourteen Tony Awards and won six....
) — The Younger Man, The Husband - Pretty Women (from Sweeney ToddSweeney Todd (musical)Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street is a 1979 musical thriller with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and libretto by Hugh Wheeler. The musical is based on the 1973 play Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Christopher Bond....
) — The Younger Man, The Husband - Sooner or Later (from Dick Tracy) — The Younger Woman
- Bang! (from A Little Night Music) — The Younger Man, The Observer, The Younger Woman
- Country House (from FolliesFolliesFollies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
) — The Wife, the Husband - Unworthy of Your Love (from AssassinsAssassins (musical)Assassins is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by John Weidman, based on an idea by Charles Gilbert, Jr. It uses the premise of a murderous carnival game to produce a revue-style portrayal of men and women who attempted to assassinate Presidents of the United States...
) — The Younger Man, the Younger Woman - Merrily We Roll Along #2 (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Observer
- Could I Leave You? (from Follies) — The Wife
- Rich and Happy (Reprise) — The Company
Act II
- Back in Business (from Dick Tracy) — The Company
- It's Hot Up Here (from Sunday in the Park with George) — The Company
- The Ladies Who Lunch (from Company) — The Wife
- The Road You Didn't Take (from Follies) — The Husband
- Live Alone and Like It (from Dick Tracy) — The Younger Man
- More (from Dick Tracy) — The Younger Woman
- There's Always a Woman (from Anyone Can WhistleAnyone Can WhistleAnyone Can Whistle is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents and music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. The story concerns a corrupt mayoress, an idealistic nurse, a man who may be a doctor, and various officials, patients and townspeople, all fighting to save a bankrupt town...
) — The Wife, The Younger Woman - Buddy's Blues (from Follies) — The Observer
- Good Thing Going (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Husband
- Marry Me a Little (from Marry Me A LittleMarry Me A Little (musical)Marry Me A Little is a musical with lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim, conceived by Craig Lucas and Norman René. The revue sets songs cut from Sondheim's better-known musicals to a dialogue-free plot about the relationship between two lonely New York single people, who are in emotional conflict...
, originally from Company) — The Younger Man - Not Getting Married Today (from Company) — The Wife
- Merrily We Roll Along #3 (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Company
- Being Alive (from Company) — The Company
- Like It Was (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Wife
- Old Friends (from Merrily We Roll Along) — The Company