Preview: ‘Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends’ Reuniting for North American premiere at the Ahmanson

Beginning Feb. 8th, Los Angeles will be in for an unforgettable treat when the hallowed musical history of one of theatre’s greatest giants in Stephen Sondheim will be feted by a revue of Old Friends for the first time in North America.

Following the passing of the genius composer and lyricist in Nov. 2021, Sondheim’s immense influence on the world of musical theatre continues to be celebrated not just via revivals of Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, West Side Story, Sunday in the Park with George, Merrily We Roll Along, etc., but Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, a tribute conglomeration of performers and acts, conceived by long-time friend Cameron Mackintosh. The Sondheim-Mackintosh partnership germinated the concept of a one-night-only gala on May 3, 2022 at London’s Sondheim Theatre, directed by ballet powerhouse Matthew Bourne whose vision (alongside Julia McKenzie) persists. The overwhelming success of that evening led to a 16-week run of the “great big Broadway show” at the nearby Gielgud Theatre, where it solidified itself as a critical and audience favorite, earning rave reviews for its heartfelt homage to the inimitable legend.

Now, Old Friends is embarking on its North American premiere at the Ahmanson Theatre through March 9th (before soon making its way to Broadway’s Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on March 29th). Featuring a sterling cast, headlined by the returning two-time Tony Award-winner Bernadette Peters and Tony Award-recipient Lea Salonga — with Bonnie Langford, Jeremy Secomb, Gavin Lee, Jason Pennycooke, Joanna Riding, and others — the extravaganza weaves some of Sondheim’s most beloved songs with personal stories and reflections on his extraordinary career. The cast of 19, moreover, features admirable talent like Daniel Yearwood, whose Broadway credits include Hamilton, Once on This Island, and Sweeney Todd.

As Old Friends makes its momentous stop in L.A., Yearwood and his fellow performers are indubitably part of a unique moment in theatre lore where, with a metaphorical tip of their top hats, they are in a position to not only further immortalize Sondheim’s legacy, but remind attendees of their own elite and, in some cases, hall-of-fame-worthy artistry.

We recently caught up with Yearwood about his role in the show, his experience working with such an esteemed team, and what it feels like to be part of such a special song-and-dance jamboree.

How did this show come to your attention and what led to you being cast in it?

Yearwood: I believe it was around April or May when the show popped up my radar [after the successful West End run]. I went in multiple times, and my final call back was in July when I got wind of being confirmed as part of the company and I was then sitting on my thumbs waiting for the news to be announced [laughs].

I was part of the 2023 revival of Sweeney Todd, and it was an experience that changed my life. There were more lessons I learned about how much of a brilliant artist Sondheim was, and how much his work challenges us as artists with the meticulous detail [in his work]. He has a roadmap for every actor and to see how Cameron [Mackintosh] and Hal Prince knew the richness of his work, and brought them to fruition, has been a blessing. It was also a blessing to be part of that revival, and on the tail end of that was the audition process.

I don’t want to spoil too much, but Act II is a medley of portions of shows and Act II is more of a grab bag of certain pieces — and all of it is an incredible ode to this man and his brilliant work.

I remember when I was in the audition room. I ran into a couple people that are in the company today and it has been great to reunite and see familiar faces as we’ve now moved into tech. It’s been a wonderful experience; the creative team has been fantastic. Our music director [McKenzie] is a certified genius, and her attention to detail is to the degree that Sondheim would’ve wanted where everything is intentional. And again, Sondheim paints a roadmap for you where the words do much for you and it’s about elevating them.

Witnessing the entire company of artists has been wonderfully profound; it’s been a masterclass to observe everyone’s brilliance.

This production has such a rich history, with its origins stemming from Cameron Mackintosh and Sondheim’s long-time friendship. How has that sense of history influenced your approach to the show?

Yearwood: In some ways as an actor with an affinity for theatre and this art form, there’s something about how, in movies, you have a screenplay; with plays, it’s mostly dialogue. You might have music with something like Stereophonic which won five Tonys — and music is such an integral part of that production.

As actors, we have roles that are just speaking; and, when we can’t speak anymore, we sing, and when singing isn’t enough, we dance. In this particular medium, in which we tell stories, Sondheim is indeed the genius at cultivating works that express a full array of emotions — what it means to be alive, pun intended. There’s a rich life to each of his characterizations of songs.

Ironicially, with [Mackintosh and Sondheim’s] relationship, it’s beautiful knowing the show is called Old Friends — and funny anecdote, my introduction to Sondheim was the Merrily We Roll Along cast recording. I remember being so enamored with how the story started at the end and worked its way back to the beginning. And in some ways, with this show — I won’t say the song list chronologically does that, per se — we have an idea of who Sondheim was as Cameron really knew him. Now he [Sondheim] is no longer with us, to be celebrating him in this way at the end; but, to work our way back to the origins of where their relationship started is really moving.

Was that your first exposure to Sondheim ever — the Merrily We Roll Along cast recording? 

Yearwood: Yes and no. It’s the first one I was aware of when I was in college and took a script-and-score course.

I started theatre relatively late; I went to the Bronx High School of Science, and I always loved music — I was a drummer for most of my life and I saw my best friend play Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls, and I wanted to give singing, acting, and dancing a shot. I went over to Rutgers Summer Acting Conservatory for a five-week intensive where I fell in love. And from there, I auditioned for college and got into Pace University, where we had a course called Script-and-Score Analysis.

I really didn’t know what I was doing, so I was assigned this particular score (Merrily We Roll Along) and fell in love immediately and had to go look up everything else this man had done. Most of the themes fell over my head, but I did see Sweeney Todd with Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter when I was in middle school — and revisiting it in college, I learned it’s really quite dark and not just Jack Sparrow running around in gothic garb [laughs]. But I also saw it was beautifully profound, and to revisit it again when I was cast in the show — I will never forget listening to that score. And one of the most pivotal songs in my opinion, which sounds sonically out of the ordinary, is ‘By the Sea’ in Act II. You have this operatic score and ‘By the Sea’ sounds like much of the music of that era in musical theatre canon. It’s also one of the few times we see Mrs. Lovett dream; she’s gotten to a place where her love might thrive. It’s a genius way to end Act I and then you have Act II showing a relationship with embers and hope, which also sets up the devastation that is to come an hour later.

[Ultimately,] we all come together for a few hours to experience something. We can reflect, feel comfort, grief, joy, love — and growth is always a choice. Franklin Shepard (of Merrily We Roll Along) isn’t necessarily the most favorable character in Sondheim’s canon, but his song ‘Growing Up’ influences a good portion of this chapter of my life in that we all have a choice to make. Life is made of choices, life is made of moments, and it’s in the moments when the choices define us. The choices can change — and to know Cameron knew who to choose, and to know Sondheim chose him as well, is really beautiful.

Can you share a bit about your role in Old Friends?

Yearwood: So, I am…Into the Woods is kind of a cacophony; a lot of people are doing different things and it’s not always specifically tracked to the original source material, but one piece that would be is ‘Tonight’ (from West Side Story), the Act II opener. I’m playing Riff alongside Kyle Selig, Jacob Dickey, Maria Wirries, and Jasmine Forsberg — the quintet. The harmonies and the full orchestra sound incredible — I cannot wait.

I do a few covers; I’m covering Rapunzel’s Prince (of Into the Woods) and Buddy in ‘Buddy’s Blues’ (from Follies). But for the most part, I’m part of an ensemble here. One of my favorite moments in the show is when I sing at the end of ‘A Weekend in the Country’ (from A Little Night Music) — it’s an epic. When you notice some of the motifs Sondheim uses — the end of Company and the end of ‘A Weekend in the Country’ are much the same; it’s this cacophony of so much happening. There’s a jump to ‘We all need to be heard; we’re all here.’

I’m very much excited to witness so much brilliance from the wings and know the material is in very good hands, and I’m delighted to share it with the L.A. community after everything that has gone on in the last couple of weeks. Hope, light, and joy is what this show can bring to the community — and then we’ll bring it to New York City.

You’ve worked in a range of theatrical settings. How does performing in a star-studded ensemble cast like this compare to your past experiences?

Yearwood: First and foremost, comparison is the thief of joy. I think there’s a unique brilliance to every piece of work I’ve been a part of. What has been unique about this is playing in a sandbox and creating alongside these amazing artists and seeing how they build roles from the ground up.

This is the first chance I’ve gotten to originate a Broadway show, so that has had its unique set of challenges, but ‘wonder’ is always something I hold on to; there’s never a cap that exists as there is always more to play with. To see how much has changed for myself and other cast members has been a wonderful learning experience.

When we talk about relationships and collaborators, there are a few more fervent in today’s age than [someone like] Lin-Manuel Miranda in the Hamilton world; I got to be in it in 2019 and to be part of such a historical show felt like a moment when theatre was providing hope, light, and joy even when dealing with difficult conversations.

This concept of Old Friends — we can make new ones, some we keep, some we have to let go of. Friendship is the thing, and empathy is what I hope we hold on to keep us tied together in terms of humanity reaching a different level of fruition.

Have you had any one-on-one time with Bernadette Peters or Lea Salonga, not necessarily onstage but perhaps backstage, and have you gotten any pieces of wisdom from them?

Yearwood: I’ll never forget my 2018 Broadway debut in Once on This Island. Lea and I had crossed paths for a week and then she left and came back for the closing two weeks of the show. Getting to know her then, and now revisiting that time through this process, if there’s anything I’ve gotten to know about Lea is that she’s really disciplined but, boy, is she a joker [laughs].

As far as Bernadette is concerned, I haven’t had a chance to have much one-on-one time with her, but part of it is I had just gotten over a cold at the beginning of this process. I thought, ‘You are a leading lady and I’m going to give you the space you need,’ but I hope I can have interactions with such a legend. And even though I haven’t had as much time, it’s great to see her command the stage during two numbers — one in Act I, one in Act II — where it’s just her. There’s a moment in Act II I’ve laughed every time she’s run it without fail — and sometimes it’s the exact scene and sometimes she switches it up a bit.

There’s so much power in stillness, there’s power in intention of whatever movement you’re making. At her age, when she’s being super physical, it’s for the back of the house. People will be amazed to see the shape she’s in.

Is there anything you’d like to touch on that I didn’t ask you?

Yearwood: We’ve touched on the importance of Old Friends for this community — and empathy is the thing I hope we all continue to hold on to.

When coming to see this show, be open-minded and know we’re not trying to do each of these shows individually but as a revue. If you’re a Sondheim aficionado, or just a lover of theatre, it’s going to warm your heart. You’re going to laugh, you’ll probably cry, and joy is at the center of it all. The show rejoices Sondheim’s life and legacy.

Cover image caption: Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga with the company of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends. Photo by Danny Kaan.

For further information on the North American premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, visit centertheatregroup.org.