Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall / Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close

Some songs are performed as originally conceived ("Ballad of Booth") while others are teased (Dorothy Loudon turns the sentimental "Losing My Mind into a comic tour de force by combining it with "You Could Drive a Person Crazy - and damn if it doesn't work!) and others are outright revamped (the Tonics' jazz up the usually quiet ballad "Good Thing Going" with "Company" snuck in the middle). This is theatrical caberet at its very best, with top performers putting a unique spin on great songs.

If you're positively married to the Original Broadway Soundtracks, you may get a shock from some of these versions. But anyone who can appreciate artistry will thoroughly enjoy the uniqueness of this production which leaves you breathless time and again. Glenn Close singing "Send in the Clowns" proves WHY this song has been redone by every hack on 8th Avenue, Liza Minnelli and Billy Stritch put a little oomph in Back in Business that Madonna sorely lacked, and Bernadette Peters' rendition of "Not a Day Goes By" shows exactly why this petite woman is a Broadway powerhouse.

And they're all doing it to the magic of Sondheim. This is not to be missed.

(Do wish they hadn't cut those extra songs thought... darn it.)

Bill Irwin's hilarious opening monologue apologized for Angela Lansbury not being on hand to host the celebration. This of course alluded to Ms. Lansbury's great success presiding over the Tony Award telecasts, and how she'd become everyone's first choice to host ALL theatrical events. The audience got the joke and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Irwin's routine. From all indications even Ms. Lansbury was amused; she happily narrated the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert at Carnegie Hall three years later.

Madeline Kahn delighted the crowd with her rendition of "Getting Married Today" and, based on the strength of her performance that night, was also invited to participate in the "Anyone Can Whistle" concert.

Other rousing highlights included (and this is just a partial list) Liza Minnelli's "Back In Business," Dorothy Loudon's "Losing My Mind"/"You Could Drive A Person Crazy," Patti LuPone's "Being Alive," Karen Ziemba & Bill Irwin's "Sooner Or Later," Patrick Cassidy & Victor Garber's "Ballad Of Booth," Bernadette Peters' "Not A Day Goes By," Harolyn Blackwell's "Green Finch & Linnet Bird," the New York City Opera's "Weekend In The Country," and Glenn Close's "Send In The Clowns." Paul Gemignani (Sondheim's conductor of choice) performed his usual magic with the orchestra, and - if that wasn't enough - a proud Stephen Sondheim appeared at the end to set up the evening's moving finale, "Sunday."

As you can imagine, this was a night of old-fashioned, full-throttle Broadway charisma. Truly an evening to remember!