Steven Ferezy and Byron St. Cyr

Sondheim and the City

The Duplex, NYC, March 19, 2018

Reviewed by Chris Struck for Cabaret Scenes

If you ever imagined that Carrie Bradshaw might have anything in common with Sweeney Todd, then you probably have thought about what would have happened if Stephen Sondheim put together the score for a Sex and the City musical. Well, enter Sondheim and the City, a clever fusion of two distinct New York faves by talented singing duo Steven Ferezy and Byron St. Cyr. With as much panache as customary for anyone inspired to live their lives through divas like Samantha Jones, they stormed the stage with a wise concoction of Sondheim’s best, married to iconic scenes from the classic TV series. While they read directly from notes, they sang altered Sondheim songs to absolute perfection to bring this witty masterpiece to life. As I’ve only chanced upon a couple of episodes of the show myself, I have to say I was impressed by how easily Ferezy and St. Cyr made their work understandable.

There were a lot of good options to choose from as far as highlights go. Ferezy has a clean vocal range and St. Cyr can hold a note. Charlotte and Miranda got their own little bits, beside jokes about Carrie’s relationships, but possibly my two favorite moments came from “Samantha” songs. Lines like “Times is hard!” took on new meaning alongside lines like “This is probably the worst spunk in midtown” in the alteration of the classic “The Worst Pies in London.” The lead-up lines from the show about describing what was wrong with this new guy made for a good set-up, too. My other favorite was “Maria,” where instead of Tony singing about the love of his life, Samantha was singing about the Brazilian lesbian who taught her some new things in the bedroom.

Bryson Baumgartel took on the role of pianist/music director for the evening. He handled the challenges of various altered Sondheim songs very well, reminding me easily of why the intensity of Sweeney’s opening still echoes through my ear drums randomly — that, and why I appreciate that there will always be “The Ladies Who Lunch” (Company). If I would have one gripe, it would be that it seemed like the thread of Sondheim and the City’s story didn’t go much further than to effectively describe the different characters from the show. Definitely entertaining. I’d be curious to see it again in its current form, or to see if a Sondheim and the City 2.0 awaits us.