Meg Flather
Hammerstein & Sondheim: Carefully Taught
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, September 10, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Meg Flather
Photo: Lennie Watts
Oscar Hammerstein and Stephen Sondheim were, respectively, foster father and son, mentor and student, philosopher and realist, lyricist and librettist, and lyricist and composer. Theirs was a relationship that helped to shape the future of musical theater. In her quite stunning new cabaret show, Hammerstein & Sondheim: Carefully Taught, Meg Flather explored this symbiotic partnership with her eloquent patter and her imaginative pairing of works by each creator. With the major contributions of music director Tracy Stark and the light touch of director Lennie Watts, the star offered her trademark mix of clarity, humor, warmth, and musicality. The packed house of her cabaret compatriots expressed their appreciation repeatedly throughout the show.
The evening kicked off with a leisurely delivered welcome by Flather (from the audience) as she sang a charming version of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” (Rodgers & Hammerstein). When she reached the stage, the music transitioned into the lovely “Sunday” (Sondheim)—two songs that deal with nature in its many colors and textures. This combination gave a strong hint of what was to come. Some of the numbers consisted of two complete songs that followed each other, and some interwove the melodies, as in a very funny merging of “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” (Hammerstein/Jerome Kern) and “You Gotta Have a Gimmick” (Jule Styne/Sondheim), which gave both Flather and Stark a rare chance to get a bit raucous. Then came a moving trio of songs that reflected on romance and marriage—a blend of “Something Wonderful” and “What’s the Use of Wond’rin’” (both by Rodgers & Hammerstein) followed by Sondheim’s “Sorry-Grateful.” Each of these was given subtle and incredibly moving readings by Flather that touched the hearts of the audience.
A brilliant mix of the title song from Allegro (Rodgers & Hammerstein) and “Rich and Happy” (Sondheim) demonstrated how both songwriters held a jaded view of the wealthy and famous in different generations. Flather and Stark dealt with the intricate shifting rhythms and the abundance of words with fine clarity. In the dramatic high point of the evening, the Flather embodied two powerful “outsider” characters from two of the masters’ works: Jud Fry (Oklahoma!) and Sweeney Todd. With enormous passion, but without undue theatrics, Flather sang Fry’s “Lonely Room” and Todd’s “Epiphany,” demonstrating the great compassion shown for these two outcasts. Chilling and yet moving, this was what cabaret is all about, and proved once again what a fine actor/singer Flather is. There were further delights, including a rarity— “The Sun Is Blue” from his musical Bad Tuesday, a totally unknown song by Sondheim that Stark had located. This was one of those rare cabaret shows where there wasn’t a single misstep. The entire evening glowed.
