Putting It Together (1993 New York Cast)
A follow-up of sorts to 1976's revueSide by Side by Sondheim,Putting It Togetherused a thin narrative to piece together as many Sondheim songs as possible. Returning to the New York stage, Julie Andrews didn't let her admirers down, even though her ladylike, clipped phrasing can obscure emotion on songs such as "Every Day a Little Death." (Of course, this is also exactly why her expletive on "A Little Priest" provides such an exciting little frisson.) Rachel York proves to be a more interesting Sondheim interpreter, while Christopher Durang's grating interpretation of "I Could Drive a Person Crazy" could do precisely that. None of these versions is definitive, but the compilation might work as a handy tool for those who don't want to pull out each separate CD from the shelves.--Elisabeth Vincentelli