Saturday Night (1998 Original London Cast)
Since the lapse between Sondheim musicals is getting longer and longer, frustrated fans will welcome this CD with open arms. Out of the blue, or rather London's Bridewell Theatre, comes the very first recording of Sondheim's unproduced 1954 show, for which he wrote both music and lyrics. Set in 1929 Brooklyn (the British cast's accents are a little shaky), the show has aged surprisingly well. The best-known song, "What More Do I Need?," had appeared in theStephen Sondheim Eveningrevue and on Dawn Upshaw'sI Wish It So, but the rest of the score is surprisingly solid and funny.Saturday Night's easy, unprepossessing charm has aged rather well and should appeal not only to Sondheim fans but also to just about anybody who enjoys a minimalist 1950s musical.--Elisabeth Vincentelli