Here We Are (was Square One) Sondheim & Ives - Off-Broadway

I'm so hopeful to see Pacific Overture in London in November. It's the completion of a bucket list.

I hope this new musical is inventive and satisfying. It does have to be Sondheim's best.

My top 5 favorite shows, in order.

Passion - Cried and felt satisfied on Broadway. London production added an intermission as Ball's arse, ugh!
Sweeney Todd - Scary as all. I can did a Sweeney London tour for a while. I also saw Tiny Todd at the Circle and while not great, it was fun.
Into The Woods - The original Broadway production was perfection. Those that followed not so much
A Little Night Music - Loved Dame Judi most at National. I was floored.
Company - Was too young to see original. Love both Raoul Esparza and Adrian Lester. Boyd Gaines in 1996 was also great as he was supported by Broadway legends or soon to be legends.

Lyric alert

“Life in this room, in this gor-geous God-damn room.” What is a theater, except a gorgeous goddamn room? And what are the audience and actors doing, living in that room together for a brief span, except attempting to separate themselves from the violence and ordinariness of life outside?"

Somebody's going for the Sondheim A-Levels for this production.

If you’ve got a multi region bluray player, you can get the Criterion version of Exterminating Angel on Bluray from Amazon for £26 at the moment: I’m going to the US next month but don’t know if I will be going out of my way to find copies of these films

I bought mine second hand on ebay. Im old and have a dvd player!

Snap! A few local charity shops sell 'art house' type dvds for a quid. Once my sources run dry then i might take out a film subscription to BFI or similar

I *think* every B&N has a Criterion section. But give them a call when you get into Vegas and they’ll tell you if they’re in stock.

Logo alert.

Interesting the last shows (Frogs, Road show and Here) all feature travel as a central component

I don’t know if it’s a good arbiter of taste but it seems to be generally getting good reviews on Broadway World, I’ve gone for one of the cheap(er) seats at the side but apparently there’s a bit where you need to be sitting central to properly see it and appreciate it but with the money I saved not getting one of those seats, I’ll have a nice dinner somewhere in downtown Manhattan and not get too tearful about what I missed (I’m sure there will be spoilers galore online about what I missed, if anything)

Saw this last night and enjoyed it but had very mixed feelings about it.

It’s certainly a show of two halves as had widely been reported, and the first half is wonderfully typically Sondheim. In fact, it’s so typically Sondheim that at times it can sound a bit like a parody or homage to his style. There are some brilliant standout numbers, though there’s nothing that truly builds to an emotional crescendo or an 11 o’clock moment: it’s all in clever wordplay and amusing phrasing “Little Things We Do Together” territory rather than evoking the emotional build of numbers like “Ladies Who Lunch” or “Being Alive”. The emotion of the piece is left to the (largely song-free) second half.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first act. The staging is clever, the design is quirky, the performances are top tier. I found the second half dragged a little and lost its focus through its absurdity at times. That’s not to say the absurd elements don’t work - when they work they work well - they just sometimes feel unexplained and unconnected to anything else either thematically or plot-wise.

Obviously it’s still early in previews so a lot could change, though given the unique circumstances I can’t see much tinkering happening with the first act as that is, in large part, the “Sondheim” half of the show. I understand the second act has already been tinkered with - including adding music to the very end where there previously was none - so I expect they’ll keep playing with it and will end up with a strong show.

Edited to add that, above all, it really feels like a privilege to be in that auditorium witnessing the very last “original” Sondheim creation. That in itself adds a layer of magic to the production.

anthony40 im not sure if the below post nicked from broadway world answers your question?

I think a reprise of Road Sequence is now added to the end but im really not sure.

Im guessing Proof and Take your places are underscore but again im really not sure!!!

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StylishCynic has replied (with title Sondheim/Ives HERE WE ARE @ The Shed)

The songs aren’t outlined in the program. It’s always a fun exercise to consider what the titles might be. Here’s my best guess:


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Act One

A Perfect Day - Ensemble

Toast I - Ensemble

I Am So Sorry - Man

Road Sequence I - Ensemble

It Is What It Is - Woman

Road Sequence II - Ensemble

Toast II - Ensemble

The Dream, or The End of The World - Soldier and Fritz

Road Sequence III - Ensemble

All I Want is a Job, or I’m a Terrible Priest - Bishop

A Perfect Day (Reprise) - Ensemble



Act Two

Eden, or Here We Are, or In This Room - Ensemble

The End of the World (Reprise) - Soldier and Fritz

Poof, or Remember This - Marianne

“Take Your Places” (Finale) - Ensemble

Thanks fluxcapacitor are the interludes, basic underscore such as 'On the river styx' where the orchestra plays quietly in the background? Or is it more structured and focused such as Nurse apples speech or Vanda's very commanding one at the end or Venus in fur ?

Sorry for the very random examples, they're the best I can think of from Sondheim and Ive's work