What a privilege to get to see Stephen soundheims last show – ‘Here We Are.’
Soundheim is one of, or if not the best, the most successful playwrights of all time. His list of shows include the memorable and award winning ‘Sweeney Todd,’ ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum,’ ‘Follies,’ ‘Into the Woods’ and many more. He is also the subject of the most recent West End musical (now on Broadway) ‘Old Friends’ starring Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga (‘Miss Saigon’). ‘Old Friends’ includes unforgettable musical numbers and greatest hits written by Soundheim from ‘Sweeney Todd,’ ‘Company,’ ‘Into the Woods,’ and others. ‘Here We Are’ regrettably doesn’t have any memorable musical numbers, considering how long the show went from gestation to finalization (almost 10 years – being performed for the first time Off-Broadway in NYC in October 2023). The show program, which is a must buy, gives an excellent timeline of the making of this musical as told to New York Theatre Critic Frank Rich by playwright David Ives and the shows’ Director Joe Mantello – which is an excerpt from an article which appeared in an August 2023 issue of New York Magazine, which I read back then.
Over a decade, and after dozens and dozens of meetings with the master himself, Soundheim, and here we are with ‘Here We Are.’ So what is it about? Basically it’s about six people in search of food. Yes, this is what all these super talented men came up with. Wealthy Manhattanites, couples, singles, all eccentric, go from restaurant to restaurant (including one called ‘We Have Everything’ but which actually has nothing) where each one doesn’t have food! So they all wind up at the Italalian Embassy with the promise of a buffet, which indeed they get, but due to some sort of revolution taking place outside (all of a sudden) they are unable to leave the embassy and have to decamp there for an unlimited amount of time. To be honest, it’s all extremely very silly and extremely light and nothing near as good as any previous Soundheim show, or as good as any other West End show playing right now. The cast is largely wasted – they do their best with what they are given but the material is so bombastic that on every level they can’t succeed. Megastars Jane Krakowski and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are along for ride but Jane’s character has nothing else to do but just float around the stage. Chumisa Dornford-May is good as the rebellious Fritz, but once she falls for Mr. Soldier (Richard Fleeshman) all her credibility sinks.
‘Here We Are’ is a combination of two films: ‘The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie’ and ‘The Extermination Angel’, two films close to Soundheim’s heart. But it’s strange that this is what Soundheim chose to be his last work, though of course he didn’t know he was going to die (but he was 91and had cardiovascular disease and passed away in 2021). I recommend seeing it as a tribute to Soundheim, but definitely lower your expectations.
‘Here We Are’ is on at the National Theatre until June 26th, 2025.