Los Angeles Times
- Recommended
"...Salonga, however, is a model of restraint, allowing the lyrics to speak through her careful attention to Sondheim's scores. Matthew Bourne seems to have lavished all his genius as a director on the elegant musical staging, leaving the actors to their own devices. But Salonga proves that less is indeed more when backed by trust in the material and guided by the artistic precision of a naturally gifted wonder."
Stage and Cinema
- Recommended
"...When a show is billed as a tribute to Stephen Sondheim, expectations are sky-high. His music isn't just a collection of songs-it's a theatrical language of its own, intricate, intelligent, and deeply human. Undoubtedly a love letter to the late master, the revue-on-steroids Old Friends started as a one-night-only event in 2022 and then played a full run at the West End's Gielgud Theatre, which means what we saw at last night's opening at The Ahmanson-before it hits Broadway in March-is no doubt frozen. Which is a shame, because while it delivers stunning performances, breathtaking vocals and a nostalgia-fueled setlist that deserves a lot of praise, it is also wildly inconsistent in its presentation of Sondheim's oeuvre."
LA Splash
- Highly Recommended
"...With music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, skilled direction and musical staging by Matthew Bourne, and a 15-piece orchestra conducted by music director Annbritt du Chateau, OLD FRIENDS is clearly ready to dazzle and entertain audiences."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...Over three dozen of the greatest songs ever written for the musical theater stage, a cast of fifteen Broadway and West End vets headed by superstars Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga and backed by a fourteen-piece orchestra, and the most gorgeous of production designs add up to over two-and-a-half hours of musical theater bliss in Center Theatre Group’s pre-Broadway engagement of the smash West End revue Sondheim’s Old Friends."
TheaterMania
- Highly Recommended
"...In-between a successful West End run and an upcoming limited engagement on Broadway, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends has arrived at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles. A collaboration between Sondheim before his passing and London impresario Cameron Mackintosh, Old Friends offers a treasure trove of talent, led by two Broadway Icons, Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, that crystalizes the massive genius of the late composer."
Stage Raw
- Highly Recommended
"...While one never knows what goes on behind the scenes of any theatrical company, the performers display the camaraderie and ease of genuine old friends. The fact that everyone in the cast has their moment to shine may have something to do with it. Whatever the reason, we can bask in this faultless production, a fitting testament to a theatrical titan."
Ticket Holders LA
- Highly Recommended
"...There simply could not be a more fitting living tribute to the brilliance of Sondheim, the most important and celebrated composer and lyricist in the past sixty-plus years. The fully realized production, complete with its spectacular West End design elements, director Matthew Bourne working alongside Julia McKenzie, and featuring choreography by Stephen Mear, has transferred to the Ahmanson with much of its original British cast joined by some of the best performers working on the American stage today."
Larchmont Buzz
- Highly Recommended
"...Flash forward to 2022, and long-time collaborator Cameron Mackintosh opted to honor his friend with the aptly titled Old Friends, a two-hour revue of some of Sondheim’s enduring hits. What started in London three years ago has finally landed in the United States. Those fortunate enough to experience the Matthew Bourne-helmed production currently playing at Center Theatre Group’s Ahmanson Theatre will revel in a glorious viewing of many of Sondheim’s most powerful ballads and endearing up-tempos."
Broadway World
- Highly Recommended
"...That this is Peters’ Center Theatre Group debut is remarkable. How very splendid it is that she has brought so many skilled friends."
