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Review
Side By Side By Sondheim
by Scripps Ranch Theatre

How could you miss with a musical revue of Stephen Sondheim songs, a master songwriter whose work includes West Side Story, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Gypsy, Sweeney Todd, Company, Into the Woods, and too many others to mention? It would almost be too easy to use his most popular tunes, so Side By Side By Sondheim scarcely touches West Side Story and skips Into the Woods entirely, focusing instead on many of his lesser-known gems. And it’s still a great show!

Two piano accompanists (Dan Greenbush and Stewart Simon) accompany a nine-member company of wide-ranging comedic and vocal talent, with the show really shining during its comedy numbers. Appropriately, they start the show off with the whole team doing a Comedy Tonight (from Forum). A few of the most hilarious numbers feature Becky Biegelsen including her million-word-a-minute Getting Married Today as a soon-to-be bride with an awful lot of second thoughts, being joined by Chrissy Burns and Karin Reed Bamesberger in You Could Drive a Person Crazy from the same show (Company), and in We’re Gonna Be All Right as a great duet with Bob Himlin. Chrissy Burns and Teri Brown become plotting child starlets in If Momma Was Married from Gypsy, and from the same show there’s the big outrageous showstopper – You Gotta Get a Gimmick starring sexy strippers Chrissy Burns, Karin Reed Bamesberger, and Bob Himlin (in scantily-dressed drag).

A captivating stage presence throughout, Karin truly delivers in the razzle-dazzle Broadway Baby and the more somber Another Hundred People. Speaking of somber, there are a few tragic pieces to go with the comedy – nothing better than Teri Brown’s beautifully poignant rendition of Send in the Clowns from A Little Night Music. Anthony Longoria’s Being Alive and some great ensemble numbers including Side By Side By Side round out some of the highlights from Director Susan Hotchkiss Gullans’s successful production.

Next up for Scripps Ranch Theatre, look for local playwright Jim Caputo’s San Diego premiere of Maternal Spirits!

Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill

~ Cast ~

Karin Reed Bamesberger
Becky Biegelsen
Teri Brown
Chrissy Burns
Jessica Rae Butler
Brett Daniels
Bob Himlin
Anthony Longoria
Rebecca Suebert

Director: Sandy Hotchkiss Gullans
Musical Director: Dan Greenbush
Choreographer: Chrissy Burns
Stage Manager: Cornell Ellison
Set Designer: Raylene J. Wall
Lighting Designer: Scott Padrick
Costumer: Cindy Cestinske