Stephen Sondheim famously resisted the idea of creating a simple “greatest hits” revue.
When producer Cameron Mackintosh first approached him in the early 1970s about assembling an evening of his songs, Sondheim reportedly worried that removing them from their dramatic contexts would expose them as little more than clever exercises.
The irony, of course, is that “Side by Side by Sondheim” became one of the clearest demonstrations of just how emotionally and musically rich his work truly is. Stripped of scenery, plot machinery, and Broadway spectacle, the songs either survive on their own merits or they don’t. Fifty years later, they still do.
At Long Beach Landmark Theatre, the current production of “Side by Side by Sondheim” embraces that exact idea. The evening is, first and foremost, about the music. And vocally, this company delivers in exactly the way audiences familiar with Landmark have likely come to expect.
The harmonies are lush, the phrasing thoughtful, and the sheer commitment to musicality throughout the 26 member ensemble is genuinely impressive. There were moments during the evening where I found myself hearing chords and internal vocal textures I had honestly never noticed before, perhaps because these songs are so often encountered within the context of fully staged musicals, sung by actors who sing rather than singers who act.
The Long Beach Landmark Theatre’s production of “Side by Side by Sondheim” is on show through May 17, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Landmark Theatre).
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The Long Beach Landmark Theatre’s production of “Side by Side by Sondheim” is on show through May 17, 2026. (Photo courtesy of Landmark Theatre).
That distinction matters here. Oh, and the genius of Music Director Curtis Heard.
Because while the acting throughout the revue is admittedly uneven, it is also largely beside the point. Some performances land with razor-sharp specificity while others feel more generalized or tentative. But this is community theatre in the truest sense of the phrase, and Landmark’s mission has long centered on inclusivity and participation as much as polish.
The point is not perfection. The point is community. And there is something undeniably moving about watching a large, diverse company tackle material this musically and emotionally sophisticated together.
Particularly stellar work came from George Carson, Lisa Bode Heard, Briana Bonilla, Jade Dodgen, Anna Shimanek, Malakai Howard, Mark Wheeler, Cole Whiter, Matt and Eliot Winkler, and Brooke Wittenmeier, all of whom found ways to balance Sondheim’s wit with genuine emotional grounding.
Special mention must also go to director Meagan O’Toole, whose staging and movement work throughout the production is quietly excellent. One of O’Toole’s great gifts as a director is her understanding that movement for non-dancers need not become stiff, repetitive, or embarrassingly simplistic.
Instead, she creates naturalistic physical vocabulary that allows performers to move with grace while still feeling human. The result is a stage picture that continually shifts and breathes with the music without ever becoming over-choreographed.
Less successful was some of the interstitial dialogue connecting the songs. Whether newly written for this specific production or heavily adapted, the material repeatedly circled back to explaining how the revue aligned with Landmark’s mission statement, often while also referencing the company’s Spotify playlist. Some of this may have been intentionally tongue-in-cheek. Some of it may not have been.
Either way, the explanations occasionally felt unnecessary, as though the production did not entirely trust the audience to draw thematic connections on their own.
And truthfully, the connective dialogue matters far less than the company seems to think it does.
Because ultimately, the question is simple. Will audiences have a good time spending an evening side by side with this company and this music?
The answer is yes.
If you go
Where: Landmark Theatre, 241 Cedar Ave. (Inside First Congregational Church of Long Beach).
When: Through May 17.
Cost: Tickets start at $30.
Info: lblandmark.org.