Online Theatre: 'Buried Child', 'Putting It Together' and 'Daddy Long Legs'

Hey readers!
It's time for my mini-reviews of Buried Child, Putting It Together and Daddy Long Legs.

Buried Child

"Dodge and Halie are barely hanging on to their farmland and their sanity while looking after their two wayward grown sons. When their grandson Vince arrives with his girlfriend, no one seems to recognize him, and confusion abounds.  As Vince tries to make sense of the chaos, the rest of the family dances around a deep, dark secret. This wildly poetic and cuttingly funny take on the American family drama gleefully pulls apart the threadbare deluded visions of our families and our homes."

In this particular production, the role of Dodge is portrayed by Ed Harris, a role for which he received Lucille Lortel and Olivier Award nominations for. Harris was utterly outstanding in this role, and was highly believable from beginning to end. It was however Paul Sparks, as Tilden, that stole the show. Tilden is arguably the most challenging role in the whole piece, due to the character's apparent state of mental illness. In spite of this, Sparks excelled at creating a compelling characterisation, and was extremely convincing. In relation to the show's creative aspects, the scenic design by Derek McLane was yet another highlight, and proved to be rather effective.

Buried Child can be watched on BroadwayHD here (please note that a subscription is needed in order to view): Buried Child.

Putting It Together

"The show is a compilation of songs by Stephen Sondheim, including numbers from Follies, Company, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Dick Tracy, Merrily We Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George and others. The theme is a party and the songs cleverly weave a tale of action and reflection on, of course, the subject of relationships."

Whilst there are many composers and lyricists out there who I greatly commend, it is Stephen Sondheim that I have the most admiration for. Whilst there are many who trail closely behind, I genuinely believe that Sondheim is the greatest musical theatre composer, and I consequently found this to be an outstanding tribute to his legacy. Putting It Together is very cleverly put together (pun not intended), and features a good selection of songs from a variety of Sondheim classics, including the likes of Sweeney Todd and Sunday in the Park with George. Additionally, the slight plot added to interlink the songs was an intriguing feature, and helped to make the show even more entertaining. The cast of this production featured Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Ruthie Henshall and John Barrowman, all of which were magnificent. Each and every one of them had phenomenal voices, delivering faultless renditions of these iconic songs. They also had great chemistry with one another, creating an interesting dynamic onstage. 

Putting It Together can be watched on BroadwayHD here (please note that a subscription is needed in order to view): Putting It Together.

Daddy Long Legs

 "Set in turn-of-the-century New England, the musical tells the story of orphan Jerusha Abbott of the John Grier Home and her mysterious benefactor who agrees to send her to college, who she dubs "Daddy Long Legs" after seeing his elongated shadow. Under the conditions of her benefactor, Jerusha sends him a letter once a month, describing her new-found experiences with life outside the orphanage."

Daddy Long Legs has an exceedingly compelling story to it, telling a tale that is both humorous and heartwarming. It favourably reminded me of the classic Harnick and Bock musical 'She Loves Me', and certainly had a similar charm to it. The show's musical score by Paul Gordon is equally as enthralling as its story, and is truly marvellous. The show is almost entirely sung through, and Gordon does a remarkable job of conveying the story and characters through the lyrics. The show features only two characters, who in this instances were portrayed by Megan McGinnis and Adam Haplin; a real-life husband and wife duo. This may go without saying, but McGinnis and Haplin had very good chemistry with one another, and created pure magic when together. Both are extraordinarily talented performers; they boast strong vocals, and each of them created a fascinating characterisation for their respective roles. 

Daddy Long Legs can be watched on BroadwayHD here (please note that a subscription is needed in order to view): Daddy Long Legs.

Thanks for reading!

-The Basic Theatre Reviewer