More than 40 years after her Broadway debut in Flahooley, Barbara Cook's voice is still a ravishing, agile soprano, as lovely and perfectly suited to show tunes as it was when she enchanted audiences in Candide, The Music Man, and She Loves Me. In this 2002 recital with simple piano accompaniment, she offers 19 selections, predominantly by Stephen Sondheim (mostly lesser-known compositions, though “Send in the Clowns” is included), as well as a handful of numbers by other famous Broadway composers admired by Sondheim. Cook is in splendid voice throughout and keeps the enthusiastic audience delighted, not only with wonderful singing but also with cheerful banter between the songs. The camerawork is fluent, the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound excellent, and the DVD includes footage from Cook's Kennedy Center master class and an interview with the diva. Recommended. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)
Barbara Cook in Mostly Sondheim
(2003) 86 min. VHS: $19.98, DVD: $29.98. KOCH Vision (avail. from most distributors). Color cover. Volume 18, Issue 5
Barbara Cook in Mostly Sondheim
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