TDF Stages

The Prom Tony winner Beth Leavel returns to Broadway in a new Sondheim revue

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Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga may be the names above the title of the new revue Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, previously seen and loved in London and Los Angeles and now on Broadway courtesy of Manhattan Theatre Club. But there's another Tony Award-winning diva in this cast of 19 powerhouse performers: Beth Leavel, the scene-stealing star of The Drowsy Chaperone, Young Frankenstein and The Prom. With minimal context but maximum feeling, the show features 40 songs by Sondheim—mostly well-known though there are a few deep cuts—from 14 of his musicals, including West Side Story, Company, Follies, Sweeney Todd and Merrily We Roll Along. While there have been many other revues of his oeuvre (this is actually the fifth one on Broadway!), Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends is the first to debut after the legendary songwriter's passing. Appropriately, the ensemble is packed with Sondheim veterans who've starred in his musicals throughout the decades, including Leavel.

While this is her first time doing Sondheim on Broadway, regionally Leavel has starred as Mama Rose in Gypsy and played the Witch in the Into the Woods. In Old Friends, she tackles some of Sondheim's most deliciously cynical songs. With Gavin Lee, she dissects the pleasures and peeves of a long-term relationship in "The Little Things You Do Together" from Company. She teams up with Peters and West End stalwart Joanna Riding to embody the bawdy burlesque babes of "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" from Gypsy. And she puts her own sozzled spin on the scorch song "The Ladies Who Lunch," which she swears doesn’t intimidate her one bit.

TDF Stages chatted with Leavel about ad-libbing with a musical theatre icon, the "geniusness" of Sondheim and the upside of singing these songs outside of their shows.

Jen Gushue: Old Friends started as a 2022 gala concert, which was transformed into a 2023 London production that was reworked for Los Angeles and now Broadway. How did you become involved?

Beth Leavel: I had heard of Old Friends when it was running in London, and I'd seen little clips of it. Then in January my agent called, and I went in and had a work session with [producer] Cameron Mackintosh and a lot of the creatives. I sang a couple of songs including "The Ladies Who Lunch," and the next thing I knew I was going to Los Angeles. We did six weeks at the Ahmanson Theatre, had a week off, then went into tech on Broadway, and here we are.

Gushue: Speaking of "The Ladies Who Lunch," that Company showstopper, originally crooned by Elaine Stritch and most recently delivered by Patti LuPone, has attained mythic status. Did you feel any anxiety about performing it?

Leavel: No. Isn't that odd? I probably should have been terrified! I had learned the song for a concert I did at 54 Below and at different venues across the country, and I just loved singing it. In Old Friends, they let me do my own thing, because I am not gonna try to imitate Elaine Stritch or Patti LuPone or any of the other fabulous people who have sung it before me. The only thing I could do authentically was discover my own journey with it. I'm not playing Joanne in Company; I'm singing the song in a Sondheim revue, so it gives me a little more freedom to do my interpretation. It's really one of the most fun things I've ever done in my career. And I've done a lot of fun things!

Gushue: That's an interesting point about not playing a character. In Old Friends, you're skipping around shows and emotional states. How do you ground yourself from number to number?

Leavel: It's Sondheim, so it's actually really easy. All you have to do is sing the words and sing them truthfully through your storytelling. Many songs, like "The Ladies Who Lunch," stand just fine all alone by themselves. There's a beginning, a middle and an end, and there's a relationship with the audience. You just have to open your mouth and say the words and Sondheim takes care of the rest.

Gushue: You've played Mama Rose in Gypsy three different times, and you cast a spell as the Witch in Into the Woods at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera. What does Sondheim mean to you as an artist?

Leavel: I was late to the game. I'm married to Adam Heller, who is a Sondheim fanatic, so being with him has opened my eyes. I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina. My parents didn't know anything about theatre or music. It just took me a while, but once I started majoring in theatre in college and Sondheim's work came into my life, I was like, "What is this geniusness?" I never had the opportunity to meet him, and his work is intimidating because you never want to do it not well. I feel such a responsibility to bring all I can to his songs. It is such a challenge artistically and creatively, but the most satisfying thing you can do once it's in your muscles. Every time I sing one of his songs again, I find something new to explore. And I think it's the same thing with our audiences. That's one thing Old Friends does so well: It gives you the opportunity to listen to songs outside of the shows and celebrate them that way.

Gushue: Every time I listen to "Getting Married Today" or "The Little Things You Do Together," I'm struck by how lyrically tricky these songs are. I'm amazed that anyone can ever get them right!

Leavel: I know! When I found out I was singing the songs that I am singing, I wanted to drop to my knees to praise the Lord that I didn't have to sing "Getting Married Today" because I'm not sure I'd be alive. And "The Little Things You Do Together," I thought that was gonna be such an easy duet. But no! It's Sondheim! It's interesting and it's fascinating and I find that Gavin Lee and I don't really do it the same way every show.

Gushue: You perform a hilarious rendition of "You Gotta Get a Gimmick" from Gypsy with Bernadette Peters and Joanna Riding. What's that like?

Leavel: Firstly, everyone is so amazing. I love that all of us are essentially principals in ensemble tracks. If you had told my little self in school that one day I'd be on stage with Bernadette Peters ad-libbing on Broadway, I would have said you were crazy. But this is a room of people who are professional, kind and so talented. You just always want to be in the room so you can listen and learn and sponge. To call this an all-star cast would be an understatement. It's just ridiculous.

Gushue: Old Friends is the first Sondheim revue since his death. How does that impact the show?

Leavel: I find that the audience is brought to tears a lot more. There's a montage of photos of him, and it's so emotional. And in tech, I was standing right next to Bernadette, and I could see little tears going down her cheeks. It resonates with all of us that we have this privilege—anytime, but particularly now—to continue letting his work be heard and felt and seen. And that's an honor.

Gushue: Are there any numbers you aren't in that you make a point to watch from the wings each night?

Leavel: Well, we’re at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, so when you say "wings" imagine the tiniest little corner. But there are moments when I sit on a stool and listen to Sweeney Todd. I can't help it. And I have to listen to West Side Story. We have such a huge orchestra for a Broadway show, sitting there in the wings it vibrates through you. It's just magical. Even in the dressing room, I will stop and go, "Oh my god, did you hear that?"

Gushue: Old Friends is a limited run that closes in June. What else are you working on?

Leavel: I have a couple of other things in the ether that hopefully Bob Martin, Casey Nicholaw, Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin [the creative team behind The Prom] and I will bake. I have so many readings coming up. That's the good news and bad news about what I do. The bad news is I just never know what tomorrow's gonna bring. But the good news is I never know what tomorrow's gonna bring.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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