Stephen Sondheim's Final Musical Here We Are Opens National Theatre London

The National Theatre is currently staging Here We Are, Stephen Sondheim's final musical, which premiered Off-Broadway in 2023. The production, directed by Joe Mantello, adapts two surrealist Luis Buñuel films, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel, into a satirical narrative about wealthy socialites whose attempts to dine together repeatedly fail. The cast, featuring notable performers like Rory Kinnear, Jane Krakowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Martha Plimpton, has been praised for their performances, although critical opinion of the musical itself is mixed. While the inventive staging and humor have been highlighted, some reviewers find the material thin and the musical elements lacking, noting that the show is not sung through due to Sondheim's incomplete work, which his collaborators addressed by making the absence of music part of the score. Despite these shortcomings, the production offers a unique, if uneven, theatrical experience and represents a significant cultural moment as Sondheim's posthumous work. Meanwhile, the play Blinded By The Light in Bo’ness pays tribute to the local mining community's history and resilience, interweaving past and future narratives to reflect on social and environmental challenges.