The relationship between
Oscar Hammerstein II and
Stephen Sondheim is among the most confounding in the American musical theater. On the one hand,
Hammerstein was
Sondheim's spiritual father, the guiding force who led him to become a writer of theater songs. On the other, the optimistic, wholesome attitude expressed in
Hammerstein's lyrics and librettos could not be more different from the skeptical, subversive wit of
Sondheim.
Mandy Patinkin confronted this dichotomy head-on in his fourth album, alternating songs by the two, following
Hammerstein's "If I Loved You" with
Sondheim's "I Wish I Could Forget You,"
Hammerstein's "Honey Bun" with
Sondheim's "Not a Day Goes By." Those juxtapositions emphasized the differences, but
Patinkin also found similarities in some pairings. The odd thing was that, although
Patinkin is identified with
Sondheim, here he was more comfortable with
Hammerstein. He is able to appreciate the ambivalent anguish of "I Wish I Could Forget You" and the savage wit of "Remember," but he's too nice to plumb the cruelty of either song. On the other hand,
Hammerstein's embrace of sentiment is similar to
Patinkin's, and in songs like "If I Loved You," "Bali Ha'i," and "Honey Bun," he was able to indulge his energy and back-wall-of-the-theater bellow.
Sondheim can thank
Patinkin for making his songs seem more conventional and acceptable than they really are. Here,
Patinkin even found surprising warmth in two of the austere songs from Passion. But, despite
Patinkin's obvious affection for
Sondheim, that doesn't make him the ideal interpreter. On the other hand, listening to this record makes you wonder what he could do with
Hammerstein standards like "Ol' Man River" or "Oklahoma!" ~ William Ruhlmann