Putting It Together (2000)

At an all night cocktail party in Manhattan, an older married couple (Carol Burnett, George Hearn) face their disillusions and marital problems while a younger couple (Ruthie Henshall, John Barrowman) struggle with their emotions and desires while a commentator (Bronson Pinchot) oversees and influences the action. Directed by Don Roy King and Eric D. Schaeffer, the thinnest of plots is merely there to connect the exquisite Stephen Sondheim songs. It's not an original score but comprised of Sondheim's songs from shows like A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG, COMPANY, FOLLIES, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, SWEENEY TODD, ASSASSINS, THE FROGS and the movie DICK TRACY. But the songs are placed strategically so they comment on the characters' state of mind. It's not even a full blown "book" musical but a musical revue. But when you're spending 90 minutes in the company of one of the great American musical composers of the 20th century, you're in such bliss just to listen. Burnett is the biggest name in the cast so the show is more or less thrown her way but the other four actors (well, maybe not Pinchot) really shine here as well.