One of Stephen Sondheim’s most famous maxims was that a musical’s content should dictate each song’s form—in other words, the framework of the musical itself will determine what the songs should sound like. This can make taking the songs out of the full musical work challenging, since they are so intricately entwined into the musicals they come from.

In creating Old Friends, a Sondheim revue running through June 15 at Manhattan Theatre Club, creator Cameron Mackintosh and director Matthew Bourne try to have it both ways. Some songs are performed as in a concert, with performers in formal dress singing directly to the audience. Others are performed as full scenes from their respective musicals.

This can get somewhat jarring at times, as the tone is never consistent from one moment to the next. A trio—Bonnie Langford, Kate Jennings Grant and Joanna Riding—sing a dry and wry “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” from Company, which is then followed by a sly “Live Alone and Like It” (aptly sung by Jason Pennycooke) from the film Dick Tracy which is then followed by a truly poignant “Loving You” from Passion sung by an excellent Lea Salonga. All of these moods cover less than ten minutes of the show—and that’s a lot of emotion for ten minutes.

But if the emotions are uneven, they’re definitely powerful and passionate. Bernadette Peters, who has appeared in numerous Sondheim musicals over the decades, sings a truly heartbreaking “Not a Day Goes By” from Merrily We Roll Along. Beth Leavel sings what may well be one of the most ferocious “Ladies Who Lunch” from Company, and Bonnie Langford sings a truly stunning “I’m Still Here” from Follies. Gavin Lee maintains his signature megawatt smile, but shines most performing “Could I Leave You” from Follies, making the song more snarky than jaded and embittered. The new interpretation works, though, and is a good demonstration of Lee’s versatility. Salonga stops the show with a thrilling “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” that makes a compelling case for another production of Gypsy for her to star in.

The show also gives audiences the chance to see Broadway history recreated live. For example, those who never got to see Peters in Sunday in the Park with George can watch her recreate a moment from that iconic performance for the first time in 40 years. Wisely, Bourne does not try to recreate the staging of the 1984 production and lets the moment stand on its own, and it’s truly lovely to behold and hear.

That said, not all of the moments work smoothly. A series of emotional songs from Follies late in the show is interrupted by the comic novelty number “The Boy From … “ from The Mad Show—humorously performed by Grant but decidedly breaking the mood. While the song selections across the entire show are solid, the balance between traditional concert stagings and recreated theatrical stagings can sometimes be uneven. Bourne gets some excellent performances from the cast, but the lack of balance in both the evening’s mood and style leaves something to be desired.

Matt Kinley’s sets range from abstract for some one-off songs to fully recreated sets, as for a medley from Sweeney Todd. Similarly, Jill Parker’s costumes range from elegant suits and gowns to recreated costumes from the original productions. Stephen Metcalfe’s arrangements of Jonathan Tunick’s original orchestrations evoke the classic musicals in the best ways

Old Friends is a lovely tribute to a master of the craft with some wonderful performances by fantastic musical theater actors, but the lack of balance in both tone and style keep it from being all it could. Perhaps future productions will rearrange the songs to stronger effect.