There are two types of people in the world: the kind that like Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals and the kind that like Stephen Sondheim musicals. Well, actually, there's a third kind that don't like musicals at all, but these are people with no culture and thus below our notice. And that fourth kind, that like both, are as mythical as unicorns and Santa. The difference between the two composers is like bass and treble: Weber is the right hand, full of light melodies that might leave you humming but have the gravitas of whipped cream, and just about as filling, while Sondheim works from the left, often in a minor key, grave and, to his detractors, sonorous, but to his fans, able to achieve deep meaning even if you can't remember that bass line.

I'm a Sondheim fan. I like my musical theater to remember that it is drama and not just a concert, for there actually to be some story in the songs and not just a bunch of spectacular smoke and lights signifying nothing. For that I'll forgive Sondheim what even I can recognize as his failings: a tendency towards over-complication, both in lyrics and plot, along with some problems with structure.

It is that latter issue that plagues his latest work, Bounce, a reunion of sorts as it has him once again working with director Harold Prince ("Sweeney Todd"), while continuing his book collaborations with John Weidman ("Assassins"). Bounce is the tale of the two Mizner brothers, whose father had gained and lost several fortunes and on his deathbed philosophizes about how opportunity is always knocking and when one is down, all you have to do is bounce back. Unfortunately the show doesn't begin there, but at the sordid end of the brothers’ lives, which undercuts the dramatic tension of the whole story by revealing that the ball eventually stops bouncing. (Okay, there is a bit more to it, but I don't want to give it all away, especially as Sondheim is notorious for tinkering with a show for months before he finally gets it right, and I strongly suspect the structure will be entirely different if he takes this show to Broadway.)

According to Playbill, "Bounce is about the eccentric, real-life brothers Addison and Wilson Mizner. The Mizners were regarded as risk taking gamblers who ended up as real-estate developers in Florida. Settings in the musical have included Alaska, California, New York City and Boca Raton, FL, which the brothers helped found." Although some have said that the current production at the Kennedy Center is miscast, I disagree. Richard Kind, who has made a career of playing nebbish second stringers in TV shows like "The Commish" and "Spin City" is perfect in the lead role of nebbish protagonist, Addison Mizner. While Howard McGillin may not be as charming or as handsome as Willie Mizner as the role sometimes seems to call for, I found him much more realistic and genuine for the cad that Willie often turns out to be. And given the wide time period of the musical, Michele Pawk's Nell may not be an ingénue, but she fills the role with an uncommon vigor and worldly-wise cynicism that counterpoints nicely with the Mizner family credo.

The songs themselves are vintage Sondheim, the modern day lyrical equivalent of Mozart, once famously told that his music had quite a lot of notes in it. The performers often had to wrestle with getting all those words out, and most did fine, the only exception being the end of the song "Talent" where Gavin Creel ran through them so fast as to render them meaningless. And, yes, there's nothing in the entire show that you find yourself humming afterwards, although the timbre, phrasing and style will leave many fans humming songs from other Sondheim musicals (I thought there were a lot of similarities to "Into the Woods," while my wife was humming "Sunday in the Park with George").

The production values of the Kennedy Center were superb with constant scene changes using just the right amount of props to capture Hawaii, the Yukon, the Belmont Race Track and Palm Beach, Florida. Nothing is so massive or elaborate that you say "Wow," but, again, that's not the point: wow gets in the way of telling the story.

The show as it currently runs is likely only for the fans, those who know what to expect from a Sondheim musical. Unlike "Assassins," this one won't offend the sensibilities of the non-adventurous. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like it will make it to Broadway. It will be taped, however, but only for archival purposes.