‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ – Squabbalogic

SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM – MUSIC AND LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM, CONCEIVED BY JAMES LAPINE – DIRECTED BY JAY JAMES-MOODY – SQUABBALOGIC – REGINALD THEATRE, SEYMOUR CENTRE – 1–18 OCTOBER 2014

Lea: Post show drinks.
Sybil: Pretty post show.
Lea: Post, post show… we had the absolute pleasure last night of attending Sondheim on Sondheim.
Sybil: It was incredible!
Lea: A show that I’d heard of but didn’t really know which songs it contained…. I didn’t know that James Lapine had written it.
Sybil: I didn’t know it had… I mean, the clue should have been in the title, but I didn’t realise that Sondheim was in it quite so much! But I thought it was beautifully done and – I mean, walking into the theatre and onto that set – which was so simple and so lovely… okay but here’s my one thing about the set, right? Loved it. Loved the scrumpled up paper all hung like they were – like those paper cranes? But Sondheim says (in the show) quite significantly, that he uses yellow paper.
Lea: Ooh. Well, the only thing was, that it wasn’t supposed to be his handwritten notes, it was score.
Sybil: Oh was it?
Lea: And I actually heard after the show that it was specifically the violin part from Sweeney Todd. That’s all they used.
Sybil: What, cos that was all they could get their hands on?
Lea: I don’t know! Directorial choice?
Sybil: An artistic choice! I thought that was really incredible and from start to finish I thought the small orchestra were fantastic and did a great job. Especially because they were having to weave in and out of Sondheim as well (on the audio). They did really wonderful job. And I thought the lighting design and sound design were also spot on all the way through.
Lea: Absolutely. It was small scale but very slick – from the first note that sounded, to the first note sung, you just felt like you were going to be in for a beautiful ride.
Sybil: So standouts for me – Phillip Lowe and Deb Krizak. I thought Deb was awesome.
Lea: Oh yes, both of them! (Disclaimer: we also happen to know these two fine individuals personally)
Sybil: They were both awesome.
Lea: So delicious to listen to, as well as beautifully connected, and they just filled that space.
Sybil: And Deb was really versatile in all her characters, I though that was really fantastic. I loved ‘Smile Girls’. I thought that was sensational.
Lea: Wasn’t it?! I know!
Sybil: Just wonderful, but earlier in the piece…
Lea: ‘The Wedding Is Off’?
Sybil: Yes, that was good… but there were some of the quieter ones where she was very connected, I thought.
Lea: Um… (scanning song list)
Sybil: Ah… ‘Losing My Mind’, I thought she was absolutely incredible.
Lea: Yes that was fabulous, and it was really interesting, throughout the show, to hear those songs that have never quite made it into the full productions as well know them.
Sybil: Yeah.
Lea: Just a delight. For loving Sondheim, and having performed some of it, as we have, it was just – like coming home. But having so many new orchestrations and…
Sybil: Oh. ‘Something’s Coming’ from West Side Story was absolutely gorgeous. I thought definite honourable mentions for Blake Erickson for… something awesome near the end… what was it… ‘Finishing the Hat’! He was wonderful.
Lea: It was really precise, wasn’t it?
Sybil: Another honourable mention to the young guy who did ‘Franklin Shepherd Inc.’ and ‘Opening Doors’, and he did one other thing that I thought was really good as well but I can’t remember what that was…
Lea: Rob Johnson. His ‘Franklin Shepard Inc.’ was great.
Sybil: It was fantastic and then the other person I wanted to mention… the choreographer – Monique Sallé. Now, I actually didn’t love all her choreography – I thought at points – it wasn’t a dancey show, but there were points where they were moving around the stage for no reason.
Lea: It probably wasn’t necessary in the structure of the show.
Sybil: I don’t think it was necessary. I think that’s exactly the right word. There were points where I thought that a choreographic staging of this song isn’t adding anything. BUT – and this is what I was getting at – I thought her performances were genuinely great and I’d LOVE to see her as Mary in Merrily We Roll Along.
Lea: Yes, wasn’t she fantastic? I loved her too. And I loved, what’s the name of the song?
Sybil: ‘Now You Know’? ‘Opening Doors’?
Lea: ‘Opening Doors’. Yes. The most autobiographical song that Sondheim said he’s written.
Sybil: Which was funny.
Lea: I loved the really tall guy, Dean. I really loved his voice.
Sybil: Yeah, I thought his voice was good. But I just found him a bit awkward on stage. To be fair, a lot of the time he was up against Phil, who is SO comfortable, and expressive. So maybe that’s unfair. But I didn’t love him as much. And I thought the two girls were good.
Lea: Yeah, Louise Kelly and Christy Sullivan. I know because I have the program in front of me.
Sybil: You took my program!
Lea: I found all of the medleys delicious.
Sybil: Fabulous. Oh wait – there was one medley I didn’t think worked particularly well and that was ‘Losing My Mind’ with ‘Not A Day Goes By’. Although I love both songs.
Lea: Yeah. They’re quite different songs in my mind, I know what you mean. They don’t seem to add any new context to each other.
Sybil: I have the ‘Not A Day Goes By’/’Good Thing Going’ medley from No-one Is Alone* in my head, which I think worked better. And also I think ‘Losing My Mind’ is such a beautiful song on its own, I don’t think that it needed that kind of treatment.
Lea: This is neither a negative nor a positive – but to me this didn’t feel like a Squabbalogic show.
Sybil: Interesting. No, I agree.
Lea: I think possibly because there’s a bit more experience in the cast? A different energy.
Sybil: Yeah, it was a different energy, I think you’re right. I think part of that is… a different type of show… the other shows have been… I don’t know. You’re right though.
Lea: It was more mature. Like the company has matured. Like it’s able to try different things stylistically.
Sybil: It was very different stylistically. But then you think about the differences between Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson and The Drowsy Chaperone – they were hugely different stylistically.
Lea: But it still felt like Squabbalogic. Yes.
Sybil: Yes.
Lea: Jay James-Moody…
Sybil: Is fantastic.
Lea: What a great director.
Sybil: Awesome.
Lea: I think he’s brought out some really fantastic performances. I think Jay is really good at helping people find the next level of their performance.
Sybil: Yeah. Agree. I haven’t seen a lot of what Phil’s done recently except for smaller roles in big, big productions, but I want to see more of him front and centre.
Lea: Yeah, same.
Sybil: He was so engaging and he looked like he was having a ball.
Lea: Yeah, it was like – great, he’s coming on stage, what’s he going to do?
Sybil: And he had some interesting little moments… He had ‘Epiphany’, which is awesome, but he also had that fabulous part in ‘Opening Doors’ – “There’s not a tune you can hummm”, which, like, is one of my favourite little bits of any musical ever and I thought he did that really, really well.
Lea: Yes.
Sybil: His voice has really matured beautifully. Bearing in mind that the last time I heard him SING sing, on his own, would have been (mumble) years ago. A long time ago!
Lea: Very awesome night. I loved how the start of certain songs would have us clutching each other’s hand in pure joyful anticipation.
Sybil: Yeah. It was really lovely.
Lea: And you know, in a way, to hear some of the best songs (and there are still many others that are fabulous) well, it was such an absolute delight to hear them all in one night.
Sybil: What I thought was really interesting was which songs were left out.
Lea: Yes, it would be interesting to read up on what…
Sybil: What the process was…
Lea: Why James chose what he chose, and did Sondheim have any say?
Sybil: Yes.
Lea: Or did he just interview him, without knowing what he would weave?
Sybil: I thought it was done beautifully. It had wonderful humour. There was a lightness and a deftness of touch that I thought worked really well.
Lea: Yes, nothing was heavy handed.
Sybil: And I don’t know that necessarily every single beat hit. I think there were some that didn’t quite make it, but they were so few and far between, that I really liked it. I thought in a very, very, very good cast, Deb and Phil absolutely shone. And the rest of the cast – I’ve been saying they were okay. They were actually very good.
Lea: Okay is just in comparison!
Sybil: And they’re singing Sondheim. And it’s tough. And the ranges of his songs are hard and he pitches – you have to be an incredible singer to make that look easy.
Lea: Absolutely. So, what are you going to give it?
Sybil: Four and a half.
Lea: Me too!
Sybil: Oh no… but I almost want to knock a half a glass off for the bar being closed afterwards.
Lea: Oh, yes, but that’s a venue issue.
Sybil: But, you know, poor form.
Lea: Poor form indeed.
Sybil: How are we meant to do Post Show Drinks when there are no drinks post show?
Lea: This is actually a very big deal! If you want to be featured on our sometimes blog, have a beverage ready for us afterwards!

* No-one Is Alone – the Modern Sondheim, 1994, The Little Theatre, Adelaide University. Directed by Kris Stewart. Cast included, amongst many talented performers, Sybil Williams and Lea Riley.

IN SUMMARY

Sybil: The first song of the second act was the only song written specifically for this show, and it referenced a review in which the question of Stephen Sondheim’s deity was raised (not for the first time!). So is Sondheim God? This godless heathen thinks he’s probably as close as the music theatre universe will ever get. Sondheim on Sondheim not only showcases some of his incredible canon of work, but it also lets us behind the curtain a bit to see a glimpse of the man and his process. And Squabbalogic – yet again – hits the spot with flair. Go see it if you love Sondheim. Go see it if you’ve never heard of Sondheim (heathen!). And go see it to witness some of the incredible talent Sydney is awash with these days. Just go already!
Lea: It’s pretty hard not to gush about Sondheim when he has changed your appreciation of music. When you have sung right in the sweet spot of his discordant, rich harmonies. Yes I’m having a moment. I had so many of them during this show. Again, simplicity and fine performances win the day.
Question: Is Sondheim God?

POST SHOW DRINKS: OMG! The bar was closed after the show! Are you kidding? Talk about killing the vibe!
HANGOVER STATUS: All good, as we had to convene for a Skype Post Show Cup-of-tea at 8am the next morning.
MORE INFO: www.squabbalogic.com.au/sondheim-on-sondheim