Side by Side by Sondheim
I approached Side by Side by Sondheim, the Court Theatre's sophomore production at its new Addington facility, with some degree of scepticism. Musicals aren’t always my thing, and the idea of a musical revue didn’t seem entirely inviting.
The show, billed as "a musical entertainment", features thirty songs from the first half of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim's career (it was first performed in 1976; Sondheim has continued to compose into the 21st century) loosely ordered into sections by show or theme. Some work from the latter part of Sondheim's oeuvre might have been welcome, but the composer's prolific early years provides plenty of quality material nonetheless, with clever, moving, and, most notably, funny songs from Follies, West Side Story, Company, and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, amongst others.
The musical cast, accompanied by both musical director Richard Marrett and Lea Henderson on piano, are well at home in their roles, their consummate skill giving the evening a casual and laidback feel that belies the exertion 110 minutes of singing must demand.
David McPhail completes the onstage team, providing narration, which at times brings to mind the host of a Merivale dinner party host regaling his guests with bons mots he picked up at Aikman's; the kind of guy who cracks out the vinyls and can't resist telling you just a tad more trivia about the songs than you really want to hear.
While the show has some general appeal to a university-aged audience, it was not staged with one in mind. It's unfortunate that The Forge, home to The Court's sometimes more adventurous offerings, could not have been revived alongside Court One, but this show and the upcoming Court season still presents solid entertainment.
Featuring David McPhail, Ali Harper, Michael Lee Porter, Juliet Reynolds-Midgley
Musical Direction by Richard Marrett
Directed by Ross Gumbley
