Sondheim revue an evening of clever song and cheeky fun

Side By Side By Sondheim Circa Theatre, until March 22 Reviewed by Felix Desmarais

For those not well versed in musical theatre (I count among them), the name Sondheim may not ring any bells. I’m only peripherally familiar, being a part of a high school production of Into the Woods (I played Cinderella’s father, thanks for asking).

Sondheim is a name well known, however, among show tune aficionados, as Stephen Sondheim, and Side By Side By Sondheim is a musical revue of some of the famous Broadway composer’s early-career songs. The title is a play on Side By Side By Side, a Sondheim number.

This show is very much for people who love musical theatre. It delighted much of the opening-night audience, who were described to me by one companion as a ‘‘who’s who of Wellington musical theatre’’. It’s a joyful production, where the cast are clearly having a fantastic time, and the direction and choreography are assured and use the cavernous space of Circa One well.

The decision to include cheeky asides from musical director Michael Nicholas Williams and pianist Colin Taylor adds another element of fun, especially during I Never Do Anything Twice.

All three performers are strong actors and singers. Julie O’Brien is a particular standout, who has a way of taking every audience member along with her, and whose restrained yet heart-rending version of Send In The Clowns refreshes a classic song anew.

Interludes, where the performers talk about the songs and give them context, are most welcome but I feel the audience would be better served with more of them. I wanted to come away knowing more about Sondheim, and more about his work. They provide much-needed context in a show first staged in 1976.

The phrase ‘‘why this, and why now?’’ repeats in my head, and I wonder how much value an outdated revue of Sondheim’s earlier works add to the main stage at one of our biggest national theatres in 2019.

There was nothing particularly enlightening or challenging about Side By Side By Sondheim but sometimes, in an already challenging and uncertain world, perhaps that is all an audience may want.