Kwinana might not be your first port of call when looking for an entertaining night out, but once you’ve seen a show at the Koorliny Arts Centre you might change your mind.
I headed down the freeway for the third time in less than four months on Friday night to review Koorliny Arts Centre’s latest production, Side by Side by Sondheim. After being so impressed with the previous shows I’d seen there, I had no hesitation in accepting an invitation to review a show I really knew nothing about.
Maybe that’s what made the show a hit for me. It’s not one I am familiar with and I admit prior to seeing this production, my knowledge of Sondheim’s work was fairly limited. But watching this show alone, convinced me to go home and explore more from the man that bought us such hits as Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Follies, Company, A Funny Thing Happened and Gypsy.
Side by Side is a bite sized history lesson of Sondheim’s road to success and a tasting platter of his musical work, delivered with the right balance of fun and emotion by this local yet highly capable cast.
Performing any Sondheim show is no small feat for an amateur company. A clear understanding of the droll satire and anti-sentimentality behind the lyrics is required, but this cast of five captivated the audience from the first chorus of its opening number, Comedy Tonight, proving that these performers are anything but amateur.
Under the direction of Krispin Maesalu, local actors Tracy Noble, Claudia Van Zeller, David Wallace, Cassie Skinner and Sarsi Grace Elsberry, shine in this unpretentious revue. There is no one stand out performer in the ensemble, as all are equally talented, both vocally and emotively. Nothing felt unnecessarily overacted.
Dressed in black, against the backdrop of a blank set, Side by Side relies solely on the actors, the music and the lyrics.
Sitting to the side of the stage, award-winning musician Joshua Haines, played flawlessly throughout the night, keeping pace and momentum in the right measure.
A special mention also to Alex Coutts-Smith who worked the lights with precision, creating an essential layer to an otherwise stark setting. The use of follow spots and gels were cleverly designed to accentuate the performances like visual punctuation.
It may not be everyone’s idea of the traditional theatrical experience but this is Sondheim, his words demand attention, and I for one was highly seduced by the lack of frills and pageantry. There is nothing to distract you from the beautiful intimacy between actor and audience.
Claudia Van Zellar, won me over a couple of years ago when she played Rose in the Stirling Players productions of Sondheim’s Gypsy, she was equally as mesmerising in Side by Side performing a stunning version of Send in the Clowns.
Newcomer Sarsi Grace Elsberry, is one to watch with a voice rich as molasses and made for the blues, while Tracy Noble is sensational in those mature character roles. David Wallace, the only male in the cast, does a worthy job of lending his voice to the many duets and solos, and the beautiful soprano, Cassie Skinner has an engaging stage presence that will no doubt see her cast in many future leading roles.
Sondheim’s talent was not to follow the traditions of the musical theatre formulas that preceded him, but to turn them on their head. Where Rodgers and Hammerstein, Porter and Gershwin created fairytales for the stage, Sondheim chose reality, answering the age old question, what comes after the fairytale? His acute observations of everyday life sing with accuracy, allowing audiences to laugh at the ordinariness of themselves, as if it is a taboo subject. The players of the Koorliny Arts Centre drove this home and delivered it with style.
What works particularly well for this show is the cabaret style, table seating. There is something quite sophisticated about watching a show with a glass of red in hand and a King Island blue vein to nibble on.
So in closing I will quote from the man himself;
I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry – just making them feel – is paramount to me.
The company of Koorliny’s interpretation of Side by Side has certainly honoured this statement and I commend the cast and crew on an excellent achievement.
If you are a Stephen Sondheim fan or I’ve stirred some curiosity, I urge you to book tickets to this event. Side by Side by Sondheim is playing at the Koorliny Arts Centre until Saturday 25 June. Tickets are $25.
