Stephen Sondheim, hailed as the greatest living composer and lyricist of musical theatre, is often criticised for not writing songs that you come away humming. Well this celebration of his love songs well and truly puts that lie to bed.
The show is simply set on a bare stage with just a row of ten chairs and, in the space of a couple of hours, some 39 examples of his work are presented by a talented company under the direction of Ray Rackham, who also devised the show.
The songs illustrate the various stages of love, from youthful stirrings through to marriage and its aftermath. They are a delicious mixture of the comic and the cynical with plenty expressing true love in a gentle and romantic fashion.
Marcia Brown and Lowi-Ann Davies have great fun with Can That Boy Foxtrot and The Boy From while Martin Dickinson gently delivers I Wish I Could Forget You.
A personal pleasure is the grouping together of three of my favourite numbers – Loving You; So Many People and Not A Day Goes By.
Every member gets a chance to shine but outstanding are the contributions from Marcia Brown, particularly the two numbers from Sunday In The Park With George. If anyone is looking to stage this show they need look no further for someone to play Dot.
The show climaxes with that great anthem Being Alive; traditionally a male solo but here delivered as a glorious choral number for the entire cast.
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