OBSERVER: Colour and Light – David McLean’s Review
The congruence of creativity, artistry and musicianship were at the fore during the retrospective of Sondheim’s work in Colour and Light.
Sondheim’s songs were composed with not only wit and character but with depth and feeling. This allows artists to interpret and create a portrait of believable people that laughed, suffered and were unashamedly real.
Vidya Makan, Nick Simpson-Deeks, Johanna Allen and Jacob Rozario realised this potential in their performances, delighting in the opportunity to play, cry, suffer and revel in the quirks, contradictions and foibles of the personalities they portrayed.
Musical director and pianist Trevor Jones gave form and shape to the evening with his compilation and arrangements adding his own vocal touch when required.
But from the very beginning the musicianship of the company was evident, their harmonies galvanising and setting up an expectation for what was to come.
The raffish salon setting (Rob Sowinski) of lamps, curtains, rostrum, chaise lounge, with a grand piano centre stage, provided the perfect cabaret feel lit (Jacques Cooney Adlard) deliberately through haze to strike the right chord for solos, duets trios and quartets.
The direction by Melanie Hillman and Dean Drieberg capitalized on the levels provided, making maximum use of the space with the cast from one song gliding into the next number subtly and gracefully.
An equitable balance between piano and singers was maintained by sound engineer Tomas Strode, though the projection and diction of his charges were never in question.
In an age of artificial intelligence, this cabaret highlighted the very creative human capacity for interpretation, interaction and ingenuity that is inspiring and uplifting.
Sondheim’s works are not static but allow performers to add their own unique perspective and understanding.
The collaboration between musical director, performer and crew speak to an alliance of minds working with a common focus that make entertainment the most rewarding and irreplicable of human endeavours.
Review by David McLean