On Stage: Colour and Light: The Art of Stephen Sondheim

Five talented performers, clever staging and some fantastic songs ensure Colour and Light: The Art of Stephen Sondheim offers a memorable musical experience.

Staged at Theatre Works, the show is the latest revue from Watch This, Australia’s Sondheim repertory company.

Led by musical director Trevor Jones, who played the piano throughout the 90-minute production and also joined in several songs, four extremely talented singers – Johanna Allen, Vidya Makan, Nick Simpson-Deeks and Jacob Rozario – were each given the chance to shine.

And shine they did in both individual and group numbers, bringing each song’s emotions, meanings and nuances to life through both their voices and actions.

This was particularly impressive given the show was staged cabaret style with a simple backdrop of a grand piano, a few pieces of furniture and a raised stage.   Clever lighting helped bring some of the songs to life but it was really the work of the artists that ensured the audience laughed, were emotional or had that feel–good vibe.

Sondheim shows highlighted included Sunday In The Park With George, Merrily We Roll Along, Mad Show, Marry Me A Little, A Little Night Music, Follies, Dick Tracy Into The Woods, Pacific Overtures, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Company, Saturday Night, Assassins, Passion, Evening Primrose and Road Show.

Songs included Opening Doors, The Worst Pies in London, Not While I’m Around, The Boy From …, Can That Boy Foxtrot, There’s Always A Woman, Send In The Clowns, Losing My Mind, Buddy’s Blues, Not Getting Married,  Not a Day Goes By,  Sooner or Later, Hello Little Girl, Pretty Lady, Pretty Women, The Miller’s Son,  I’m Calm, You Could Drive A Person Crazy, What More Do I Need, Unworthy Of Your Love, Loving You, Agony, Move On, It Takes Two, Live Alone And Like It, I’m Still Here,  Take Me To The World, Back In Business, The Best Thing That Has Ever Happened and Being Alive.

According to directors Melanie Hillman and Dean Drieberg  the show aimed at allowing audiences to encounter Sondheim’s work anew, to experience the familiar through a new lens and to discover the unfamiliar.

To frame this journey, they drew inspiration from the artistic principles that Georges Seurat cites in Sunday in the Park with George: Order, Design, Tension, Balance, Harmony.

“These tenets served as the spine of the revue, guiding the emotional and musical arc and helping us celebrate the full spectrum of Sondheim’s genius,” Hillman and Drieberg explained in their introduction to the show.

“We hope Colour and Light brings you closer to the heart of Sondheim’s work and leaves you seeing, hearing, and feeling a little differently than before.”

The reaction of the audience after the show suggested the production did just that.

Colour and Light: The Art of Stephen Sondheim is playing at Theatre Works until September 27.  Visit the Theatre Works website for more information and tickets.

*Photo credit: Ben Fon

Jenny Burns attended a performance of the show as a guest of the production company.