Can it really be 22 years since Gay Byrne, Gemma Craven, the late Loreto O'Connor and Tony Barry delighted us with the first Irish production of this bitter, sweet and comical compilation of Stephen Sondheim songs at the Gaiety? It has stood the test of time splendidly, this time with David Kernan (the original deviser of the piece in London), Rebecca Storm, Robert Meadmore and Terri Williams, all in fine voice, to remind us that Sondheim is probably the greatest lyricist and tune-smith of the musical theatre in this century. Sentimental without a trace of sentimentality, sharp and often wickedly humorous, boisterously comical, seriously observant of the human condition and its sexual entanglements, his words and his music are always original and incessantly entertaining.
The overall tone of the compilation is set by the selections from Company and Follies, Sondheim's major statements on relationships and show-biz respectively, laced with pieces from West Side Story, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Gypsy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and more, with additional music from Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers and Jule Styne. It is a tuneful, thoughtful evening of sheer entertainment. The tireless and dextrous accompaniment is provided by David John Laugharne and Elizabeth Hayley on two lively pianos. It may be that the evening might have been a little sharper with a mite more rehearsal, that the staging might have been tighter with more disciplined choreography. Occasionally the articulation of the lyrics could have been clearer to make the all-important words more instantly accessible. But no matter: the essence of Sondheim is here and it is glorious.
Until Saturday at the Tivoli. Next week at the Town Hall Theatre in Galway and then just two nights at the Hawk's Well in Sligo.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/SJQTLMCMMRC2PLALXUKEWWS6HU.png)