Side by Side by Sondheim

Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork

While it may be true, it's too facile to say that the talents assembled for this Everyman Palace Theatre production of Side by Sideby Sondheim are so accomplished that it's the kind of show you sit through with a smile on your face. Exuberance, skill and sensitivity are a powerful combination but would not be enough to distinguish a performance of this sophistication.

Of course the show is ready-made for the right voices and the right directorial approach, both of which are emphatically here, but this is philosophical music and sometimes operatic in its vocal and orchestral demands. There is no orchestra, but musical director John O’Brien and pianist Ciara Moroney use two pianos with such brio that there are moments when it’s possible to hope for a lull in the singing so that the playing can be appreciated for its own sake. Any such moments are rare, as the underlying pleasure of this production is in the exactitude of the accompaniment, the supportive relationship between the musicians and these voices has a distinct brilliance in itself, not merely in terms of colour or scoring but in accuracy, emphasis and sympathetic phrasing.

The singing trio of Mary Hegarty, Majella Cullagh and Joe Corbett seems to own both stage and songs, making the transitions from composer-lyricist to composer and lyricist with the confidence of lightly-worn experience. Movement and music are matched with precision, all three singers can act and even when the demand is for exaggeration, there is no threat of burlesque. Except, that is, where burlesque is required, as with You Gotta Get a Gimmickand Majella Cullagh's I Never do Anything Twice. As a team, this troupe has perfect timing and a crisp sense of comedy. As individual singers, they offer delectable voices which range, within sets, from the wistful to the wise and to the pain of human yearning. Even in the operatic arrangements there is warm vocal expression and flexibility. It is disappointing but understandable given a 10-day run, that the singers are amplified with discreet cheek mikes, suggesting a reliance on technology over technique, but the tonal balance is efficient despite the fear that the wrong cheek might be kissed during closer duets.

Director Pat Talbot has kept these big personalities in perfect tune for this show, and while he should dilute narrator Evelyn Grant’s occasionally pantomimic familiarity, that is the only quibble in a presentation where Joe Vanek’s art deco sets, Paul Denby’s lighting and Keith Clancy’s sound contribute to the impression that these songs are what the cast have been wanting to sing all their lives, and here they are doing it. Runs to May 1st