Review: Little Triangle Company Delivers A Tasting Plate of Musical Theatre Characters With A LITTLE CABARET

Thursday 20th September 2018, 7pm Sound Lounge Seymour Centre.

Little Triangle continues it's trend to present wonderful interpretations of less frequently performed pieces with it's latest mélange of musical theatre characters coming together for A LITTLE CABARET. Presented as part of Sydney Fringe Festival, a collection of stories are gathered for an elegant evening of emotionally captivating and at times comical songs.

Director Alexander Andrews has drawn from a wide range of musicals to have his seven singers give an insight into characters that range in age, circumstance and country of origin. Pieces from musicals from as early as Cole Porter's Panama Hattie from 1940 to Dave Malloy's 2016 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 feature and allow the audience to enjoy a taste of some shows that may or may not make their way across the pond as well as pieces that are rarely revived.

The simple staging consists of Conrad Hamill (Music Director ) at the piano with four microphone stands across the stage. A mobile of small suitcases dangles above the stage whilst a larger suitcase sits to the side of the piano. The singers consist of Embla Bishop, Jesse Layt, Siobhan Clifford, Aaron Robuck, Denise Devlin, Thomas Stevenson, and Olivia Vasquez.

Whilst opening night had some sound balance issues in the small space, the interpretations were beautifully presented. Each piece was introduced briefly by another cast member to set the premise of the underlying character with each song presented in character with appropriate accents, emotion and subtle physicality. Devlin's interpretation of Jason Robert Brown's comic Just One Step from SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is wonderfully rendered as the well off New York wife who has had enough. Bishop captures the whimsy of Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner's plant loving patient from ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER with her rendition of Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here. Vasquez, aided by bishop and Clifford, gives a strong There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This from Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields' SWEET CHARITY. Clifford gives a sultry and playful Don't Tell Mama from John Kander and Fred Ebb's CABARET. Robuck delivers an intriguing If You Can Find Me, I'm Here, from Stephen Sondheim's EVENING PRIMROSE. Jesse Layt gives a moving Dust And Ashes from NATASHA, PIERRE & THE GREAT COMET OF 1812 and Stevenson presents a delightfully dark Bobby with a combination of both endings of Stephen Sondheim's COMPANY in the medley of Happily Ever After and Being Alive.

Whilst A LITTLE CABARET was only on for a short season hopefully Little Triangle will continue to produce similar cabaret nights.

https://www.littletriangle.com.au/