There has been a flurry of Stephen Sondheim stagings since the great composer’s death three years ago, including his lesser-performed works and revues.
Putting It Together - directed by Sondheim’s Old Friends star Janie Dee - is no different, with this latest incarnation playing for two nights at West London’s Playground Theatre, following its successful stint in Salisbury earlier this year.
And with each of Sondheim’s musical revues comes its own lifeblood and personality. Putting It Together throws together two couples - one older, one younger - at a penthouse cocktail party, showcasing the composer’s music as a continuous commentary on their various relationships.
Devised with Julia Mckenzie in the 90s, the structure does not flow especially well. Some of the numbers are all too tenuously applied to an underwhelming plot and, in many scenes, would be served better being performed simply as a concert piece.
The recently-revived Marry Me a Little had a similarly stripped-back, penthouse feel, with the score performed just on a piano, but invited audiences to invest in the characters’ stories in a way that evades Putting It Together entirely.
However, there is no escaping the fact that the compositions and lyrics are sumptuous. Sondheim was arguably the greatest musical theatre composer of all time and his genius shines through simply by having his music performed in the most modest of settings.
Janie Dee holds the audience’s attention well as the Wife, a role played decades previously by Julie Andrews, and gives a well-acted performance. This staging is also an opportunity for musical theatre aficionados to see Dee take on the likes of ‘Getting Married Today’ and ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’.
Kate Butch plays a charismatic Narrator, engaging with the front row, while Edward Baker-Duly provides a steady balance as the Husband to Dee’s Wife. But it is the company’s younger talent that steals the show; Tom Babbage is a vocal powerhouse already, while Miriana Pavia gives a thrilling performance of ‘More’ from Dick Tracy.
It is certainly another wonderful opportunity for Sondheim completists to see a lesser-performed revue but it is lacking compared to others we have seen in recent times. Dee’s direction is effective but, for the most part, overly safe and Act One in particular struggles to find any real momentum.
Putting It Together plays at the Playground Theatre until 15 December. Tickets are sold out, with a waiting list operating here.
Review: Tom Ambrose