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| Spoken enragement |
Dee lights up the stage as the bored wife to David Bedella's lounge lizard husband. The love's still there, but the excitement has been converted into the purchasing of ever bigger houses and grander holidays. Now, even that's not enough. Bored and thwarted, both unleash their flirtations and fantasies at a cocktail party. Bedella chats up a young girl and Dee imagines a liaison with the waiter, expressed through a dance featuring man and broom, and exposing the anger at the heart of the relationship: Could I bury my rage with a boy half your age In the grass? Bet your ass. Sondheim is sometimes hard going, but Putting It Together is a platter of his most tuneful songs from classic musicals including Sweeney Todd, Assassins, Sunday in the Park with George, Follies, Merrily We Roll Along, Dick Tracy, A Little Night Music, and Into the Woods.
With Dee taking the lead, there are moments when the music is almost secondary. She is by turns funny, hurt and cruel, and she sings as if in conversation. It's effortless. Bedella has a great voice but his words sometimes lack clarity. Caroline Sheen hits tough notes and does good comedy turns as the young girl for whom Lovely is the one thing I can do. Damian Humbley is slightly invisible, but sings like a dream. Daniel Crossley is the dark horse in the mix, delivering two showstoppers: Everybody Ought to Have A Maid - a delicious duet with Dee - and a schizophrenic solo, Buddy's Blues.
In Conclusion: Director Alastair Knights' lively production never palls. Driven by Alex Parker's musical arrangements and Theo Jamieson's six piece band, Matthew Rowland's simple, elegant choreography keeps the cast on its toes. It's a very jolly couple of hours and a particular pleasure to see Dee still on top form.
References
Putting It Together, Tickets
Picture: Mike Eddowes
St James Theatre, Palace Street, London SW1. Run ends Feb 1.
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