Once bitten by the Sondheim bug you are incurably infected for life. The works of composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim cover more than 70 years of American music theatre history, starting with 1957’s West Side Story and ending with his finale Here We Are staged posthumously in 2023.
In realising the Sondheim tribute Being Alive, director Sonya Suares not only had to find a cast who could bring the songs to life, but also distil the musical numbers down to 20 from a long list of classic tunes.
Hitting the stage at the Hayes Theatre and breathing life into Being Alive are Blazey Best, who last performed Sondheim in A Little Night Music, Lincoln Elliott, whose talent ranges from opera to musical theatre, Kala Gare, who shone in Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and seasoned opera star and Sondheim tragic Raphael Wong, who’s been in two productions of Sweeney Todd, plus A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George and Into The Woods.
Being Alive opens onto a set comprising of two side walls containing Sondheim tributes and graffiti, a grand pianist one side with a clarinetist and double bass opposite, with a back wall that transforms with lighting changes (Suares, design and Lucia Haddad, lighting).
The cast burst onto the stage and hit us with a full ensemble rendition of Invocations and Instructions to the Audience from the 1974 production of The Frogs, Sondheim’s adaption of the Greek comedy by Aristophanes.
They easily slip into Colour and Light from Sunday In The Park With George, which allows Raphael Wong to take centre stage.
Sondheim wrote five songs for the soundtrack to the Warren Beatty and Madonna film Dick Tracy and Suares has chosen Sooner or Later for Blazey Best to show the depth of her talent.
Later in the show Best will also share another magical moment when she duets with Lincoln Elliott on Agony from Into The Woods.
A dramatic and musical highlight of the night belongs to the full company when they perform The Gun Song from the 1990 musical Assassins.
A night of Sondheim music taken from across his career would not be complete without the inclusion of Send in the Clowns, which is introduced by lower clarinet notes before being handed over to Best and Elliott, after which the ensemble, with a few highlights from Gare see out the set before ending on Comedy Tonight.
Suares has chosen the songs that show not only highlights of a long career, but also brilliantly display Sondheim’s diversity of styles.
No matter how good the singers are, it would come to nought if they were not driven by competent musical backing and that is achieves seemingly effortlessly by veteran pianist Michael Tyack, double bassist Amanda Jenkins and clarinetist Lillian Hearne under the musical supervision of Luke Byrne.
Em-Jay Dwyer gets special attention for making the singers and band sound so good, as does choreographer Amy Zhang for her effortless movement work.
Loosely framed around a theme of the travails of life with affirmation towards the end, Being Alive is a positive night of music that brings back the magic of musical theatre through the lens of a genius.
Being Alive: The Music of Stephen Sondheim
Hayes Theatre Co, 19 Greenknowe Avenue, Elizabeth Bay
Performance: Thursday 26 June 2025
Season continues to 12 July 2025
Information and Bookings: www.hayestheatre.com.au
Images: Raphael Wong, Blazey Best, Lincoln Elliott and Kala Gare in Being Alive – photo by John McRae | Raphael Wong, Lincoln Elliott and Kala Gare in Being Alive – photo by John McRae | Lincoln Elliott and Blazey Best in Being Alive – photo by John McRae
Review: John Moyle