Directed by Tyran Parke.
Conducted by George Ellis
Presented by City Recital Hall – Sydney October 26th
2018
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
If any proof were needed as to why Caroline O’Connor
is regarded as one of the most accomplished and sought-after music theatre
performers in the world, then this sensational concert has certainly provided
it in spades.
Best known in Australia for her starring roles in a
string of Broadway musicals, among them “West Side Story”, “Chicago”, “Anything
Goes”, “Gypsy” and “Funny Girl”, O’Connor has starred in even more shows overseas,
and for this concert she took the opportunity to include songs from many of the
musicals in which she has starred in England, America and France, including
“Follies”, “The Rink”, “Sweeney Todd”, and “On the Town”.
Accompanied by a brilliant 19 piece orchestra,
conducted by George Ellis, which captured the genuine Broadway sound with superb
musical arrangements, and which included O’Connor’s regular accompanist, Daniel
Edmonds on piano, and her husband, Barrie Shaw on saxophone, flute and
clarinet, with, Special Guests, the Sydney Gay and
Lesbian Choir providing a couple of
show-stopping moments and some lush choral backings, O’Connor dazzled her
audience with no fewer than 24 showstoppers. Each a mini masterclass in
interpretation, impeccable diction and masterful phrasing, as O’Connor
created a roomful of memorable characterizations moving seamlessly from song
to song.
Directed by Tyran Parke, who was also a feature
artist, stage manager, and even a human prop for one of the songs, the performance
commenced with a dramatic orchestral medley of songs associated with O’Connor. Parke
and the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir then took the stage to perform Sondheim’s “Invocation
and Instructions to the Audience”, during which O’Connor surprised the audience
by emerging from among the choir to join Parke for some wicked contemporary updates of the
original lyrics.
The familiar vamp for Kander and Ebb’s “All That Jazz”
was all that was needed to encourage the seemingly indefatigable O’Connor to
beguile her adoring audience with song after song from shows in which she has
appeared during her career. The quirky “Wrong
Note Rag”, the tongue-twisting “I Can Cook Too”, both from Bernstein’s “On the Town” and the lovely
“Journey to the Past” from Ahrens and Flaherty’s “Anastasia” for which she
recently won plaudits originating the role of the Countess Lily
Malesvesky-Malevitch on Broadway, demonstrated her versatility.
Her brilliant rendition of “The Worst Pies in London”
from Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd” gave a glimpse of the performance that prompted
Sondheim to declare her, “the best Mrs. Lovett he had ever heard”. A heartfelt version of “Time Heals
Everything” from Jerry Herman’s “Mack and Mabel”, introduced with a captivating
saxophone solo by Barrie Shaw, provided a glimpse of the performance that
earned her an Olivier Award nomination. Throughout, treating every member of
the audience as if each was her bestie, she punctuated the songs with personal
stories about the songs, and her experiences in the shows from which they came.
A sassy “Chief Cook and Bottle Washer” from Kander and
Ebb’s, “The Rink”, in which O’Connor starred earlier this year in England , and
a savage “Could I Leave You” from Sondheim’s “Follies”, were particular
highlights. She paid tribute to Peter
Allen and Judy Garland with “All I Wanted was the Dream” from “The Boy From Oz”,
and to Leonard Bernstein by including a pretty song, “The Story of My Life”,
cut from “On the Town”.
There were many more memorable moments including two
from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir with its memorable version of “Our Time”
from Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along”,
and a goose-bump-inducing version of “Sunday” from his “Sunday in the Park with
George” sung with members of the choir scattered through-out the auditorium.
Finally, O’Connor joined the choir for a stunning
arrangement of “What I Did for Love” from the Marvin Hamlisch musical, “A
Chorus Line”, earning her a sustained standing ovation from the entire
audience, which O’Connor, her voice miraculously sounding as fresh as it did
with her very first song, rewarded with a blistering version of the ultimate
Sondheim song, “Rose’s Turn” from “Gypsy”.
This was one of those one-off, “You should’ve been
there” events, destined to be forever locked in the memory-banks of those in
the capacity audience lucky enough to have shared it. You should have been
there!
