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CLOSER
THAN EVER
Having
expected a medley of all those old Broadway classics like New York
New York, I was pleasantly surprised by the originality of the songs
in this production. They combine the showy Broadway style with insightful,
and often comic, lyrics.
Staging this kind of production at The Old Fire Station cannot have
been an easy task. Somehow the venue just does not have the size and
atmosphere to grasp that showbiz feel that needs to accompany
a musical. However, despite the limitations, Sound Of Muzak Productions
presents an engaging, if not faultless performance.
There is no continuous story to Closer than Ever. Rather, it is a
collection of songs which each tell their own short story. As a result
we get a succession of brief glimpses into mundane, bizarre, traumatised,
always quirky, human lives. We realise that the only thing that links
these existences is that they are human, and thus these songs are
imbued with those fundamental themes that run through all human lives
- love, sex, life, death...
The cast sing together, as well as performing a mixture of duets and
solos. The real star of the show is Charli Hendley, who has a fantastic
voice and acts with real flair. She clearly enjoyed every minute of
her solo as Miss Byrd, and made the song a highlight of the whole
show. Teaming up with Olivia Tebbutt and Abigail Charters, the three
girls perform a great Three Friends with some very skilled choreography
(the choreography was excellent throughout). The entertaining Theres
Nothing Like it, an amusing and rather bizarre song about the rigours
of exercise, is flamboyantly performed by the whole cast who attempt
aerobics with towels around their shoulders. Phil Gault too, has a
powerful voice, although his only other male counterpart, Stephen
Willey, is a disappointingly weak voice within an otherwise talented
group. Finally, of course, the musicians; a laid-back, late-night-bar
style pianist fitted appropriately with the style of music, and a
cool double bass.
For light entertainment, this is certainly watchable.
Jane
L.
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