BWW Reviews: John O'Hara Brings Late Night Calls to “The Love God” To The Cabaret Stage in DEDICATIONS

Wednesday 10th June 2015, 6:30pm, Hayes Theatre, Potts Point

DEDICATIONS shares the lives and loves of "The Love God's" listeners as they call in to a Late Night Radio program inspired by Sydney Radio personality Richard Mercer's "Love Song Dedications". John O'Hara moulds himself into the handful of misfits that use the medium as their own personal therapy and select songs to 'dedicate' to loved ones that they invariably sing along to.

Backed by a piano and cello, O'Hara utilises the space along with his voice and physicality to delineate the different characters as they phone in to talk to "The Love God", from the senior citizen Frank, in his afghan covered armchair situated upstage, seated next a table with his radio and rotary phone, to the somewhat dim-witted Travis that lacks self-control that shares his problems front and centre, and the teenager obsessing over her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend as 'she' lounges on the risers at the side of the stage.

The work, created by O'Hara and Anthony Harkin (writer and director) includes interesting social observations and draws on current trends from Frank's commentary on the "Tropical Spy Games" of matchmaking based on shopping trolley contents he's read about on the "inter-webs", selfie obsessed teenager Josie stalking her ex via Instagram and 5 Seconds of Summer groupie hunting down pop idol Luke via Facebook and Google searches of his gigs. The collection of characters range in age from teen to septuagenarian, married, perpetually single, straight and gay, new love and old love.

O'Hara, in black shirt and pants assumes the varying characters with recognizable mannerisms, all laced with an air of desperation from the butch lesbian that retreats to the shed to huddle under blankets, away from her lover's perfect beige house when upset to the groupie that channels Summer Heights High's Ja'mie, complete with liturgical dance and the seemingly normal middle aged man holding a torch for a girl he knew 20 years ago. Within each character, O'Hara interprets the songs they choose for their dedication creating new connections to the music with the original arrangements and the inclusion of character specific voices. Of note, Travis' ocker interpretation of Michael Boulton's How Am I Supposed To Live Without You, and the writer's pared back version of Belinda Carlisle's Heaven is a Place On Earth, and Liz the Lesbian's almost spoken version of Leonard Cohen's Bird on A Wire.

DEDICATIONS is an amusing look at society and provides a different angle on the often covered topic of love whilst taking the audience on a trip down memory lane with the music of the last 30 or so years.

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