Review: Jason Robert Brown's SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD Is Presented With Heart, Honesty and Humour

Saturday 13th August 2016, Hayes Theatre, Potts Point

Blue Saint Productions delivers another beautifully crafted, passionate rollercoaster of emotions with SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD. Director Luke Joslin has gathered a superb team to interpret Jason Robert Brown's challenging songs that tug at the heartstrings and elicit roars of laughter in turn.

For those unfamiliar with the work, SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is an abstract 'musical' which premiered off Broadway at the WPA Theatre in 1995 and is made up of 19 songs Brown wrote for other venues and events. The stand-alone stories, presented in a variety of musical styles from gospel to rock, share a common thread whereby each presents someone who is being faced with a decision after their original plans didn't go as expecteD. Joslin takes these stories of people deciding on their "new world" and presents them as more than just the song, dramatizing the work to form mini characterisations.

Set and costume designer Jacob Battista has drawn inspiration from On the Deck Of a Spanish Sailing Ship, 1492 in his creation of the poop deck of a sailing ship taking the four performers to a new world. Tattered sail, ropes wound around the fife rail and sea chests set the scene and seemingly random names and numbers in graffiti on the timber first gives the impression that the set is an amalgam of found objects until Matthew Tunchon's lighting highlights the names, ages and years in turn, giving more context to the songs. The levels allow vertical variety and places for performers not singing to 'hide' in The Shadows. Battista has kept the costuming contemporary and simple with the cast removing layers of the monochrome street style to indicate different characters.

Teagan Wouters, who recently performed the role of Tzeitel in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, takes on the role of "Woman 1" who has the songs for a younger woman. She has a strength but also tempered with a sensitivity inkeeping with the innocence of the young. Her rendition of I'm Not Afraid of Anything captures the recognisable feeling of being in love, but coming to the realisation that the one you love isn't strong enough to love you back. The expression of the 16 year old pregnant girl likening herself to Mary in Christmas Lullaby is heartbreaking as the fear of being a teenage mother lurks beneath the brave face as she tries to convince herself that the unplanned pregnancy can be a good thing.

Regular patrons of Hayes Theatre will recognise Man 1, Christopher Scalzo from his turn as Angel in RENT. He takes on the grittier, darker stories with a toughened New York accent and a beautiful physicality with fabulous little facial expressions that expose a cheeky undertone.

As Man 2, Cameron Macdonald takes on a number of the roles for a younger male. His interpretation of She Cries is filled with introspection and passion as the character teeters on The Edge of breaking up with his girlfriend, continuously drawn back in by her tears, a ploy many people will recognise. The duet with Wouters for I'd Give It All For You weaves it's way through the story of the young lovers being separated and finally realising that they need each other is beautiful in its storytelling and connection between the two singers.

As Woman 2, Sophie Carter, fresh from the tour of Georgy Girl, has more of the high comic numbers but also the iconic Stars And The Moon which is now a Cabaret standard. Carter's expression as a more mature New Yorker is hilarious in numbers like Just One Step and Surabaya Santa. These are both presented as physical performances, all the while maintaining fabulously strong, textured vocals. Her expression of Stars And The Moon, captures the regret that the woman feels for being shallow and having a 'check list' of the man she wanted rather than following her heart.

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD is an incredibly moving collection of songs, balanced out with a few comic songs to lighten the load of the emotion that Brown has captured in his music. Beautifully presented by a strong cast that understand the underlying meaning of the songs to deliver them with the right tone and sensitivity, Blue Saint Productions have delivered another stand out performance that should not be missed.

SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD

Hayes Theatre, Potts Point

Friday 12 August - Sunday 28 August 2016

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