Review: The Effect Of Choices Are Considered With Limited Success in Theatre & Company's IF/THEN

Friday 1 February 2019, 8pm, Lennox Theatre, Riverside Parramatta

Theatre & Company present the New South Wales Premiere of Tom Kitt(Music) and Brian Yorkey's (Book and Lyrics) IF/THEN with mixed results. A work that proved challenging and convoluted even with the budget of Broadway in 2014 remains equally elusive for the smaller scale Pro-Am company.

For those unfamiliar with the work that potentially only achieved the success it did because of it's Washington DC and Broadway originating leading lady, Idina Menzel, is that IF/THEN considers the different directions a seemingly simple choice could lead a life on. Ready to re-start her life after 12 years teaching urban planning in Phoenix Arizona, the newly divorced 38 year old Elizabeth returns to New York City and has made friends with perky new neighbor Kate (Ariane Sallis), a kindergarten teacher, and has reconnected with college best friend Lucas (Levi Burrows), a man child still holding on to his college values of protest and activism against corporate development. Kate thinks she should adopt "Liz" to reflect a more open and carefree new outlook on life. Lucas feels "Beth", the name she used in college, exudes a greater sense of maturity and stability. These two choices form the basis of IF/THEN with the possible lives of Liz and Beth playing out in tandem.

Unfortunately, Adam Haynes directorial choices leave the Sliding Doors style story hard to follow unless you pre-read the synopsis which should not be necessary if a production is well executed. The changes between the two storylines are primarily delineated by Mitchell Kroll's lighting design which utilizes colored spotlights blinding the audience whilst scenes are changed or re-set but really just leads to the audience trying to peer through the glare into the darkness during the often-long transitions trying to figure out what is happening.

The work is also hampered by Kitt and Yorkey's repetitive nature of the story which restates the themes of chance and the choices in a string of unmemorable tunes with no groundbreaking new message. This lengthens the two stories which are incredibly unremarkable in themselves and only lightly more interesting when paired. The musicality of the work is not helped by the persistent issues with the sound design that had balance issues drowning out lyrics or simply not turning on microphones in time when the system was not providing static and feedback. The choice to also have the two 'musicians' in the opening scene mime playing guitar and beating a bucket drum was also disappointing in its high school musical amateur expression.

The core cast do the best they can with the direction and the material with strong performances from Jocelyn O'Brien as Elizabeth, Ariane Sallis as Kate and Levi Burrows as Lucas. O'Brien settled into the role as the night progressed and delivered some strong vocals but wasn't perfectly convincing as the cautious woman not sure if she is ready to embark on a new relationship or a careerwoman rising to take on City Hall. Sallis is brilliantly bubbly as the potty mouthed kindergarten teacher, giving the feminist lesbian a sugary Disney feel to Kate's songs. Burrows has a strong singing voice whilst also conveying that the passionate protester is also capable of devoted love, whether it be to his college sweetheart or his new boyfriend.

Other notable performances come from Ashli Marin as Kate's girlfriend Anne and Tayla Jarrett as Beth's protégé Elena with both women presenting strong vocals and realistic performances. Rob Thompson, as Liz's boyfriend come husband, army doctor Josh, has a strong dramatic style and dance expression but vocals were variable, potentially a result of sound technology issues. The supporting ensemble however add little to the work with poor vocals and lackluster movement, not aided by Melissa Ayers' generic choreography which removes any passion or purpose.

Josh Stringer's set design is clean and effective with a black silhouette of a city skyline, although unusually not New York, situated in front of a backdrop that can be colored with Mitchell Kroll's lighting. The 'buildings' also bear a grid of led lights which echoes the grid layout of the city Elizabeth loves which adds a nice touch to the simple set of two balconies and a rear walk which was unfortunately underutilized. Rosanna Haynes and Remi McKay's costuming choices are variable and not always well suited to the characters or the performers.

IF/THEN survived on Broadway because of a big name with a big voice. Between a storyline that could be seriously shortened, banal subplots and forgettable music, IF/THEN is an ambitious production for a company to take on and unfortunately Theatre and Company should have chosen a different path.

https://riversideparramatta.com.au/show/if-then/

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