Aspects of Love

This is as sophisticated a performance of this musical as you could ever hope to see at close quarters.

The standards were so high that it felt like you were watching Opera Australia rather than an Independent Theatre production.

Aspects of Love is already opera-like in the sense that it is sung through. The generous sized cast of sixteen and orchestra of ten squeezed onto the Hayes Theatre stage added to the feeling of abundance.

The musical is Andrew Lloyd Webber at his most florid.

The signature tune “Love Changes Everything” is heard at the very outset of the musical and is repeated often, albeit with new lyrics. It stays in your hard drive long after you leave the theatre.

The story is a little overwrought. A 17 year old soldier in post WWII Paris seduces an older actress, which spins into a love triangle with his much older artist Uncle.
Other women/relations further complicate the ménage a trois.

The leading lady Caitlin Berry (Rose Vibert) and Jonathan Hickey (Alex Dillingham) sing beautifully and sparkle as a couple.

The debonair silver fox Grant Smith (George Dillingham) elegantly captures the heart of the much younger actress.

It is a little difficult to accept the complete absence of any jealousy when the younger suitor arrives back on the scene.

A growing infatuation between Rose’s child and Alex is also problematic.

The drama switches seamlessly between cafes, bedrooms, the backstage of a theatre, Venice, a railway station and the Pyrenees , a naval port and more.
A fiendishly clever set designed by Stephen Smith using frames, boxes and backdrops twirls and moves in harmony with the choreography.

The splendid orchestra under the baton of Geoffrey Castles sweeps the audience through the longish drama that comes to a surprising ending.

This is an inviting night in the theatre for serious music theatre buffs.

David Spicer

Photographer: David Hooley