Side by Side with Sondheim

Side by Side with Sondheim is, in theory, a simple proposition. Place a group of highly capable performers in a room with Stephen Sondheim’s songs and let the writing do its work. In practice, of course, there is nothing simple about Sondheim. His material asks for dexterity, emotional intelligence, rhythmic precision, comic nerve, and a willingness to sit inside discomfort. A Night At The Musicals’ rose to that challenge with style. Presented in the Underground Theatre at Brisbane Powerhouse, this was a sharply directed, musically rich, and consistently engaging staged concert that understood the value of intimacy. Nothing was over-inflated. Nothing was hidden. The show trusted the material, trusted the audience, and, crucially, trusted its performers.

The conceit of Side by Side with Sondheim is less about plot than perspective. Drawing songs from across Sondheim’s catalogue, the evening was a mosaic of modern unease, longing, social performance, brittle wit, and flashes of hard-won tenderness. Numbers from Company, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and elsewhere sat alongside one another as little chambers of thought and feeling. That structure can sometimes feel museum-like in less nimble hands, but director Alex Watson and musical director Michael Keen shaped the evening with enough momentum and clarity that it never felt like a parade of greatest hits. The transitions between numbers were tight, the tonal shifts well judged, and the cumulative effect was of a work with its own internal rhythm rather than a mere anthology.

One of the evening’s great strengths was its teamwork. This was an ensemble in the truest sense, not a collection of soloists politely taking turns. The large group numbers were especially impressive, with imaginative arrangements and harmonies that built a thrilling wall of sound without sacrificing textual clarity. The live band made an enormous difference. Sondheim needs elasticity, colour and danger, and the musicians supplied all three. The score breathed in a way no backing track could manage, giving the performers something living to lean against and play with. Keen’s arrangements were inventive and theatrically alert, while the choreography and staging kept the eye engaged without fussing over the music. The movement supported the narrative and emotional shape of each song, rather than competing with it, which is a rarer virtue than it should be.

Among the principals, Courtney Monsma brought a lovely stage presence, with an expressive face and voice that drew the audience in. Her emotional work was finely judged, and her singing had the sparkling clarity one associates with her best performances, supported by crisp diction, versatility and gleaming upper notes. Her vibrato on sustained phrases found its most satisfying home in Side by Side, where it added warmth and shimmer rather than excess decoration. Erica Wild was the undeniable scene-stealer of the night. She has that rare quality of making precision look spontaneous. Her performance combined fantastic vocal command with vivid acting, generous energy, and charisma to spare. She was excellent in the serious material, but in comedy she was positively electric, displaying razor-sharp timing, playful intelligence, and the kind of stage assurance that makes an audience lean forward. James Shaw offered some of the evening’s most confident and controlled work. There is something suave and grounded about his stage manner, with just enough edge to suggest danger, and that quality served both Epiphany and Could I Leave You particularly well. Vocally, he was very strong, with a beautiful sound and a capacity to be moving while still allowing dry humour to glint through.