‘Being Alive’: Love Letter To Sondheim Finds A Diamond In The Rough

Like many theatre institutions, Stephen Sondheim has been deeply influential on the Hayes Theatre. With award-winning seasons of many of the musical maestro’s greatest shows under their belts, the Potts Point hotspot of theatrical innovation now celebrates Sondheim with a part-concert, part-theatre show of his greatest hits (and some deeper cuts) in Being Alive.

As a showcase of musical prowess, Being Alive is spectacular. Travelling all across Sondheim’s prolific career, the man’s music is brought to life with a remarkable sense of passion and purpose. The small band sounds sensational in the intimate Hayes venue, as do the four performers providing the vocals – it’s hard to imagine these songs sounding much better.

However, its status as a hybrid of concert and theatre show means that Being Alive feels a little rough around the edges. There’s a very light sense of connectivity between all of these setpieces, but it lacks the strengths that committing to one form or the other would likely have granted the final product.

The fact that Being Alive has some unsanded edges does lend it a certain level of charm. It’s hard to even pinpoint exactly where it ‘begins’ as the actors and musicians file out to warm up and directly interface with the audience. Soon, the lights dim and the show launches into Invocations and Instructions to the Audience from The Frogs… with some updated lyrics for modern showgoers, of course.

It’s apparent very quickly how talented the cast and crew of Being Alive are even in this introductory song. Director Sonya Suares’ extensive experience directing Sondheim is apparent, with her actors/singers Blazey Best, Lincoln Elliott, Kala Gare and Raphael Wong sounding in immediate top form.

Being Alive has a sensational troupe of performers

Being Alive then goes through a huge number of works like Into the Woods, Assassins and of course Company across the next 80 minutes. The selection of songs is excellent in conveying the breadth and depth of Sondheim’s musical skills, with jovial tunes and heart-wrenching ballads played with equal verve.

The full company of Being Alive are terrific at bringing out the emotions in these songs. Extra impressive about their casting is that they each bring a distinct performance style to the show; Raphael Wong’s booming voice makes an immediate impression in Colour and Light, as does Blazey Best in Sooner or Later.

Kala Gare and Lincoln Elliott feel more modern compared to these two, but that’s a good thing. By casting a wide net with its styles of singing and performing, Being Alive is able to capture the universal quality of Sondheim’s music and play around with it in ways that a traditionally staged musical could not while Michael Tyack, Amanda Jenkins and Lillian Hearne play the music live on stage with exceptional talent.

The sheer quality of performance does much to smooth over the show’s less developed elements. Indeed, the connection between the songs feels a bit underbaked considering that Being Alive seemingly wants to go beyond being only a concert.

The lack of a definitive start point doesn’t necessarily help, either. The entire affair feels rather casual; a fact that works for an intimate setting like the Hayes. However, it ultimately does lead to conflicting expectations within the work and a somewhat strange sense of pacing.

Still, Being Alive is an easy sell. To hear Stephen Sondheim’s music orchestrated and performed by such sensationally talented performers is more than enough to be a show well worth seeing. Even in the rough, the creatives at the Hayes Theatre are always able to find a diamond.

Being Alive is playing until Saturday, July 12th at the Hayes Theatre.