Short & Sweet & Song

If ever there was a reason for the manufacturer of a universal remote control, able to fast forward and change the fabric of time, then the first act of Short & Sweet & Song would have to be it. What is overall a fabulously exciting night of mini-musical theatre is brought down slightly by the inclusion of some truly mind numbing shows (nearly all of which appear in the first half). Given that, it was hardly surprising to see a few empty seats after intermission, which is a shame as the second half includes some short musicals of real quality.

The short musical festival, a spin off of the popular Short & Sweet short play festival, collects together ten musicals from all around the world, all of which must be under ten minutes. With no brief other than that writers were allowed to let their imaginations wander, the resulting musicals cover everything from Vincent Van Gogh’s last hours through to life in a wax work museum; from Icarus taking wing to parents watching a soccer match; from life in a photocopy store to a vicar who has seen The Sound of Music more often than is healthy.

As already mentioned, the level of quality varies greatly. Musicals like Alpha Females (a poor Sex & The City knock off) and When Will (a look at a train journey) leave you wondering why they were included while others such as Palace Whore (a look at the career of actress, celebrity and palace favourite Lilly Langtry) and the hilarious A4 2 A3 (easily the crowd favourite) just seem to be operating in another dimension all together. In fact, except for Life’s a Circus the five shows in the first half are largely forgettable, although Vincet of the Fields, (the Van Gogh story) is interestingly staged with a dancer shadowing Vincent through his last days. And Natalie Gamsu does a great job as The Sound of Music obsessed vicar in The Von Trapp Heresy.

The highlight of the night is Building a Wing, the story of what happened to Icarus before he flew into the sun. Written by Americans Amanda Yesnowitz and Michael Fiocelli, it is an assured, well constructed and musically excellent piece. It is also the most complete of the shows, making the most of the ten minute structure. Under the direction of Neil Gooding, it features fabulous performances from Nick Christo as Icarus and Paul Whiteley as Daedalus and is worth the price of admission alone.

Thanks to the highlights mentioned and some excellent performances, Nick Simpson-Deeks in Life's A Circus, Nick Christo in Building A Wing and Joe Main in A4 2 A3 immediately springing to mind, the first Short & Sweet & Song is a success. It will be interesting to watch this festival over the next few years, it has the potential to be huge. Artistic director Avigail Herman and her team have done a fabulous job putting it all together and despite its flaws it is worth seeing as the future of Australian musical theatre (both actors, writers and directors) are on show.

You can hear an interview with Avigail Herman in episode 3 of StageCast.