In particular, Ali Watt is excellent in the lead role of Robert, a single New Yorker whose 35th birthday has prompted all his married friends to throw him a surprise party. He has the power in his voice to project the role and he copes easily with So
ndheim's tonality.
Importantly for a production in which the set is minimal, Watt also has the on-stage presence to carry off Robert's cynical attitude to love and commitment as he remembers a succession of evenings with the different couples.
Of the couples, the female members tend to be stronger vocally. Which is only natural, given their concern – often on a personal level as indicated by their on-stage interaction – for the status of Robert's love life.
While the minimal set is used cleverly to help the production move smoothly through the musical, it falls to the often wordy dialogue to ensure that it keeps up the pace.
For the early scenes, this is fine. Rachel Timney and Chris Royds as Sarah and Harry set the bar high with their denial about their eating and drinking, while Leonie Hamway and Alex Duffy as the very straight Jenny and David put in a hilarious scene where they are getting stoned with Robert.
Nina Logue provides strong support throughout as Joanne, on her third rich husband Larry (Joe Pike) and the married woman most interested in Robert for herself.
Robert's various girlfriends – Miriam Early as air hostess April, Maredith Close as quirky Marta and Alice Bonifacio as country girl Kathy – acquit themselves splendidly in the song You Could Drive A Person Crazy. But in their little chats with Robert, the production begins to lose its pace.
All three are too quiet to be heard when speaking and, far from being intimate confessions, their scenes simply become tedious.
The production has plenty of great numbers and inventive, if simple, staging. But these scenes need to pick up the pace if it is not to sag towards the end. Until August 17.
The full article contains 374 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
