An entertaining, vibrant Australian tribute to Stephen Sondheim in PUTTING IT TOGETHER is currently playing at The Foundry Theatre in Sydney.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER was first performed in 1992 in the UK directed by Julia McKenzie with Stephen Sondheim writing the words and music.
From the opening title song, the audience is beguiled into liking the show as the lyrics work on their sympathy. The songs are drawn from many of his previous musicals and have all of Sondheim’s genius, wit and intricate melodies. They range across pathos, love, joy and vindictiveness plus humour.
Lacking an overall narrative, a series of mini dramas explore themes such as love, desire, longing, loneliness within marriage, and disillusionment. Given the passage of time since the early 1990s, the audience may query whether some of the ways the drama is played out is still reflective of current society. This is especially hopefully true in relation to the extent of compromise within a marriage given changes to financial and social empowerment. This production has locally contextualised jokes and gives an updated reference to ‘influencers’. Also, in the funny Ladies Who Lunch, the wife in this production asks in an aside, ‘Does anyone still wear hats?’
This production had the music arranged for two pianos and percussion by Guy Simpson and Kevin Wang. Guy Simpson’s previous work on various Sondheim productions assisted in this excellent arrangement. Musical direction was provided by Kevin Wang. Richard Gleeson’s skill on percussion was evident from the start complementing the jokes in the warm-up introduction. The two pianists, Kevin Wang and Nicholas Till, though becoming an active part of the scenes maintained their synchronised musicianship throughout.
With a strong cast, the variety of songs allowed all the performers to have at least one significant solo. Each character was clear and recognisable. Caroline O’Connor was the consummate wife exhibiting the widest range of bitter to sweet emotions through her acting and musical power. Nigel Huckle also stood out as the young man. His strong vocals clearly showed him as the most optimistic of the characters. Stephanie Caccamo as the young woman, sang knowingly, sweetly, connivingly and innocently as she breezed past Michael Cormick as the husband, who was the stiffer and less physically flexible of the characters. The dramas were observed and commented on by the rich voice of Bert Labonte. With the high caliber of the cast, it is not surprising that Cameron Mitchell said it was “a joy directing and choreographing”.
The glamorous set design was provided by Nick Fry. White drapes and white baby grand pianos allowed for subtle mood colour changes in lighting design. Trudy Dalgleish (Lighting Designer) ensured these complemented the music and choreography. Nigel Shaw designed the costumes to have some material and glitter variations on the appropriate basic black cocktail theme. All cast and crew ensured a smooth and polished production.
From the opening jokes and song to the finale, Old Friends, the overall production gained a well deserved standing ovation on opening night.
PUTTING IT TOGETHER is playing the Foundry Theatre, Sydney until 15 February 2026
Production photography by Daniel Boud
The Foundry Theatre: http://foundrytheatre.com.au
Instagram – @foundrytheatresydney
