MARRY ME A LITTLE at the Stage Door Theatre
★★★
“The production’s saving grace is Markus Sodergren’s performance”
Revues can be hard to pull off, but Marry Me A Little feels confused and somewhat directionless.
The performance is a series of Sondheim songs, pulled from other musicals, which are knitted together to tell the story of two lonely singles.
The plot, as it is, is vague and hard to follow. It isn’t clear if the two characters are acquainted, and there is no interaction between performers. This seems a particular shame as it would’ve varied the tone and allowed a different dynamic to build. The director, Robert McWhir, has set the performance in modern day, but all that seems to entail is several moments where the characters stare at their phones, and one excellent moment where the stabbing of a microwave meal sleeve is incorporated into the rhythm of the song.
The production’s saving grace is Markus Sodergren’s performance. Both Sodergren and Shelley Rivers are strong, and it is an impressive feat to be non-stop singing for an hour. However, Sodergren is a real standout. He is passionate and funny, and while it is hard to follow why his emotions are what they are, he plays them with vigour.
David Shields’ set paints a clear picture of the apartment(s) and utilises a fairly small space in a clever and compact way. Though ideally his costumes would’ve given us more understanding of the characters. Richard Lambert’s lighting design is naturalistic, and does well to transport the audience to the inside of this apartment.
This is the first production at the new Stage Door Theatre, the first (and only) pop up pub theatre in the West End. The space is intimate and convivial, the audience is seated at individual tables and there is the option of a meal before the show. To choose this revue as a first production, setting the tone for what this theatre will be, feels like a strikingly odd choice. It will be interesting to see how the season progresses.
MARRY ME A LITTLE at the Stage Door Theatre
Reviewed on 1st March
by Auriol Reddaway
Photography by Peter Davies
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MARRY ME A LITTLE
MARRY ME A LITTLE
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