Theatre Review: Marry Me A Little, The Stage Door Theatre - Intimate in every way.

Markus Sodergren and Shelley Rivers in Marry Me A Little at The Stage Door Theatre, Drury Lane. Image Credit: Peter Davies.

⭑⭑⭑

"What can you do on a Saturday night alone?"

Director Robert McWhir breathes new life into the revue first conceptualised by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene in 1980. This one act play was last performed at the St James Palace now The Other Palace in 2014 and had a sell-out run. This 'pocket-play' with a running time of just 64 minutes, tells the story of two lonely New Yorkers in the same apartment building on a Saturday night, sharing sweet fantasies and a deep yearning for a love not yet found, all told through 'trunk' songs from the iconic composer Stephen Sondheim's better-known musicals. 

There have been several iterations of this play, some have seen the couple going through a break-up, others have shown the pair to be potential lovers, but in McWhir's version and under the musical direction of Aaron Clingham, 'Man' and 'Woman' never physically meet despite being aware of each other's existence. The duo even romanticise what they might say to the other should they ever cross paths, but the audience never see them leave the confines of their respective apartments, despite only living a floor apart! 

The audience never learns the characters names, they are simply 'Man' (Markus Sodergren) and 'Woman' (Shelley Rivers). This lends itself to the universality of the piece, these two could be anyone, anywhere, and allows the audience to create their own backstory for the characters. By leaving them nameless the focus is entirely on the music. This is Sondheim up close and personal. 

The intimacy of the performance is enhanced by the setting, a brand new off west-end theatre in the heart of Covent Garden, lends itself to this, however at times it feels as though there isn't enough space for the actors to really play. The staging is interesting, it's quite cluttered but lacking in character. The duo's apartments appear to mirror one another. The space feels languid and the sense of loneliness felt by the young pair is palpable. 

This is a dialogue-free plot which will not be to everyone's tastes but no-one can deny original producers Lucas and Rene achieved something quite unique in bringing together a lot of so-called 'trunk' songs and turning them into a song cycle. 

The vocals are pitch perfect and Rivers and Sodergren feel as though they have been performing these songs for years. There are moments where it feels as if the pair are holding back a little but it doesn't dampen their performance. Despite the plays focus on love lost and yet found, there are some comical moments, especially the pair's use of dating apps and reminiscing about old flames. 

The play does what it says on the tin, it is a one act song cycle of Sondheim’s lesser known classics in an intimate setting with two talented performers but it would have been nice to see more character development and story-telling, particuarly for those audience members new to this style of theatre and less familiar with Sondheims' work. 

At the Stage Door Theatre in Drury Lane until the 13th April 2024. Tickets available here.