Impressive, resourceful and entertaining are the words that describe the Albion College Music Department’s performance, “A Sondheim Celebration,” on Friday.
According to the director of the performance, visiting assistant professor of voice Jenny Ribeiro, the “theater experience” was based on a collection of songs from composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s works, “tailored” to the students who auditioned.
The performance was produced as a part of the opera workshop class, MUS 133, Ribeiro said. Since she was hired in 2022 and put in charge of the class, Ribeiro said she’s been growing the program “from scratch,” now putting on full shows.
“A Sondheim Celebration” featured a program of 21 songs, and three in particular stood out to me. Thus, I have ranked them, starting with my favorite:
Song #1: ‘Company,’ ‘Getting Married Today’
“(Not) Getting Married Today” from Sondheim’s 1970 musical “Company” was a spectacle. It opened with stunning vibrato and projection from Troy senior Miranda McKee as the officiant of a wedding singing in an operatic tone reminiscent of a Christmas carol: slow, loud and sappy.
Then, stumbling onto the stage in a wedding veil, Saginaw senior Amariah Talley-Woodson stole the show. “(Not) Getting Married Today,” according to “The Standard,” is one of the hardest songs to sing in musical theater, and Talley-Woodson managed the rushed lyrics with style, somehow maintaining strong diction and projecting across the entirety of the chapel.
Between Talley-Woodson’s accelerated verses, McKee chimed in with soapy poetry, proclaiming the virtue and beauty of marriage, just for Talley-Woodson to pick up again, scrambling to disagree.
This isn’t even to mention Talley-Woodson’s expressions as they pleaded with the audience, jumping around the stage, eyes wide and hands flailing.
This song had the entire audience cracking up, and I’m sure if I had been able to pick my jaw up off the floor, I would have joined them.
Song #2: ‘Sunday in the Park With George,’ ‘Finishing the Hat’
The music of “A Sondheim Celebration” was directed, partially adapted and accompanied by staff accompanist Nicholas Laban, who managed to play piano for nearly two hours straight for this performance, drastically shifting in pace and style between songs. “Finishing the Hat” from Sondheim’s 1984 musical “Sunday in the Park With George” was easily my favorite of the piano accompaniments.
Laban’s mastery of the piano shone in the lilting, bright notes of this song, perfectly complementing Coldwater first-year Jeff Harvey’s melancholy and occasionally comedic performance as George.
At one point in the number, Harvey turned his sketchbook around, showing a drawing of a top hat and singing, nonchalantly, “Look, I made a hat.”
For being a song from a musical about a painter, Harvey’s performance of this number perfectly illustrates the scattered, creative thoughts of an artist as he creates – though I stand by my assessment that the piano is the highlight.
Song #3: ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,’ ‘Johanna’
When the production shifted to songs from Sondheim’s 1979 musical, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” I honestly had to stop myself from squealing. It is unique as a thriller-comedy-drama-musical fusion, and the 2007 film adaptation starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter has gained some well-deserved popularity.
The piano, occasionally jarring and dissonant, matches the uncanny tone of the story well, and when the production arrived at Detroit junior Jeremy Romero’s rendition of “Johanna” as Anthony, the chapel was silent. I can only imagine the rest of the audience was anticipating the long, clear notes of the song with me.
Though the song was short, it served as a welcome note of clarity after the longer songs preceding it, and laid an excellent foundation for the next, much faster rendition of “Pirelli’s Miracle Elixir.”
Bumps in the Production Road
No production, however thoroughly rehearsed, is without its flaws. As a one-night-only production, “A Sondheim Celebration” was surprisingly excellent throughout, and I was left with only a couple of critiques.
The production was a little long for me. As a collage of a variety of numbers, the length was under the production’s control, to an extent. If it were up to me, I might have cut two or three numbers to bring the total run time below two hours. Even with a 10-minute intermission, I found myself getting a little antsy.
There were also moments where the performer didn’t quite project to reach the entire audience. Of course, Goodrich Chapel was not built to be a theater, so this wasn’t necessarily something the crew could control. However, even when I was in the second row, there were moments where a performer was a little quiet, and I wondered if those at the back could hear the song.
Overall Highlights
Ultimately, to end with the impression the performance left on me, I want to focus on how truly classy and memorable “A Sondheim Celebration” was.
The set design was minimalist, yet clear, made up of a collection of black boxes, occasional props and posters of each musical projected onto the white walls surrounding the stage. With the addition of creative lighting solutions, the platform of Goodrich Chapel was an excellent stage.
Similarly, the costumes were simple, professional and versatile, accented with well-made accessories for each individual character.
Finally, of course, the cast did an incredible job. Genuinely strong singing performances, dynamic acting and incredible range from every voice made this event one to remember.
Sophia Valchine is a member of the Pleiad and was also featured in “A Sondheim Celebration.”
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