What happens when two reviewers walk into a theatre? They get a free production booklet. Thank you, Hayes Theatre.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black’s musical Tell Me On A Sunday, produced by Michelle Guthrie and directed by Blazey Best for the Hayes Theatre Company, follows an unnamed London ‘girl’ (Erin Clare) adjusting to her new life in New York, as she oscillates between the search for love and self-fulfilment.
As we took our seats to watch this one-woman show we were instantaneously welcomed by a six-piece band seated around the mini hexagonal stage. The staging paired with the soft, orange lighting created the sense that we had walked into a beehive cross-section. The silence was loud, and we felt a punch of relief as the instruments began their tuning buzz.
Indeed, this talented ensemble led by musical supervisor Guy Simpson and musical director David Gardos brought all the jazzy, rock-infused, classical ballad style of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, as well as the rhythmic lyricism. Sitting in a darkened room, you could still register the silent communication between musicians and vocalist to tell us this story, whether that be through their musical instruments, cues or physical gestures.
This strong instrumental backdrop was the perfect setting for the performer Clare’s jaw-dropping vocals. A one-woman show, Tell Me On a Sunday necessitates extraordinary endurance for the performer; Clare sang effortlessly with the stamina of a marathon runner. Not only this, she punctuated her musicality with powerful facial expressions, which modulated her tone without dimming the beautiful warble.
Clare’s voice reminded us of a heightened Mandy Moore, embodying a great amount of vocal rigour while singing numbers like “It’s Not the End of the World”, “Nothing Like You’ve Ever Known” and “Tell Me On A Sunday” which references the title. Clare also sang without any interval, relying on the obligatory seconds-long costume change or drinking of water as a break. She seamlessly moved across the stage while hitting very high notes, and varying her physicality; even during a grand emotional outburst, immediately followed by a harrowing silence.
The performance was compelling, so much so that they almost concealed the underlying misogynistic tones of the storyline, symptomatic of its origins as an Andrew Lloyd Webber play written in the 1980s. Although the protagonist typifies a resilient woman, the narrative is told through her different romantic interactions with men: she tells the audience about an older man, an affair, a younger boy who holds promise — and each time we sit with her in her disappointment.
‘The girl’ would frequently shift between girlfriend roles to accommodate for each lover in their “ready-made world”, until she realises that she needs to create her own world. The story certainly did not pass the Bechdel test, as even her conversations with friends or letters back home to her mother centred on ‘guy drama’. In short, the girl would make a mistake, have an epiphany and repeat until it was no longer viable, and each time she would exclaim: “living without love is not a crime”.
More than anything, this narrowed scope was a missed opportunity to delve into the multifaceted experience that is moving overseas — we would have loved to hear more about her platonic interactions, green card struggles and opinions of New York City. While the “stars and stripes, and union jack” did unite in the form of a London girl living in NYC, it felt less of a tangible place or its own character, and seemed unimportant even as a background. Instead, as the girl sings,“if I’m New York, you’re Broadway”. The show falls in the latter camp, and rightfully so. All throughout the play, our attention is focused on the sole character’s journey, as depicted through song and sparse dialogue.
While she inevitably becomes defined by her failed relationships, our protagonist did seamlessly shift from feeling heartbroken to feeling heartsick, flirtatious, and angry all in very impassioned pleas. Therefore, many of the messages remained relatable and somewhat relevant. When ‘the girl’ says, “we can’t give any more than we are giving” and “dreams never run on time”, it was not too difficult for each audience member to reminisce on how that applies to their own life.
Just like Clare’s incredibly vocal stamina, the audience never tired of hearing the protagonist’s trials and tribulations in NYC. Although we would have loved insights into other aspects of her life, Clare’s candidness on-stage won our hearts from the moment she stepped on, until she left amid rapturous applause.
And ladies, do remember, “tall is tall, that’s all!”
Tell Me on a Sunday is running until May 12 at the Hayes Theatre Company. Buy your tickets here.
CAST AND CREATIVES:
Starring Erin Clare
Director Blazey Best
Musical Supervisor Guy Simpson
Musical Director David Gardos
Associate Director Lisa Callingham
Lighting Designer Kelsey Lee
Sound Designer Tom Brickhill
Stage & Company Manager Krystelle Quartermain
Assistant Stage Manager Hana Barn
