Image: The cast of Songs for a New World; photograph by Ben Fon.
Songs for a New World was the first production to feature the songs of popular musical theatre composer Jason Robert Brown, who would go on to create such memorable shows as The Last Five Years, Parade and most recently The Bridges of Madison County. Brown’s songs are emotional, contemporary and melodically driven and this production puts his musical talents on full display.
Four performers take centre stage to present individual songs about specific characters in a particular time and place. We see a captain of a ship pray for his passengers’ safety, a pair of homeless people sing about their bad luck in life and a woman sews a flag while waiting for her husband and son to return from the Revolutionary War in eighteenth century America. These are just a few examples of the characters featured in the show and whilst there may not be a traditional storyline the prevailing themes of choice and fate ties everything together.
Following their fantastic presentation of Violet a few months ago, Blue Saint Productions have assembled a wonderful cast for Songs for a New World. These performers are vocally first rate and they interpret the songs with passion, emotion and distinct characterisation under the direction of Luke Joslin.
Linden Furnell has a relaxed vocal style that suits his material well and his performance of She Cries, about a young man accepting monogamy, is a highlight of the first act.
Natalie O’Donnell has a wonderful huskiness to her powerful voice and her comedic skills are on full display in the hilarious Just One Step in which a famous talk show host’s disgruntled wife threatens suicide. In Stars and the Moon one of the more famous songs from the show, O’Donnell’s character reflects on past relationships and the unattainability of true happiness. She sings to the younger performer Teagan Wouters with a warm and gentle wisdom.
Wouters possesses a crystal clear voice that is full of range and truly a joy to hear. Her solo I’m Not Afraid of Anything and her duet with Furnell on I’d Give It All for You are vocally thrilling, however her dramatic performance of the latter is a tad too overwrought. But make no doubt, Wouters is a young talent bound for success.
John O’Hara has some of the most vocally challenging material in the show and he mostly rises to the occasion. His first solo at the top of the show is thrilling, however his big number in act two, King of the World had a shaky start from which he never fully recovered.
When these four performers sing together as an ensemble this production hits wonderful heights. The harmonies and vocal blending are glorious and mention must be made of Geoffrey Castles’ superlative musical direction. He has presented the material with perfect professionalism and he plays the demanding piano parts with incredible skill and dexterity.
The set is a bit confusing; a large wooden ship complete with tattered sail and graffiti dominates the small stage. Whilst this design fits in with the narrative of an early song, ‘On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship,’ it’s seems a strange choice for all that follows and the remainder of the staging becomes constricted because of it. Are the director and designer commenting on travel, emotional journeys, the refugee experience – who knows?
Joslin has a challenge in staging what is essentially a concert of songs and he mostly succeeds. There are some lovely quiet moments, such as the previously mentioned Stars and Moon sequence, however the blocking does sometimes slip into the overly dramatic, particularly during King of the World as O’Hara runs from side to side screaming in the faces of his still cast mates. This production also struggles to create any real sense of time and place for each song. Perhaps replacing the ship set with simple projections, such as the ones used for promotional videos for this production, would have been more effective.
The show also becomes rather preachy in the second half. The majority of the songs begin to feature references to Christianity, such as Mother Mary, Jesus and heaven – this strange shift seems to come out of nowhere.
Blue Saint’s Songs for a New World may try a bit too hard to create a cohesive vision at times, but it still offers audiences a wonderful opportunity to hear contemporary musical theatre classics sung by a first rate cast of both established performers and exciting new voices.
Rating: three stars out of five
Songs for a New World
Music & Lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
Directed by Luke Joslin
Music Direction by Geoffrey Castles
Featuring Linden Furnell, Natalie O’Donnell, John O’Hara and Teagan Wouters
Presented by Blue Saint Productions
Chapel off Chapel, Prahran
2-12 June
