As an art form, musical theatre is a craft all its own. Marrying the talented ear of a composer with the creative foresight of the director is no easy feat. The talent of two such artists can be successfully expressed with the moulding of human canvases to convey a lyrically spellbinding masterpiece for the senses of sight and sound.

If done right, the end result can be a sensation worthy of reflection. Even with eyes closed, the melodies, harmonies, and soaring notes can soothingly mingle with the imagination. Eyes open, performances can titillate, excite, provoke and impress.

Musicals are incredibly hard to get right. As with much contemporary art, some musicals have you scratching your head and asking, “What?” 

Leaving the audience clueless and dumbfounded may be a goal for artists deeming their work “open to interpretation,” but when this aim for a message is implanted into the musical genre, I can only scratch my head and ask, “Why?”

This conclusion I sadly have to come to when the third musical in Short+Sweet Song, titled Quiet Desperation, created and directed by Celeste Oram, is presented with five actors arriving on stage only to stare awkwardly out at the audience for what seems like an eternity. It is a truly uncomfortable moment, which does not end there.

The frenetic energy seems pointless.  Who knew amidst all that noise my brain could switch off only to be resuscitated by another creepy stare-off, coupled with heavy panting from the cast of five. 

Of course with the bad comes the good. 

Opening the scene for the first musical, Annie & Joshua, a sprightly, strikingly red-attired Callum Blackmore playing Joshua catches my attention. With the appearance of Bridget Costello’s prim and proper Annie’s, suddenly wailing, the audience is in for two great performances.

Well acted and well sung – and directed by Thomas Sainsbury – this duo plays well with Robbie Ellis’ score. A keyboard is the only accompaniment for telling this lyrical tale of romance and heartbreak.

The composition is a bit tetchy but the chaotic development of the relationship means the accordingly chaotic keyboard playing, makes sense. Keys played to a crescendo echo the rollercoaster of emotions felt by both Joshua and Annie. Their strong voices allow for great harmonizing too.

There are a few lulls but the two actors have good clear deliveries for a drastic, theatrical musical number. Their exaggerated performance and great energy makes for a lively 10 minute show.

Costello has an impressive stage presence; demure but feisty with a strong voice that carries to the back of the room. Blackmore is lively and easy to watch. Comedy is a hard beast to tame but he shows promise in being able to navigate around the genre. Comedic timing is almost right. Both actors are engaging and set the benchmark for the shows to follow.

The second musical, Tamasyn Clare’s What Love Can Be, directed by Kinloch Anstiss, somewhat dampens the mood with a melodramatic tale of tortured souls within a relationship. 

Cassie Baker, playing Emma, is the only one singing and it seems the songs might have been too challenging for her range. There are a few pitchy moments, as well as notes that are a bit flat. The skill of singing and acting is a hard combination to get right. Here the challenge is evident as forced emotions mean the singing suffers. Trying to be overemotional only interferes with her voice. 

There is a tense bit of forced acting between the two actors. They’re not afraid to lock lips, but the intimacy seems rehearsed and a tad unnatural.

The third ‘musical’ is already covered above. All I can add is, it’s weird. Just weird. It could definitely not be construed as a musical. Lacking the finesse of the genre, or even any sense of coherence as a show, this piece is not at all enjoyable to watch or listen to.

The fourth musical – an excerpt from I Wish I Learned, invited to showcase – was pulled due to the actress falling sick, which leads us into the high-energy show of musical ninjas titled The Adventures of Kazu and Kengo (a.k.a. This is how Ninjas say hi…!) 

An upbeat score by Jun Bin Lee brings smiles to faces. The happy music mingling with the effervescent energy of the actors means the audience and actors alike have fun. A cast of madcap characters, led by Kengo Hosaka and Hiroshi Nakatsuji, put the audience at ease.

Being fast-paced, the plot is somewhat lost to us in the middle with a harried mix of costume changes. Given that English is a second-language to the cast, some of the lyrics are hard to understand, but the cast still delivers an enthusiastic performance that makes up for the language barrier. We are given great spirited deliveries and wonderful comedic timing.

The musical composition is played with uniquely oriental instruments, bringing originality and a multi-cultural spin to the musical genre. The masked men of mystery infuse life and laughter into their demeanours which is refreshing to watch.

The final musical, called Hole in The Road, by Scott Koorey and directed by Jonathan Hodge, starts off with choreography which uses props – brooms – in a mini dance number.

A heavy subject is broached but never openly spoken about. The lyrical highs and lows are all we can rely on with the actors telling – but not really telling – us of the struggles faced.

Here it is evident that microphones make all the difference. I am surprised to learn the female lead is Cassie Baker, the same actress who appeared in the second show. This time though, she hits all her notes.

Edgy music with electric guitar and drums emphasizes the tough subject, telling a deeper story than I had originally expected.

In this second outing, it is great to see Cassie Baker coming into her own. Her stage presence and energy is heightened. Although dealing with another weighty subject, her voice isn’t strained with the pressure of emotion as it was before. The emotion here flows well through the lyrics and through her facial expressions and gestures. It is easier to watch this performance, which surpasses that of the male’s – who has had to stand in for this show due to an illness in the cast.

Humour is attempted but falls somewhat flat. There is a subtle message about the hardship faced by fellow New Zealanders: those plagued by fissures in their neighbourhoods leading to cracks in their sanity. The tense music coupled with capable acting allows the audience to question, with such continued struggles, who could put up with being “stoic” all the time?

Overall, Short + Sweet Song is an eclectic mix of fun, weird, refreshingly original, and thought-provoking. An interesting hour of entertainment.

The concept of a 10-minute musical is intriguing. However, we can’t expect anything in-depth. Given the time frame, the actors, composers, and directors made a commendable effort trying to condense all that a musical should be, into 10 minutes. As to whether or not they succeed – you be the judge.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer

Short+Sweet Song is even shorter than the other editions. While the odd 10 minute Musical Theatre piece has popped up in Auckland’s Short+Sweet Theatre Festival (including the initial version of hilarious Bombs Away), this year musically inspired theatre get their own category and week, and on opening night five 10 minute works made up a brief yet eclectic evening that proved the showbiz maxim that the show must go on.

Chalk this one up to the necessary learning curve as the artists get to grips with the challenges of composing for the strict ten minute format. Most of the works are vaguely in the style of the Musical Theatre genre, and condensing the emotional roller coaster of a Musical down to ten minutes and a handful of songs is not an easy task. [More]

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer