Graham Bickley, Issy Van Randwyck, Nathan Martin, Sophie-Louise Dann and Arvid Larsen in Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London
Maltby & Shire’s Closer Than Ever continues at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London until 7 June.
Following the success of its Off-Broadway revival two years ago and the associated cast album, Richard Maltby, Jr and David Shire’s 1989 musical revue Closer Than Ever has come to London’s Jermyn Theatre Theatre in revised form. As a revue rather than a book-based musical, the show comprises a series of seemingly unconnected songs and characters with no interlinking dialogue, though some recurring themes are apparent. Many of the numbers deal with aspects of romantic relationships, the highs and lows of modern living, and the challenges of keeping up with the passage of time – and all are humorous in their own way.
The new version of the show offers fresh material perfectly in keeping with the comedic vein of the original, including an ensemble number involving a set of individuals who find themselves reluctantly back in the dating game (‘Dating Again’) as a substitute for the omitted ‘The Sound of Muzak’ and ‘Like a Baby’. The addition of the beautiful ‘There is Something in a Wedding’ as prelude to ‘Another Wedding Song’, and the addition of two transitions, lend cohesion to the overall sequence. While there is a danger that songs reflecting life in the 1980s may feel dated from today’s vantage point (possibly the reason for the omission of ‘The Sound of Muzak’), judicious touches such as the appearance every now and again of smartphones as props afford the production a more contemporary flavour.
Directed by lyricist Richard Maltby, Jr (Miss Saigon, Starting Here Starting Now, Ain’t Misbehavin’), Closer Than Ever’s off-West End run features the stellar line-up of Graham Bickley, Sophie-Louise Dann, Arvid Larsen and Issy van Randwyck. While the show places significant demands on such a small cast (even with occasional vocal support from musical director Nathan Martin, who shines as a soloist in ‘Father of Fathers’), the result is a consistently robust performance nonetheless.
Each cast member brings something unique to the production. Bickley’s storytelling in numbers such as ‘One of the Good Guys’ is truly endearing, and Dann’s powerful vocals animate songs including the challenging ‘The Bear, the Tiger, the Hamster, and the Mole’ (originally intended for Maltby and Shire’s musical Baby). Van Randwyck brings energy and irony to ‘You Wanna Be My Friend’ and the subtly steamy ‘Miss Byrd’, while Larsen’s inspired acting enlivens many of the numbers. AJ Brinkman, who moves seamlessly between double bass and bass guitar throughout the evening, excels upon taking centre-stage for the jazzy ‘Back to Base’, complementing Van Randwyck’s sultry vocals addressed to a bass-playing boyfriend.
Just occasionally a different balance between the performers might be beneficial: for instance, the twist in ‘She Loves Me Not’ does not come across as clearly as it might have done since Larsen’s pivotal verse, though well-executed, is a little obscured. That aside, the intricate ensemble songs, which feature much interweaving of different vocal lines, are realised with impressive precision, doubtless assisted by Martin’s faultlessly rhythmical piano accompaniments as well as some superb direction and choreography in numbers such as ‘Three Friends’.
Christopher Wiley
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