The musical revue may have a place in the theatre, but it has a far cosier one in the kind of late-night club that has all but disappeared. John Doyle has almost single-handedly reinvented the actor-musician style of musical theatre in his efforts at the Watermill. But even allowing for the particular intimacy of the Watermill, this evening based on the songs of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart is never more than a series of very nice songs very nicely performed.
It is done with the panache that we have come to expect at this address, and as ever you are in awe of a cast who can play several instruments and sing and dance and act at the same time. But, although Doyle attempts to frame the evening in a theatrical way with the idea of the composer dreaming of the eternal chorus girl through the five ages of woman, the evening never has real dramatic impact.
Largely this is down to the songs themselves, which, although delightful and familiar from shows such as On Your Toes, The Boys From Syracuse, Pal Joey and other classics, seldom really stand completely alone in a theatrical sense. The Sondheim revues work as well as they do because so often the songs are inherently dramatic, almost playlets in their own right. But, apart from the title song and a few others, including Lady Is a Tramp and Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered, few of these songs can.
Of course if you are a fan of Rodgers and Hart, and really don't mind an evening in the theatre without real drama, you won't mind a jot. I would love to see Doyle tackle any of the Rodgers and Hart musicals in full. Let's hope this is just the dress rehearsal.
· Until October 26. Box office: 01635 46044. Then tours to Cardiff.
