Summoning Sondheim has a purpose. Grace and Jordana tell us, “theatre is dying… (so) we’ll save musical theatre and therefore the world by bringing back Sondheim.”
They point out that part of the problem is the theatre’s neglect of women writers of musicals. A voiceover notes the tiny number of Tony and Oliver awards given to women writers of musicals.
They refer to themselves as witches who will use a séance to bring back Sondheim, who has given the world many fine female roles and written replies to several letters from Grace.
We sit in a single circular row of seats. In the middle of the circle is what is described as an altar covered by a cloth bearing the pictures of Sondheim. To one side of the performance space, leaning against a chair, is a copy of Sondheim’s monumental text Finishing the Hat. On three walls of this tiny basement space are posted what Sondheim claims in the preface to that book are the three key principles of a lyric writer.
There is no escaping the intimate intensity of the event, though the performers' interaction with the audience is respectful and voluntary. It’s also very funny and often musical as they sing their own songs in the style of Sondheim along with fragments of Sondheim songs from musicals such as Follies and Into the Woods.
To get us into the mood for the show, they encourage us to chant his name several times. We are also asked to name our favourite musical. At one point, Grace cadges sweets from someone to feed the medium. Later, another person is prepared as a sacrifice. Two guests also describe their show for a few minutes.
Jordana, having gone to look for the medium who is to conduct the séance, arrives back at the event wearing a wig and a different coat, pretending to be the medium. Initially, she delivers Andrew Lloyd Webber, who claims to be worth a lot more than Sondheim money-wise.
Later, she mimes to recordings of Sondheim speaking. But as soon as we ask questions, the prerecorded answers blow her disguise.
The show is always fun, confidently performed, with plenty of snippets of information about Sondheim that not everyone would know. It also makes serious, important points about the continuing unfair gender inequality in musical theatre.
I couldn’t see a single audience member who wasn’t smiling as they left the event.