Musical theatre gets intimate makeover
A cast and crew who usually ply their trade in big-budget musicals are staging something a little more intimate with John and Jen, coming to Marrickville’s Sidetrack Theatre as part of the Fringe Festival.
“To stage a musical in a space where the actors can see the audience, can feel them and interact with them — it’s a rarity, and it’s not something you get in the world of commercial musicals,” musical theatre performer Benjamin Giraud said.
“The way this story’s been written has allowed us to play in a small space.”
Giraud, currently treading the boards in Mary Poppins, makes his directorial debut with John and Jen.
The low-key musical, which started life as an off-Broadway show in 1995, tells the overlapping stories of John and Jen: in the first act, of a brother and sister whose friendship is cut short when John is killed in the Vietnam war; and in the second act, of the adult sister and her son, named after his late uncle.
“It was never intended as a mainstage Broadway show. People don’t come across two-handed musicals very often, so it’s a real rarity in that regard,” Giraud said.
“And it’s a real actor’s piece, like your classic Sondheim musicals.”
Giraud acknowledged it was a taxing show for his two actors, Naomi Livingston and Edward Grey.
“Naomi has to play a woman who grows from six years old to 44, and Ed has to play two different characters, so it definitely is a challenge. But a wonderful challenge, I think.”
INFO: John and Jen, Sidetrack Theatre, September 20-24. www.thesydneyfringe.com.au
