Young Critic Review: JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS
The programme of Cole Porter songs presented by Stephen Dickinson, Paul Sheehan and Clare McCaldin this afternoon brought joy into the Hub, with audience members frequently singing along under their breath, gasping with delight as they heard the opening notes of an old favourite, or tapping their feet to the beat. The concert was split by themes associated with much of Porter’s work – largely based around relationships and sex, with some travel thrown in – and shot through with anecdotes from his life, which made it an informative as well as entertaining way to spend two hours.
Stephen Dickinson’s solo performance of the overture of “Anything Goes” began the concert with an impression of Art Deco and jazz, and a sense that rather than a converted church, we could be in a 20th Century theatre or private home. His use of paper music kept in a display folder rather than the iPad system many pianists – including myself – now favour only furthered this sense of tradition, and the arrival onstage of the singers in 20th Century formalwear was sudden and smooth. Rather than beginning with a spoken introduction, they launched immediately into their first piece, Anything Goes, before introducing the first section of the concert.
Dickinson proved himself an excellent accompanist by reducing his volume throughout on realising that the balance between the piano and mezzo Clare McCaldin meant her voice was overpowered in the first few songs. This adjustment was not however made by Paul Sheehan, the baritone, meaning that her sound was often lost during duets.
Yet it was in solo pieces that both McCaldin and Sheehan stood out. Pieces such as comic The Tale of the Oyster and tragic Love for Sale gained far more applause than any duets. It was in these moments that McCaldin’s voice really shone and it became clear, when it hadn’t been before, why she has made a career in music. Sheehan’s solos had a similar reception from the audience, with the most notable round of applause following the impressively held final note of Where is the Life that Late I Led? in the second half.
Throughout the concert, the consistent acting made the performance extremely engaging and added significantly to the comic effect of many of the songs. The programme’s mix of different moods and tempos, as well as the contrast between sung pieces and the occasional enthusiastic piano medleys, kept the audience interested and involved throughout. And indeed, the audience was involved. In true Lichfield Festival style, audience members spoke to strangers about the parts they were most enjoying and in the row behind me were quietly singing along to some of their favourite songs. I have rarely seen such joy and joviality in the middle of a concert, and this was certainly enabled by the welcoming behaviour of the musicians, their casual spoken introductions to the history of some pieces, and their frequent breaking of the Fourth Wall.
Regardless of the balancing issues between the singers and pianist, this concert was definitely much enjoyed by all attendees – both the audience and the performers themselves – and that is surely the most important thing.
By Sophie N