Review: Summoning Sondheim (New Wimbledon Studio Theatre)

Review by Sandy Swain

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After its run at the Brighton Fringe, Summoning Sondheim’s preview at ‘Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre’ is the second time I have seen the show. I cried both times, which either means that I am highly emotional when it comes to Sondheim or this show does a beautiful job of honouring Sondheim’s legacy. It’s probably both.

Directed by Bel Parker and produced by Estelle Homerstone, Summoning Sondheim is a musical-comedy about two musical theatre performers (writers Grace O'Keefe and Jordana Belaiche) summoning Stephen Sondheim. After spots at A Pinch of VAULT and the Brighton Fringe, this preview was part of Studio at New Wimbledon Theatre’s #FromTheFringe season.

The show is hilarious, with a particular standout being Belaiche and her Psychic-Sally-style medium. The two actresses bounce off each other incredibly well, elevating their jokes until  O'Keefe has stolen sweets from an audience member and is feeding them to Belaiche. O'Keefe shines as an over-the-top theatre kid obsessed with Stephen Sondheim, detailing her letters to the composer over the years and her reaction to his death. Despite it being a two-hander, O'Keefe acts as our protagonist—as it is mainly her actions we follow due to Belaiche’s doubling (which, as a minor point, does make it a bit confusing when the motivation for the seance is introduced as Belaiche’s moment).

The Brighton Fringe run of the show had a lot of heart—whether that was the pre-show of Sondheim interviews or flyers styled as Sondheim letters or simply the intimate pub-theatre venue. Going into this bigger production, I was worried that the show would lose that heart. But, as soon as the show started, it was clear how much fun there is to have with this step-up: the bigger stage, the props, the lights, the LED candles given to audience members (though I still miss the pre-show). In its opening minutes, they have the front row up on stage and the audience doing a call-and-response parody of ‘Company’. Clearly more confident in guiding the audience since the last run, O'Keefe and Belaiche have the audience laughing right from the off and throughout, with particular standout moments involving Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton demos and placing a Neil Patrick Harris mask on an audience member for a “twink sacrifice”. In my last review, I said that I was curious what the show would be like with a bigger audience. Last night, I got my answer: better. 

The show honours Sondheim beautifully, detailing his life and his work extensively. It’s clear how passionate O'Keefe is, from her character trailing off every Sondheim show to her real-life Sondheim letters. It perfectly balances criticising the male-dominated musical theatre canon with an appreciation of what Sondheim paved the way for.

As the show evolves, we see just why Sondheim is so important to these women. As well as being fans and wanting musical theatre acclaim, Sondheim provided complex female representation when it was sorely lacking. The core of Summoning Sondheim lies in its parody of ‘Broadway Baby’ from Follies, re-enacting the characters’ school experience. As fifteen-year-old girls, they’re told they have to simulate sex, to play prostitutes (“you’re desperate but you’re sexy”). This criticism of sexualised female characters is played up but the disdain is clear, singing about making it in the industry through gritted teeth: “someday maybe, if we just stick it out…”. This is emphasised even further in the most hard-hitting moment of the show, with voiceovers stating the statistics of female representation in the theatre industry. How few women have ‘made it’ as theatre writers, how few Tonys they’ve won, how they haven’t been heard of (at least not like Sondheim). It presents real stakes for this silly seance, that it’s the only way to get ahead in musical theatre as women. They have to write their own show, they have to ask Sondheim for advice. Avoiding spoilers as much as possible, the climax of the show is one of my favourite parts, as they learn to value their own work. And the ‘Children Will Listen’ moment, about art and legacy, is absolutely beautiful and tugs at the heartstrings—a perfect Sondheim tribute.

My only issue with Summoning Sondheim is that it feels unstructured. It’s chaotic and fun but I think a little restructuring and tightening could really emphasise its heart more. There are so many great jokes but they get a little lost as the show barrels on, only staying on them for a beat or two.

In terms of structure, I felt the beginning from the last run was stronger. In their parody of ‘Every Day a Little Death’, they lament the state of musical theatre since Sondheim’s death. It shows a more compelling reason for this seance, to revitalise musical theatre, that the audience can hold onto before we attach to the characters and their story. In this version, it takes a while to get to the seance, deciding to do the backstory first, but I think this contrasts with the chaotic tone and drags the beginning.

Additionally, there are some moments that feel misplaced. For example, I really loved the moment of adding another rule to the ones Sondheim decrees in his book Finishing the Hat, it felt like a lovely moment of women adding to the musical theatre canon. But, because of that reason, it seemed like it would make more sense if it came after their realisation about valuing their own writing.

Overall, Summoning Sondheim is a chaotic and hilarious love letter to Sondheim, and a biting critique of male-led musical theatre canon, that could do with some restructuring but is otherwise a treat. I look forward to how O'Keefe, Belaiche, and the team continue to challenge musical theatre canon in their next runs, ‘Opening Doors’ for more voices to be heard.

Summoning Sondheim is performing seances at Camden Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe in August. Book tickets here: https://thequeensofcups.com/summoning-sondheim

Photos from previous fringe performances, including Brighton Fringe and A Pinch of Vault