Sparkling Sondheim at Dunster

At Harvard what is one moment a slovenly dining hall may metamorphose into an elegant cabaret theater the next. Fanatics of Stephen Sondheim's tunes are fortunate that one such transformation occurs in the Dunster House Dining Hall--tables gain placemats and food service workers become tuxedo-clad waiters serving nachos and salsa gratis.

Starting Over With Sondheim is the fifth annual performance by the Harvard/Radcliffe Performing Artists' AIDS Coalition. The ensemble of three men and three women sing, dance and animate 22 songs from Sondheim's extensive collection. Classic selections, such as "Tonight" from West Side Story and "Pretty Lady" from Pacific Overtures, are intermixed with some recent endeavors.

Included in the cabaret is "More," a number originally sung by Madonna in the film Dick Tracy and here performed with energetic vibrancy by Alexis Toomer. The Material Girl has been outdone by Toomer, whose precise timing of vocal delivery combines with just the right amount of flirtatious mischief.

The key to the evening's success is its variety--romantic solos follow group numbers containing six skillfully intertwined strands of harmony. And although Evan Cohen's masterful ivory tickling is some-what overpowering during "Another Hundred People," his piano accompaniment is otherwise melodious and unobtrusive.

Greg Schaffer dominates the stage and the evening as a whole. In a solo performance of "The Ladies Who Lunch," he convincingly plays the part of a rowdy drunkard. Simultaneously bitter and giddy, Schaffer uses his alcohol bottle and shot glass to emphasize his emotional waverings. A raspy timbre gives his voice extra oomph, and Schaffer deliberately exaggerates his performance in the classic "ham" style to please the crowd.

In contrast, Jennifer Giering, both the director and a performer, remains stationary while singing, forcing the music alone to carry several numbers--which it cannot. Had Giering moved her arms instead of gluing them to her sides, she would have added more life to "Not a Day Goes By."

In this song the lack of choreography is detrimental, while Christine van Kipnis's skill is apparent elsewhere. Though the stage provides little space on which to operate, van Kipnis directs the singers' bodies in numerous inventive ways.

Although both Brad Rouse and Tim Krochuk lack Schaffer's charismatic stage presence, they combine lively expressions and gestures to deliver memorable performances. The subtlety of many of Krochuk's actions and the deeply emotional vocalizations make him appear quite professional on stage. And Rouse offers a fitting balance to Schaffer's ebullience. He is reliable, performing with grace and style but with little of his partner's creativity.

The overall structure of the Sondheim cabaret is rather bland. After each song, the house lights dim until the players move in place on stage for the next number. Some variation in the almost 20 transitions would have been welcome.

"Our Time," a piece from little-known Merrily We Roll Along, provides a fitting finale to the electric evening. Starting with one singer, "Our Time" incrementally blossoms until all six performers stand in a single line on the stage. Their group bow ends an evening of memorable tunes which combines both knee-slapping jumpiness and pathos-filled personal reflection.