Side By Side By Sondheim
Louise Gold starred as "Millie" (in this
production known as "Lulu") at The Chelmsford Civic Theatre, on 22 -
30 October 1999
Cast:
"Julia"
("Lizzie") - Liz Robertson
"David"
- Robert Meadmore
"Millie"
("Lulu") - Louise Gold
"Ned",
The Narrator - David Kernan
Production Team
Music and
Lyrics - Stephen Sondheim
Additional
Music - Leonard Bernstein, Mary Rodgers, Richard Rodgers,
and, Jule Styne
Narrators
Script (original) - Ned Sherrin
Original
Production – 15 October 1975, The Stables, Wavenden, with Millicent
Martin as “Millie”
Director - David
Kernan
Musical
Director - David John Laugharne
Second Piano
- Nathan Martin
Musical
Staging - Irving Davis
Lighting
Designer - Andy Chafer
Sound
Designer - Geoff Wheatley
Deputy Stage
Manager - Ian Mason
Setting by -
Newpalm Productions
For a full Review/Account of the show, please click here.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that at one point in
the show Pianist Nathan Martin had to play a piano with a six-months
pregnant actress sitting on top of it. He also had to help her off it.
All four performers in this production subsequently
contributed to Side By Side's
25th Anniversary Gala in Wavenden, and Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary
Gala in
The show's Cack-handed trio, David Kernan, Liz
Robertson and Louise Gold had previously appeared together in Noel/Cole:
Let’s Do It and on the album Noel/Cole:
Let’s Do It (Recording)
Louise Gold and David Kernan
had also appeared together in Broadway To
Brighton (where Louise Gold also sang If Momma Were Married)
, Sondheim At The Barbican (where David
Kernan also sang: Anyone Can Whistle and Buddy’s Blues,
and Louise Gold sang on You Could Drive A Person Crazy,
only not in as Maxine), and possibly Comedy
Tonight (where the are billed as singing Comedy Tonight).
David Kernan had previously directed
Liz Robertson and Louise Gold in Chicago
& Company
Louise Gold and Liz Robertson
may have previously appeared together, along with David Kernan, and, Robert
Meadmore, in Will-Aid, which was directed by David
Kernan.
David Kernan, and, Robert Meadmore may have previously
appeared in Kids At Heart.
Louise Gold and Robert Meadmore
had starred together some 14 years previously in The
Metropolitan Mikado , the following year they were in a concert of
highlights from it Ratepayers'
Iolanthe & Metropolitan Mikado; and the year after that they appeared
in a one night concert staging of a musical called The
Soap Opera. They have also appeared together in television in Julia And Company. They have since taken part
in Hubert Gregg’s Memorial
Service.
Liz Robertson, besides being the female
understudy in the original production of Side By Side By Sondheim,
had sung April’s part, including the
Liz Robertson had previously appeared
in The Royal Variety
Performance (1982), and, A Time To
Start Living, she went on to appear in Regents
Park 70th Anniversary Gala, and, Happily
Ever After.
Liz Robertson’s recording credits
include: Cole Porter - Night And Day
Robert Meadmore’s recording credits
include Simply Musicals, and, The Great Musicals – Dashing Heroes,
Blushing Maidens.
Louise Gold went on to appear in the
Sondheim musical Follies
Nathan Martin went on to appear at Dress Circle Grand Reopening.
Robert Meadmore
went
on to appear in A Love Letter To Dan.
David Kernan, and, Liz Robertson’s recording credits include
The Great Musicals – Laughter And Tears.
Louise Gold has been involved with
various performances of the song Beautiful Girls in: Sondheim At The Barbican Side By Side By Side By Sondheim 25th Anniversary
Gala, and, of course, Follies .
Louise Gold has gone on be involved
in performances of the song Comedy Tonight in The Regents Park 70th Gala, Curtain Up, and a very different version of the song
in The Company Of Mary Poppins.
Louise Gold has also
subsequently had the opportunity to sing some of the songs from this show that
her character “Millie” doesn’t sing in this show, for example in Follies she sang Could I Leave You and in Curtain Up she sang Broadway Baby.
After Ned Sherrin’s
death The Company Of Mary Poppins’s
late night FUNdraising special was dedicated to him.
Critics Comments
“Robert Meadmore, Liz Robertson and Louise
Gold sing a variety of songs with consummate ease and successfully disguising
all the hard work that went into obtaining such split second timing” Peter
Andrews, CHELMSFORD WEEKLEY NEWS, 28 October 1999
“There’s an all Essex born highly
experienced musical theatre cast clearly enjoying themselves, led by director
David Kernan - Liz Robertson, Louise Gold and Robert Meadmore create together a
highly entertaining evening ranging from West Side Story and A Funny Thing to
Follies and A Little Night Music” Mary Redman, ESSEX CHRONICLE, 29
October 1999.
“Then there is the ladylike Broadway Baby
Liz Robertson, and more earthy natural comedienne Louise Gold, doing her
Dietrich thing with I Never Do Anything Twice from Seven Per Cent Solution and
blowing a rude trumpet in Gypsy’s You Gotta Get A Gimmick.” Mary Redman,
THE STAGE, 28 October 1999
“Louise Gold was generally impressive, and particular high spots of her
performance were the pathos of Send In The Clowns, the bitchy cynicism inherent
in You Must Meet My Wife and the definite flavour of Marlene Dietrich in her
handling of Madam’s catalogue of sexual blunders I Never Do Anything Twice.
Despite the fact that she is expecting a baby in January, she also coped well
with the gymnastics necessary for You’ve Gotta Get A Gimmick. Her only real
difficulty was with the shows weak point, namely Getting Married Today. In
handling the ‘Amy’ role, she did not have the benefit of Millicent Martin’s
experience all those years ago in belting out fast tempo numbers on TW3 and
consequently had to take the piece at a slower tempo. That said Getting Married
today is a notoriously difficulty piece for any performer of Sondheim.”
Links about Side By Side By Sondheim
TheatreNow.Com interview: Gold On Stage: Louise Gold In Follies: http://www.theatrenow.com/asp/link.htm?news.asp?art=3430&cat=1 This is an interview carried out by Theatre.Com’s Paul Webb, one hot
summer’s day, while Louise was appearing in Follies at The Royal Festival Hall.
Although the interview is ostensibly about her role in Follies she also talks
about her other Sondheim performances, along with:
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