Love, loss and laughter are potent and enduring in composer William Finn’s (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee) Elegies. Based around the importance of community, Elegies is a song cycle, namely a series of songs that hang together thematically, rather than through a narrative thread. Having said that, attendees at a regular, all male Thanksgiving dinner get a repeated look-in over the 20 numbers that constitute the show. The common link is that the people referenced are those Finn knew and who are no longer with us. They were restaurateurs, teachers, artists, mothers, dog owners, friends, family and more – individuals that shaped the life of William Finn. Some are noteworthy public names, others not.
Finn exposes their predilections – their single mindedness, their artistry, their sexual and religious orientation. He brings them back to life in our mind’s eye. In short, we get to know these people through song and verse. They made their mark on Finn and now, through him, they do so on us. Director Tyran Parke ensures it is a harmonious transition between numbers. There is a warmth and wonderment about the production he has staged.
Elegies was first performed in 2003 at the Lincoln Center in New York City. It was sung around a piano by five Broadway performers with big hair and cabaret gowns. The genesis of the piece can be traced back to a song Finn had been asked to sing at a dying friend’s funeral. Finn expanded that idea into an evening of commemorative songs for the many people that had touched his life. The immense loss felt in the wake of 9/11 was a catalyst.
Parke himself is from a family of artists. His younger brother, Grant, is a visual artist and his older sibling, Trent, a photographer, whose projected imagery is front and centre in this offering. They were influenced by the childhood loss of their mother. Parke has broadened the canvas for Elegies, with period furniture and props, and well considered choreography as part of the staging. The piano, of course, but besides there is a small writing table, books, sheet music and candelabra, a dining table, chairs, a sofa and chandelier.
Parke, musical director Vicky Jacobs and movement specialist Freya List have infused the material with a comfortable, homely feel. In his program notes, Parke references a concept of death and dying attributed to traditional Mexican culture, in which a person is described as dying three times. The first is when they take their last breath, the second when they are laid to rest and, finally, when the last person alive utters their name. So it is that we are kept alive by the people who remember us.
Elegies was all the more poignant for me because I had just flown in to attend the performance having buried a dear friend interstate. But lest you think Elegies is maudlin, I thought otherwise. Rather, it is a celebration of the multifaceted tapestry of life and what makes it special and unpredictable. It captures the essence of humanity and the impact others have on our lives, which – unfortunately – we often only really appreciate once they are gone.
Regardless, they remain with us, if not in an earthly form, while we are here. What ultimately gives Elegies so much impetus is the extraordinarily talented performers, accompanied by an accomplished pianist. They are the golden gifts that infuse the music with heart and soul … with rich and rounded phonation. Whether singing solo or in harmony, I was transfixed by their ability to breathe life anew into the characters about whom they were warbling. Their mellifluous, poised and jaunty vocalisation was energising.
In short, I cared. Collectively, they took me on a journey of discovery, of adventure and hijinks, of sounds and sights and textures. I speak of Nadine Garner, Kerrie Anne Greenland, Anton Berezin, Glenn Hill and Marty Alix. Bravo to all on what is a captivating trip down memory lane and a brilliant debut for new company Clovelly Fox Productions. Eighty-five minutes without interval, Elegies is on at fortyfivedownstairs until 21st July, 2024.
Alex First
Other reviews you might enjoy:
- Falsettos (Chapel off Chapel) – theatre review
- Human Nature: Little More Love (touring) – music review
- Thrashing Thru the Passion (The Hold Steady) – music review
Alex First is a Melbourne based journalist and communications specialist. He contributes to The Blurb on film and theatre.
