Stars power sophisticated ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’

“Side by Side by Sondheim” just may be the wittiest, glitteriest, most sophisticated evening at musical theater you’ll have in Wichita for a very long time.

And the Forum Theatre’s revival of this 1977 revue that celebrates the intricacy, cleverness and sheer rhythmic craftsmanship of Stephen Sondheim’s songs is among the best that the theater has done since its founding four years ago.

A lot of the reason, of course, is the star power of Broadway veterans Ray Wills (“The Producers”) and Karla Burns (“Show Boat”), both Wichita natives who got their theatrical starts at Wichita State University.

But the ultimate reason is the total package, which includes the look by designer Aaron Profit of a tastefully glamorous rooftop cabaret overlooking a city skyline enhanced by mood-setting lighting by Sean Roberson. It’s punctuated by the sleek and sparking black-white-red costumes by Kathryn Page Hauptman (who also directs), and it all moves with grace and clever footwork by choreographer Meg Parsley.

Joining versatile baritone Wills and mezzo Burns in the vocals are sopranos Chelsey Moore and Alison Bridget Chambers, who provide various combinations of ensembles (mostly together or partnering with Wills), plus an occasional solo moment. Both are lively and hold their own with the veterans, although I think Chambers is a little underused.

Almost a fifth voice on stage is music director Steve Rue at the grand piano, whose sensitive touch taps beautifully into the emotions of the songs and the singers. He seems as one with them.

This show of about 30 songs draws mostly from “Company” and “Follies,” two of Sondheim’s most sophisticated explorations of relationships – flirty romance to consuming passion to cynical, cutting self-defense when things go wrong. But it also veers off into a little “Gypsy” (“Gotta Get a Gimmick”) and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” (“Comedy Tonight”) for some cherry-picked fun.

There are even a couple of odd-ball, rarely heard treats from obscure sources that become unexpected highlights. Notable among these are “I Never Do Anything Twice,” a slyly bawdy tale by a notorious madam from the Sherlock Holmes movie “The Seven Percent Solution,” and “The Boy From,” a parody of “The Girl From Ipanema” from “The Mad Show.” Burns sings both with consummate comic timing, giving the former a Mae West aura that drips with delicious double entendre, and singing the latter with complete wide-eyed deadpan while Wills dances – nay, prances – around her.

This story was originally published July 22, 2015 at 2:50 PM with the headline "Stars power sophisticated ‘Side by Side by Sondheim’."