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2012
Theatre
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Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Liz Hoggard's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Fiona Laird.
Cast: Connie Fisher, Alistair McGowan
Description: Semi-autobiographical musical drama about the relationship between composer Marvin Hamlisch and lyricist Carole Bayer Sager, with Connie Fisher and Alistair McGowan.
Trains: Tube/BR: London Bridge 
Phone: 0207907 7060
Website: www.menierchocolatefactory.com
Extra info: Pub, Food
Dating: Connie Fisher with Alistair McGowan in the first revival of They're Playing Our Song for 30 years
Nostalgia piece: Fisher and McGowan after the show
Connie Fisher's first stage outing after The Sound of Music was always bound to be a theatrical event. Does she have the charisma - and range - to win over a brand-new audience in a more adult role? Paired opposite Alistair McGowan (the impressionist turned musical theatre star) in a revival of the 1979 musical romance, They're Playing Our Song, she gets to exchange her nun's habit for Seventies wigs and kaftans.
When the show - based on the real-life affair between lyricist Carole Bayer Sager and composer Marvin Hamlisch - first opened in 1979, it felt utterly contemporary with its witty, subversive take on love, fame and psychotherapy.
Structured as a classic battle of the sexes - neurotic composer Vernon falls for lyricist Sonia but can't cope with her chaotic lifestyle - it was a daring postcard from the front line.
Rapturously received on Broadway, it transferred to London in 1980 with Tom Conti and Gemma Craven in the lead roles.
We haven't seen a revival for almost 30 years. So how does it stand up today?
Sadly not that well. Now a nostalgia piece - despite the fact that the Abigail's Party decor and costumes are bang-on fashion this season - it rarely gets below the surface. Frankly, Harry Met Sally has better, sharper lines.
Yes Fisher, who sings her heart out, successfully kills the spectre of Maria, but you can't help noticing there's little real chemistry between her and McGowan, who looks old enough to be her father. Indeed, there's an occasional whiff of the sixth form play about this production.
Theatrical devices such as the three-person Greek choruses who accompany both Vernon and Sonia - voicing their innermost thoughts) no longer look radical.
And the production's expressionist set - action takes place on a revolving vinyl single, with a backdrop of sheet music - often feels clunky.
Clearly this is a fascinating period in American musical history - They're Playing Our Song was produced a year after Bayer Sager and Hamlisch wrote the Bond theme, Nobody Does It Better for The Spy Who Loves Me. But isn't there something just a little fey about composers who insist on singing their hit songs on a hot date?
It's commendable that Fisher wants to branch out, she's on record as saying she'd love to work at the Royal Court and do Shakespeare.
But inevitably she's hampered by her lack of life experience - there's no way she can convince as a world-weary 30- something New York Jewish broad.
She's kooky and exuberant, but watching Barbra Streisand films is no substitute for the real thing.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
