For about twelve years late night Australian radio host, Richard Mercer, hosted a program, Love Song Dedications. He called himself “The Love God” and he played the love song requests of his mostly sad and lovelorn late night listeners. They told him, with extraordinary honesty, their stories of unrequited love, infidelity, reconciliations, romantic memories and new found romances.These very touching human stories and often funny characters are ripe to be fictionalised and it is clear to see how they could inspire John O’Hara to base his first foray into cabaret, Dedications, on this radio show. O’Hara and writer Anthony Harkin have put together an inventive and thoroughly endearing show that showcases his versatility as an actor, comedian, singer and dancer.
O’Hara combines monologues and songs to portray a range of late night listeners including: old Frank, siting by the radio, waiting out the rest of his life in fear; Liz, the lonely lesbian thoroughly lacking in self-esteem; a crazy stalker woman who twiddles her fingers as she fantasises taking revenge on her object of desire’s real girlfriend; an abandoned husband who has poor impulse control and a successful writer consumed with a brief romance when he was a teenager. It’s a little bit like Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood, with some of the characters intersecting, except they all burst into song. Under the musical direction of Luke Hunter he marries songs with his characters in ingenious ways.
Anthony Harkin’s writing is very good at making the audience laugh, then care. The characters tell the stories, some of which are quite moving, without every getting mawkish. O’Hara demonstrates excellent sense of dramatic timing and rhythm as he switches between his serious characters and those who are purely comic vehicles. Supported by choreographer, Melanie Hawkins, O’Hara draws his comic characters with broad strokes – exaggerated accents, interesting physical tics – skilfully milking the laughs.
Hapless single dad, Travis, forlornly tells the Love God his wife Shawntelle has left him and their son because every time Travis gets drunk he sleeps with his sister in law, or anyone else. Full of remorse he sings a side splitting rendition of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You. The hotel tryst set to I Was Made For Loving You Baby has etched an indelible mark in my mind.
O’Hara is a talented character performer and only sings in his real voice for one of the characters, the broken hearted writer, in a gorgeous version of Belinda Carlisle’s Heaven is a Place on Earth.
O’Hara is a very relaxed and accomplished performer who is working here with a clever script and a very talented artistic team. They take full advantage of The Hayes Theatre’s intimate space to deliver an impressive and entertaining show.
Hayes Theatre Co
Dedications
by Anthony Harkin and John O’Hara
Director Anthony Harkin
Venue: Hayes Theatre Co | 19 Greenknowe Ave, Potts Point NSW
Dates: 9 – 10 June 2015
Tickets: $40 – $35
Bookings: hayestheatre.com.au | (02) 8065 7337
