Singer and pianist bent upon mischief

By TARA WERNER

A rash determination, a headlong rush into madness, badness and danger; a heady cocktail of seductresses, subversives and serial killers - it's a celebration of wicked women.

That's the way that mezzo-soprano Helen Medlyn and pianist Penny Dodd describe their show, hellbent, the duo's third cabaret collaboration that features their signature mix of jazz, Broadway, opera and theatre. But hellbent goes into the deeper, darker recesses of the emotions than their previous productions with similar names - hell on heels and to hell with love.

As Medlyn mischievously hints, "for hellbent we have a tiger - she does scary stuff, speaks her mind, takes no prisoners and for the most part lives on the edge of life."

Taking no quarter? A theme reflected in Medlyn's appearance where the singer's spiky hair and malicious smile makes her look strikingly like one of the Bad Girls on television.

One of the characteristics of Medlyn and Dodd's musical partnership is the reflection of their anarchically eclectic tastes.

For this occasion they have blended songs and arias from Sondheim and Gershwin, Verdi and Bizet, Jerry Herman and Kander and Ebb, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Kurt Weill, Billy Strayhorn and Gustav Mahler.

Dodds says, "These composers have more in common than meets the eye - they all write from the heart and speak a universal truth. We spent a great deal of time getting the material together, and would often toss out a song if it didn't have the necessary muscle."

And Mahler certainly does have muscle, says Medlyn. "He has a special place in our hearts. The binding thread of hellbent is the soul's journey through the songs - and with Mahler we have someone with the perfect potency to describe the aching of the human soul."

They have included Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I have become lost to the world) in the show, a song Medlyn says always drains her emotionally.

But hellbent is not all gloom or doom. Not if these two artists can help it. Laugher is just as important, an element reflected in a working relationship that has spanned nearly 20 years.

"I first met Helen in 1982 when she was auditioning for a chorus role in the Mercury Theatre's production of Jesus Christ Superstar when I was musical director," says Dodd.

Medlyn interjects, "And it was a pretty terrifying experience, I can tell you. Penny was sitting up in the Gods, and asked me primly whether I could sing a song my own way, instead of apeing a record. Also, I didn't know I had to dance, and had come along in a tight little skirt. I had to take it off and danced in my underwear."

Despite the harrowing audition, Medlyn eventually emerged with the leading role of Mary Magdalene, and the two became firm friends. Close enough to always push musical boundaries within their productions.

"In the Mercury Theatre days we took risks, and today it's much the same," says Medlyn. "Light music is not of necessity light-weight, and the classics are more than likely highly entertaining. Musicians and singers need not be tied to a particular style for either technical or artistic reasons. So in hellbent audiences may find themselves listening to music they have never contemplated before," she says.

* hellbent with Helen Medlyn and Penny Dodd, Herald Theatre, August 22 - September 2.