Marry Me a Little is not a Stephen Sondheim musical; it is a two-person show, without dialogue, of songs that were dropped from other Sondheim musicals and then herded together in 1980 by playwright Craig Lucas and director Norman René. The review was revised and revived for off-Broadway in 2012. The new Tarragon version has been reconfigured by director Adam Brazier and musical director Paul Sportelli with a modified order and selection of songs. Splendid performances by Elodie Gillett and Adrian Marchuk help Brazier give the illusion of a story.

The set is a single bachelor apartment, homey and unglamorous, with a sofa bed, electric piano, drawers left open, and tall shelves cluttered with miscellany. Associate musical director Scott Christian, accompanying on piano, is visible through the apartment’s grimy windows (set and costume design by Ken MacDonald).

The first thing I noticed about this production is that there is a lot of prop shifting. Marchuk’s deft movements and impeccable timing imbue all his actions with purpose and effect, but it becomes clear over the course of the show that lighting (lighting design, Gareth Crew), props, and costume are all being pressed into service to make these songs seem like they are logically connected and leading somewhere. Cleverly manipulated bits of lyric, action, and staging lead us to understand that Gillett is playing a singer who moves in with a penniless songwriter (Marchuk). Some say there are no bad scripts, only bad acting. Well, there is no bad acting in this production.

The talkback session after the Thursday night performance was informative. Christian explained that this show is usually done as a song cycle rather than as a narrative about one particular couple moving in together. Brazier got permission from Sondheim, with whom he has worked in the past, to re-sequence the songs and even to add and remove certain numbers in an effort to carve out more of a story. The performers ‘gave props’ to the efficient work of the stage management team for the smooth running of this production (stage manager, Carolyn Mykytyshyn), with the numerous props set just right, and sound and light cues always on target.

Another challenge for the performers is 75 minutes of non-stop singing, but their robust voices amply fill Tarragon’s 200-seat Mainspace, giving playful and energetic interpretations of the unfamiliar songs without use of microphones. That refreshingly natural sound is slightly offset by the distinctly amplified sound of the keyboards.

Marchuk’s agility and Linda Garneau’s choreography inject energy into the show. Gillet and Marchuk, who have worked together before, interact with natural intimacy and their voices complement one another in power, range and tone. Marchuk and Christian match their piano style so they are able to seamlessly hand off songs to each other from offstage to onstage and back again.

Although there is an unsurprising lack of continuity in lyric and melody from one song to the next, some songs pair up well, such as the titular “Marry Me a Little” and the ironically named “Happily Ever After,” both cut from the 1970 Sondheim show Company. Another good pairing is “Rainbow” and the unfortunately named “It Wasn’t Meant to Happen,” the latter taken from (as in cut from) Follies. The moving number “Rainbow” is a high point of Marry Me a Little but ironically it highlights this show’s shortcoming: “Rainbow” was meant to be in the upcoming film version of the hilarious and touching 1987 Sondheim classic Into the Woods, and although it didn’t go into the film it clearly would fit (in melody, lyric and theme) into that magnificent score.

You can’t help remembering lyrics Sondheim penned for such favourites as Gypsy West Side Story, and a slew of others, but lyrics are not a strong point in this collection of Sondheim “B-sides and Rarities.” For Sondheim aficionados familiar with the shows these songs were meant for, this mash up might be a treat. But to a run-of-the-mill fan such as myself, Marry Me a Little reminds me of the parody “Leftover Beatle Memories.” It is a testament to abilities of the actors and director how far they are able to go in telling more of a story than the songs alone would support, but this is a show for those who just can’t get enough of Sondheim or of musical theatre.

$21-$53. Tarragon Theatre’s Marry Me a Little, Tarragon Mainspace, until April 6

Evan Andrew Mackay is a Toronto playwright and humorist who writes about culture and social justice.