Perfect Pairings is a new cabaret production at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and it’s an ingenious opportunity to celebrate the collaborations that knit together the theatre community.

The production itself is simple: it’s a 12-song cycle that features a contemporary pair of composers-lyricists. And no matter which 45-minute performance you see, you can’t go wrong. Theatre Companions and I saw the Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty collection: the other two are Kander and Ebb and Webber and Rice….all musical theatre gold.

It’s staged in the Shaw Artists’ Village in the Burton Centre for Lifelong Creativity, a series of buildings around the bend from the Festival Theatre (272 Wellington St to be exact) in a newly-built complex which will host  ‘black box’ style performances, classes, lectures, and community gatherings. It’s a welcome addition to the Shaw campus.

Back to the music: the three productions were crafted by Shaw performers, interns, and production staff and cleverly features music from shows on the Shaw stages, back to Ragtime in in 2012.  The staging is simple (a piano, stools, music stands, black ‘street clothes’ on the three singers and pianist, and a couple small props). The emphasis is on the music.  Ryan de Souza, the music director and pianist, is credited with conceiving this project. This show I saw featured performances by Amariah Faulkner, Patty Jamieson, and Daniel Greenberg with tunes from Seussical the Musical, Anastasia, Lucky Stiff, and Ragtime, and little chatter between the offerings. All three singers are also appearing this season in Funny Girl: this is Patty’s 29^th season at Shaw and Amariah’s first and Dan’s second, a great mix of seasoned and emerging talent. They nail every note and the  few teeny lyrical flubs are smiled off with aplomb. The future of the Shaw Festival is indeed in good hands. Notable moments are Patty’s powerful performance of “Back to Before” from Ragtime, Amariah’s sweet storytelling in “Journey to the Past” from Anastasia, and Dan’s performance of “Welcome to the World” from A Man of No Importance.

Performances are scattered throughout the week, sometimes in the late afternoon (post-matinee) and as late as 10pm for the evening crowd, which is a great way to extend a night out and still get you home at a reasonable hour, to September 19. The “pairs” aren’t announced on the website, but the playbill lists the songs for all three productions so you can easily plan a return engagement. A word about the space: it’s an open area with a  raised stage and superb sound and lights. Audience seating is on sturdy and fairly comfy folding chairs which are OK for a 45-minute show, but the row arrangement means your stage view is easily blocked by other (taller) patrons. The intimate cabaret atmosphere shouts out for small bistro tables with two or four seats at each: the space is sufficient to accommodate this at the same capacity and since there are beverages and snacks for sale, it makes sense.

Shaw Festival’s robust website has more information and tickets: visit https://www.shawfest.com/event/perfectpairings/.