Million Dollar Quartet - Review

The Arts At Marble Arch, London

****

Co-authored by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux
Directed by Jonathan O'Boyle

The cast of Million Dollar Quartet

Rarely does a jukebox musical sound as though it had been lifted straight from, well, a classic jukebox. But played out on Libby Watson’s set, lavished with neon that ingeniously suggests an authentic 1950s Wurlitzer, Million Dollar Quartet does just that. Over two hours the most gifted actor-musician company in town recreate the (real life) magical evening at Tennessee’s Sun Studios in December 1956 when, for one night only, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley came together to salute Sam Phillips, the studios’ owner and the man who had launched all their careers.

Boasting a platinum-plated track list, the evening is a sparkling tribute to both rock and roll and rockabilly with songs that are not just stunningly sung, but have their timeless melodies played to perfection.

Of the quartet, Christopher Erasmus’s Johnny Cash is the most unnervingly realistic - his baritenor voice plumbing delicious Cash-defining depths, that is matched only by his impeccable guitar skills. The remaining trio of leads are equally gifted with Joey Bradick’s Carl Perkins and Connor Payne’s Elvis proving simililarly flawless in their delivery and guitar work. Joe Bence as Jerry Lee Lewis however, not only leads his songs spectacularly, his phenomenally manic piano playing (Bence is also the show’s music captain) has to be seen to be believed. Jenay Naima plays Presley’s girlfriend Dyanne - who also turns in a neat take on Fever - , while Darren Day gives a thoughtfully poignant performance as Phillips, the man who having discovered the four stars (as well as Roy Orbison!) ultimately recognising that Sun Studios were too small for his protégés’ stellar trajectories.

The evening’s music is a glorious compilation that acknowledges the sounds’ deeply Christian/Gospel roots. Every song sparkles, with some harmonies (including a remarkable fusion of 16 Tons with My Babe) proving exquisite, such is the talent on stage.

Million Dollar Quartet is a tribute to an era that was to shape popular music for decades to come - the ultimate jukebox musical.

Runs until 6th December

Photo credit: Alex Tabrizi

Close Up - Review

Menier Chocolate Factory, London

****

Written & directed by Ben Elton

Elena Skye

It’s a tad ambitious for Close Up to be described as a ‘musical’ written by Ben Elton. It is indeed a cutely observed biopic of Lesley Lawson aka Twiggy, Neasden’s most famous daughter and the world’s first supermodel - but in reality it’s an Elton playlist drawn from the 1940s through to the 80s, with the writer interjecting short bursts of dialogue to link the numbers.

But credit to the man - Twiggy’s story is a fascinating one and set against Elton’s choice of songs, the end result is an evening of slick and polished entertainment. More than that, Elton must have had his dreams come true in directing the show, for not only is his show’s playlist a banging complication, the cast that he has assembled are simply outstanding.

Elena Skye leads the line as Twiggy, capturing the woman from gauche teenager through to her global (albeit troubled) stardom. Shamefully there’s no songlist printed in the programme so there’ll be few song specific credits in this review. Suffice to say Skye takes the role and makes it her own, with her act one closer of Lesley Gore’s You Don’t Own Me proving a moment in the show that is as moving and poignant as it is powerfully performed.

As her working-class parents (and Elton deftly comments on Britain’s class system) Norman and Nell, Steven Serlin and Hannah-Jane Fox are a treat - Serlin capturing the humility of the man, while Fox mastering the complexities of Nell who suffered PTSD following the 1940 Blitz of London and post-natal depression some 9 years later with Lesley’s birth. Serlin also turns in some cracking cameos of David Frost, Woody Allen and Melvyn Bragg.

There is equally fine work from Matt Corner and Darren Day. Corner  as Justin de Villeneuve, Twiggy’s first love and the Svengali-influence who managed and manipulated the early years of her career, while Day plays Michael Witney, the American actor who Twiggy married, presaging his slow descent into alcoholism. 

All of the cast sing flawlessly, accompanied by Stuart Morley’s 7-piece orchestra. The acoustics of the Menier can sometimes prove unforgiving but Gregory Clarke’s sound design works magic from his talented singers and musicians. Similarly Jonathan Lipman’s costumes catch the zeitgeist of the Swinging Sixties with Jacob Fearey’s choreography making fine work of the Menier’s space.

In a show that’s most likely to appeal to Twiggy and Ben Elton’s age groups, Close Up is an unpretentiously fabulous evening of musical theatre.

Runs until 18th November

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan

Bumblescratch - Review

Adelphi Theatre, London


***


Music, lyrics & Book by Robert J. Sherman
Directed by Stewart Nicholls

The Company

Told from the perspective of one Melbourne Bumblescratch, a laid back, sleazy, pick pocketing plague rat, Bumblescratch is a new musical comedy based around this remarkable rodent’s unique and twisted love affair with London during the 1665 Great Plague and the Great Fire one year later. Robert J. Sherman is responsible for music, lyrics and book and he makes a noble job of continuing the songwriting legacy of his father and uncle, The Sherman Brothers who in their day composed countless and timeless movie scores for Disney and other moviemakers.

In its present form however, Bumblescratch is simply too confusing. The book is crammed with around six or seven leading story lines, none of which successfully interlock. An example is the character of Hookbeard, a hallucination that only Bumblescratch can see and speak to. The apparition manifests himself as Bumblescratch’s sort of conscience and while Michael Xavier, as per usual, is genius in the role with a powerhouse voice and an ever present charm, there is little apparent point to his character.

In the title role Darren Day was a sound choice, suiting the Thenardier-esque role perfectly even if his characterisation of the part did make for a very loveable character. And again, the problem with the role is that with so much going on around him, you were never quite sure who he was. One moment he’s a typical East End crook, stealing from the local mob boss, the next he’s a London tour guide and story teller and then he’s being worshipped as the leader of a brand new Rat religion.

In an ambitious move, the show has been written to be sung through. Watching however, it becomes clear that to be able to really follow the storyline on stage, a narrative between the songs is needed. The music itself is catchy and reminiscent of old school golden era musicals, but the muddled book makes it hard to embrace the show. Credit though for the obvious efforts of the producers to “up the game” from typical concert style performances, with Stewart Nicholls' ensemble choreography offering a handful of enjoyable numbers.

Bumblescratch sung well, as this performance was by its entire company, offers much to be enjoyed. If the show is to enjoy a profitable future however, much work is required.

Reviewed  by Charlotte Darcy

Photo credit: Peter Jones