Lovebirds - CD Review

****

Music, lyrics and book by Robert J. Sherman

Premiering at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, Lovebirds marks some gorgeous new musical theatre from Robert J. Sherman. The son and nephew of legendary tunesmiths Robert B. and Richard M. Sherman, Robert J.'s show harks back to the era of vaudeville, Scott Fitzgerald and days of schmaltzy, beautifully voiced romance.

Telling a simple fantasy fuelled fable, whilst Sherman has written all of Lovebirds’ music, lyrics and book, the unmistakable influence of his beloved predecessors runs through the melodies like a stick of rock. Lovebirds is a world of singing birds and heartfelt passions, where a barber-shop troupe of singing penguins is signed up to a fading vaudeville show of macaws and parrots. Jealousies and rivalries emerge and an unlikely love blossoms before ultimately all the birds are in harmony expressing a passionate hope for the future. It’s a corny if imaginative premise, but what makes Lovebirds take flight is the beauty of Sherman’s music and the immaculate performances of his gifted cast.

Whilst Lovebirds is undoubtedly a sincere and warm-hearted look back at a more gentle time, it is playing to a 21st century audience – and notwithstanding the performers’ talent (captured beautifully in this immaculately engineered recording) there are a handful of Sherman’s rhymes that are too easily predicted, with other lyrics crying out for a “Tim Rice” touch to sharpen their wit. And whilst the album’s penultimate number Today Is Yesterday’s Tomorrow offers an outlook on the future that is syrup-like in its optimism, one cannot help but be reminded of 1963’s offering from the senior Shermans, There’s A Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow - to the extent that the sixties number almost overshadows Robert J. Sherman’s work.

There are some true gems in this recording – there’s an affectionately wistful, penguin-performed tribute to Mary Poppins that neatly references the birds’ appearance in Disney’s iconic movie, whilst the company number Tinpanorama makes for a sassy treat that sounds like it features some sensational tap work.

Amidst a flock of treats with Sherman’s melodies referencing the charleston as well as a soft-shoe shuffle in there too – and with Greg Castiglioni and Ruth Betteridge leading a flawless 9-strong troupe, there is much in Lovebirds to please the genre’s cognoscenti. An economically sized band of 3 musicians, under Neil Macdonald’s accomplished direction, also deliver excellence.

It is possible that some of the genius of the Sherman brothers came precisely because they were a pair – able to both criticise and hone each other’s contribution. Robert J. Sherman, who has a recognised gift for both composing and storytelling, writes alone. With a snappier lyricist for a wingman, Lovebirds could yet prove sensational.

Physical CDs are available from www.SimGProductions.com

A Spoonful Of Sherman - CD Review

*****

Just released on CD, A Spoonful of Sherman is a delightful recording that preserves one of the most sparkling revues of recent years. Staged at the St James Theatre in 2014, the show captured the songwriting genius of Richard and Robert Sherman. I reviewed it then (here) and an extract of my review, now to be found quoted on Wikipedia reads “It is a wonder that this charming show has not been staged before. Amidst all of Broadway’s giant songwriting partnerships, none reaches out to the child within us quite like the legacy of the Sherman Brothers. Cleverly crafted songs that speak of hope against adversity, written in verses that talk to every age.” Listening to the CD now, those words ring ever true.

The two disc compilation not only includes the show’s music, but also Robert Sherman’s son Robbie’s commentary that affords a remarkable insight into the lives of his father, uncle and grandfather. Aside from Disney classics that included The Jungle Book and Mary Poppins, the Sherman brothers penned soundtracks for other studios’ movies such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and The Slipper And The Rose. Few other movie scoring partnerships have matched their prodigious output.

Robbie Sherman conceived the show with musical director Colin Billing – and it is Billing who accompanies on piano throughout – assembling a lineup of some of the UKs finest musical theatre performers. Leading ladies Emma Williams and Charlotte Wakefield sing with Stuart Matthew Price and Greg Castiglioni, with solos and close harmonies that make an exquisite collection.  

As expected there are lavish nods to the Shermans' most famous works. Williams’ Feed The Birds and her later duet with Price in Doll On A Music Box / Truly Scrumptious capturing the magic of the originals and imbuing them with a contemporary poignancy. The CD brims with moments of wistful reflection for those of us old enough to have had these songs as the soundtrack to our childhood.

Castiglioni contributes a noble Bert from Mary Poppins with Step In Time, whilst his Ugly Bug Ball is a comic treat. Mention too to Price’s Poppins number – A Man Has Dreams – another gem. Wakefield leaves her mark of youthful excellence on the show’s title number, whilst also reminding us of quite what a gem The Jungle Book’s My Own Home truly was. 

Not just about the big movie numbers, there is a nod to the Sherman Brothers’ oft forgotten contribution to Tin Pan Alley that includes Price’s take on the 60’s classic You’re Sixteen along with Tall Paul.  

Robbie Sherman has inhertited the family’s musical genes and the album also includes a couple of numbers from his own work Bumblescratch – but it is in his appreciative commentaries on his forebears that so much is revealed. Robert Sherman was amongst the US troops that liberated Dachau and thus bore witness to  the depths of man’s inhumanity. In the post-war years and as the Cold War prevailed, this knowledge gives an added depth to the purest sense of human optimism that underscores the brothers’ There’s A Great Big Beautifiul Tomorrow and the timeless (and to be fair, often infuriating!) simplicity of It’s A Small World (After All).

Offering so much more than just a collection of beautifully performed songs, this is a lovingly crafted tribute to a pair of the 20th century’s cultural giants. A gorgeous CD and not just for lovers of musical film and theatre, A Spoonful Of Sherman appeals to the child in us all.


Available to purchase at:
http://www.simgproductions.com/Records/A_Spoonful_of_Sherman.html