Upstairs At The Gatehouse 9-28 February, The Radlett Centre 6 March. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Chris Burgess has written another fantastic review showcasing Jewish talent. This is a man who is passionate about the subject, and here he has had the near impossible task of picking only a few of the wonderful songs of Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart, Rodgers & Oscar Hammerstein and Jerry Bock & Sheldon Harnick.
Can’t Help Loving That Man, Fascinatin’ Rhythm, Putting On The Ritz, The Lady Is A Tramp, You’ll Never Walk Alone and L’Chaim (Burgess loves to end with this – and who can blame him?) are just a few of the classics performed. With material like that, you really don’t need to do much in between, but in this show the performers talk about the composers’ lives, loves and careers, pulling the heartstrings with expertly judged song choices. Pogroms, integration, persecution and Jewish tradition and values are discussed and give insight into the composers’ and lyricists’ choices, along with some great one-liners from the men themselves.
Performers Jennifer Harding, Jessie May, Grant McConvey and Lee Ormsby are excellent, producing stunning 4 part harmonies and lovely solo numbers. Ormsby’s Ol’ Man River and Harding and May’s Suppertime are particularly moving, while McConvey’s rendition of When Messiah Comes is worthy of the West End. The talented band – Neil MacDonald, Doug Grannell and Joe Pickering – plays with gusto, the look on MacDonald’s face when he has to make deliberate mistakes is a picture!
The smiles on the faces of the audience as the lights went up are the best review of this show. An uplifting, joyful evening filled with wonderful, timeless music.