The Jewish Legends – Upstairs at the Gatehouse, Highgate 1st – 12th September. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
The Jewish Legends returns to Highgate following a successful run in March – along with most of the audience! As I sat down I was assured by the ladies in front of me that I would love the show and would want to see it again, just like them.
Joanna Lee, Molly Marie Walsh, Martin Neely and Martin Milnes perform a selection of songs made famous by eight Jewish legends: Al Jolson, Sophie Tucker, Fanny Brice, Groucho Marx, Zero Mostel, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Burt Bacharach.
In between, and often during, the songs, stories of each performer’s Jewish background, personal life (usually chaotic) and career ups and downs are shared with the audience, along with some fantastic one-liners. Writer Chris Burgess has created a musical version of QI – interesting facts, corny jokes and uplifting music coming together to form a wonderful evening’s entertainment.
Neely and Mills are energetic and playful in their routines – “Lydia the tattooed lady” had some moves that even my dad wouldn’t attempt in public. Lee and Walsh are passionate and flirty, especially singing Sophie Tucker numbers. Lee’s “My Yiddishe Mama” was especially moving.
The humour and energy of Bette Midler’s songs is infectious. “The Rose” is a standout number with Lee’s and Walsh’s voices blending hypnotically.
My only gripe is about the Streisand section – classic songs sung brilliantly and then… Yentl. I know some people love that film, but I’ve never met any of them. Knowing that Yentl is showbiz Marmite, a comedy ending is cleverly signposted when Marsh begins “A piece of sky”, making me feel less guilty when I giggled at the ‘Papa can you hear me?’ part.
Both acts build to big endings. Act one has a superb “Fiddler on the Roof” medley which showcases the vocal talents of the cast superbly. The Burt Bacharach finale is lots of fun. The cast’s voices are perfect for all the whoa whoa harmonies and it’s hard to tell who’s having more fun, them or the audience. It gets a little emotional when Cilla Black’s big hits are performed, but once “What’s new pussycat?” has started you are riding a wave of nostalgia and pure enjoyment.
The wise ladies in the audience were right! The Jewish Legends has the perfect mix of chutzpah and schmaltz to leave you smiling and singing all night.