(Pic: Clockwise: Shaun Dragt; Logan Byrne, Janna Ramos-Violante, Andrew Webster, Calli Thomson and Bruce Baker)Heritage Theatre show offers good entertainment with interesting insight into Carly Simon’s life and loves. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Carly Simon, American singer-songwriter and musician as well as a Grammy, Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, represents a virtual league of nations. Checking her out on the internet, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carly_Simon) states that “in a 2004 interview with journalist Michael Kors for the July issue of Interview Magazine, Simon revealed her full ancestry as being Jewish, African, Cuban and French, becoming evident that her Multiracial mother was of German, Cuban and African ancestry.”
You’re So Vain hit #1 on the charts in the early 70’s and sold over a million copies in the United States, catapulting Carly Simon’s breakthrough album No Secrets to further glory when it went Gold and eventually Platinum.
A further trip to Wikipedia reveals that “The subject of the song itself has become one of the biggest enigmas in popular music, as this track also carries one of the most famous lyrics: “You're so vain/I bet you think this song is about you." Simon, who was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994, has never publicly admitted who the song is about. She hinted that it could be a composite of several people and, for many, the most likely "suspects" have always been Beatty or Jagger who sings backup vocals on this recording.” Keeping the press and fans at bay, she held everyone in suspense until she auctioned off the information to the winner of a charity function in 2003 for $50,000 - on condition that the winner continued to keep the secret! So, the question remains unanswered.
This intriguing aspect of Carly Simon’s life forms the backbone of You’re So Vain which opens at the Heritage Theatre in Hillcrest tonight and stars Andrew Webster and Janna Ramos-Violante who carry the show off well. Two highly-focused performers, their partnership provides much entertainment but it’s obviously the music itself that speaks.
Apart from the obvious choice of the title number, expect to hear Carly Simon’s We Have No Secrets, Nobody Does It Better (the theme song she performed in the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me) and Let The Rivers Run. The latter was not a highlight of the evening but I am always prepared to make allowances on a preview night and I’m sure it’s fine now.
So ….who was You’re So Vain about? Warren Beatty … Mick Jagger …? Out-posing Mick Jagger, Andrew dons a black wig, wiggles his hips and goes into hectic sidestep mode for Ain’t Too Proud To Beg /Angie and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.
Carly Simons had a brief romance with Cat Stevens which generates an opening medley followed later by numbers such as Morning Has Broken, Father & Son, Wild World and the Sheryl Crow version of his First Cut Is The Deepest.
James Taylor was one of the identified male partners and we hear a great version of his Steamroller Blues as well as You‘ve Got A Friend and How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You. The Carly Simon/James Taylor relationship, which eventually turned to marriage, produced the foot-stomping Mockingbird.
Good to see new faces in the musical combo – for this production, musical director Calli Thomson is on keyboards with Shaun Dragt (guitar), Logan Byrne (double bass/bass guitar) and Bruce Baker (drums). I would like to see some stage business introduced to allow Logan Byrne change instruments once a number is complete without his frantically having to execute this process before the next song.
While the first act needs some judicious pruning. the second act is when the show really kicks into gear. Highlights for me were Carole King’s I Feel the Earth Move, Cat Stevens’ Matthew And Son and Born To Be Wild which is included in the programme as Jack Nicholson is another suspect. Hence Steppenwolf’s song from the soundtrack from Easy Rider. With its mix of styles and songwriters, You’re So Vain offers good entertainment with some interesting inside information into Carly Simon’s life and loves. Tina le Roux once again produces effective lighting and the sound balance was good.
Tickets R190 Wednesday to Saturday at 19h00 (R165 Tuesday dinner and Sunday lunch) include a two-course meal with desserts as an optional extra I chose the Asian Turkey Salad as a starter – a nicely-presented dish of “crossed swords” turkey satay with Mandarin Orange slices followed by the Heritage special, Karoo Lamb Shank. Starters also include Beetroot & Feta Salad and Seafood Soup. Other main course dishes are Vegetarian Lasagne, Thai Coconut oven baked Line Fish (well-received by one of my companions) and Greek Roasted Lemon Chicken Breast.
For more information or bookings call 031 765 4197 or visit www.heritagetheatre.co.za - Caroline Smart
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