(Jonathan Roxmouth)
Jonathan Roxmouth brilliantly interweaves the music of
Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Stephen Sondheim while infusing his
own lyrics to help tell a story with much ironic humour. (Review by Caroline
Smart)
Tick the boxes: Are you a fan of tall, handsome, top
South African musical theatre personality, Jonathan Roxmouth?
Do you like the music of Leonard Bernstein, Andrew
Lloyd-Webber and Stephen Sondheim and enjoy them beautifully performed?
Then don’t miss Jonathan Roxmouth’s brilliant handling
of Lenny Andrew Steve & Me directed
by Wesley Swain Lauder in which he interweaves the music of these three icons
while infusing his own lyrics to help tell a story with much ironic humour.
Here in Durban on a season break in The Phantom of the Opera international tour,
he has created the show around an explanation of how a successful musical is
structured, taking Bernstein, Lloyd-Webber and Sondheim as perfect examples of
those who have achieved this universal status.
An integral part of the show is pianist Rowan Bakker
who provides excellent accompaniment. One of the highlights of the show is a
hilarious sequence when Roxmouth plonks himself on the stool next to him and
proves that he can play a keyboard as well!
Tina Le Roux’s splendid lighting design is dramatic
and perfectly suits the mood of each number.
Besides the grand piano prop, the stage is set with three
stools each representing one of the three musical theatre giants. So if you
aren’t quite sure who wrote the number he’s singing, look at which stool is
behind him!
Moving with impressive skilfulness, he takes the music
of A Little Bit in Love (Bernstein from
A Wonderful Town); Love Changes Everything (Lloyd Webber
from Aspects of Love) and Loving You (Sondheim from Passion), putting his own lyrics to the
songs in an impressive sequence that smoothly melded from one to the other.
Another well-handled medley was Anyone Can Whistle (Sondheim), Whistle
Down the Wind (Lloyd Webber) and There’s
a Place for Us (Bernstein).
Expect to hear well-known and much-loved numbers such
as Sondheim’s Broadway Baby (from Follies) and Everything’s Coming up Roses (from Gypsy); Lloyd Webber’s Any Dream
Will Do (from Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat); Another Suitcase in
Another Hall and You Must Love Me?
(from Evita).
Perhaps less well-known
are the Sondheim numbers such as Hello
Little Girl (from Into the Woods);
Finishing the Hat (from Sunday In The Park With George), and Let the Good Times Roll (from Dick Tracy)
but as my late husband was a committed Sondheim fan, these numbers were a
delight to me.
Among the quieter moments was an achingly beautiful
rendition of Lloyd Webber's Tell Me on a Sunday contrasting
with his rendition of Memory, sung with
much power and passion.
To close the show, there was also a brilliant version
of Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera sung with a
ghost light* illuminating only one side of his face, a clever referral to
the mask that the Phantom wears.
The show has one more performance tonight at Rhumbelow
Durban at 20h00 (tomorrow is sold out). Tickets R180 booked through Roland on
082 499 8636.
Roxmouth moves back into his leading role in The Phantom of the Opera on Friday when
the company is headed for Tel Aviv for a season there.
Lenny Andrew Steve & Me will then move to the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino in Johannesburg in September.
Don’t miss it if it comes to a theatre near you! – Caroline Smart
Lenny Andrew Steve & Me will then move to the Pieter Toerien Theatre at Montecasino in Johannesburg in September.
Don’t miss it if it comes to a theatre near you! – Caroline Smart
*A ghost light is an exposed incandescent bulb that is activated
when the theatre is closed up and dark, to provide enough light to avoid anyone
bumping into set pieces, props or, worse, falling into the open orchestra pit.