Review: Play On!, Lyric Hammersmith
Where New York's Cotton Club swings with Shakespearean flairSummary
Rating
Excellent
As part of the Black Joy Festival, the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre presents Play On!, a vibrant musical set in the jazz scene of New York’s Cotton Club. When a young songwriter arrives ready to make her name, she disguising herself as a man to give herself more chance in a male-dominated music world, where she meets club impresario The Duke and sensational singer Lady Liv. It all leads to a show of melodies, mistaken identities and romance, in Artistic Director Michael Buffong’s retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
Play On! was conceived by the renowned director Sheldon Epps, originally premiering in 1996 at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre. The idea of setting it in a jazz club works incredibly well for this Shakespearean adaptation with the music score of Duke Ellington being harmoniously woven into the story, as though composed specifically for this production. With the band in full view playing ballads and upbeat tunes, it does well to evoke the essence of the 1940’s jazz scene for a contemporary audience.
Those aware of Cheryl L. West’s catalogue will know her talent as a playwright and with Play On! West delivers well placed wit and humour that often leaves the audience giggling long after the joke has passed. And though an overall buoyant tale, West manages to inject a sobering nod towards the reality behind the glitz and music that African Americans faced during the 1940’s, grounding the narrative in doing so.
What truly lifts the words from the script are the performances; each impressive in both stamina and ability (with the chorus, somehow, making the act of singing and dancing simultaneously look very easy). Koko Alexandra performs beautiful, sultry solos as Lady Liv and Tanya Edwards’ melodic scat vocals as Miss Mary are a treat to hear. Many other stand out moments include Sweets (Lifford Shillingford) and Jester’s (Llewellyn Jamal) duet of ‘Rocks In My Bed’ and an upbeat ensemble number lead by Rev (Cameron Bernard Jones). Earl Gregory is quite entertaining as The Duke whilst Tsemaye Bob-Egbe balances a wide-eyed yet savvy depiction of Viola/Vyman.
The duration of the show is two and a half hours including a twenty minute interval and in spite of the enthusiasm of the production there are moments it feels prolonged. Another issue which persists throughout is some vocal imbalances, particularly when there are multiple people singing. Some voices are either too loud – verging on being a little shrill or too quiet resulting in the harmonies being drowned out. Hopefully, as the run continues, these issues can be resolved.
Retellings like this can, often, act as a conduit to canonical text making it more accessible to a wider audience and provide a great opportunity for those hesitant to dip a toe into the Shakespearean waters. Play On! is a family friendly crowd-pleaser with quintessential Shakespearean love triangles and amusing quirky twists.
Created by: Sheldon Epps
Book by: Cheryl L. West
Directed by: Michael Buffong
Musical Supervision by: Liam Godwin
Choreography by: Kenrick Sandy
Play On! plays at Lyric Hammersmith until 22 February. Further information and tickets availabe here.