Review: PLAY ON!, Salisbury Playhouse - Tour
Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz
The famous line from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (written in 1601) Act 1 Scene 1, “If music be the food of love, play on” is the inspiration for this exciting new jukebox musical, which intermingles the fabulous jazz music of Edward “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) with four amusing love stories. Set in the famous Cotton Club in Harlem where the composer found fame in the 1920’s, the characters from Shakespeare’s comedy become composers, singers and staff at the club at a time when music was dominated by the male composers. When Viola arrives, she is told “Ain’t no woman can do the music writing” and so adopts the alternative identity of Vyman, an aspiring young male composer seeking a mentor.
Indeed, in this adaptation of the story, the focus is on the four female characters who control the narrative with their menfolk simpering followers. The Duke (Orsino in the original) is a posh well-spoken composer played by Earl Gregory, who has writers block and is desperate to impress the club’s soulful diva singer Lady Liv (Olivia in the original), played with plenty of gusto by Koko Alexandra. He sends the Vyman to see her, but she is strangely attracted to the cross-dressing visitor. Meanwhile, the club announcer Rev (Cameron Bernard Jones) is also in love with Liv but can’t express himself. The third battle of the sexes is between Liv’s dresser Miss Mary (a comical performance from Tanya Edwards) and her long-term suitor Sweets (Lifford Shillingford). To complete the love stories, the philandering Jester (Llewellyn Jamal) is taunted by the hat check girl CeeCee (Gleanne Purcell-Brown). The narrative may be a stripped back version of the original tale but provides enough linking story to join up around twenty Ellington songs. As Shakespeare wrote in Act 3 Scene 4 “If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction” but here, the music makes it work.
Even though we are not familiar with many of the tunes selected from his extensive body of work, the musical quality shines through the show with an outstanding five-piece band on stage backing the excellent singers. The driving rhythm of the double bass and the drums underpins the delightful melodies of the piano playing and the wonderful saxophone and trumpet highlights, which create a distinctive and joyful jazz/blues sound. At the end of the performance as the house lights went on and the band platform slides forward for a final number, not a single member of the audience moved as it was the band that made this show such a joy to listen to.
Tsemaye Bob-Egbe as Viola and her alter ego Vyman lead the singers with great charisma, bags of personality and a wonderful soaring voice. Another famous quote from the original (Act 2 Scene 5) makes the adaptation when she is told “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.” but this young actress dominates the stage and earns her greatness through her performance.
Only the fabulous upbeat ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing, written in 1931, is instantly recognisable but in the second half, as the love tangle is resolved, there are so many delightful tunes beginning with the soulful ‘I Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues’ (1937) sung by Lady Liv, a delightful routine in ‘I’m Beginning To See The Light’ (1944) with Rev dressed in yellow looking like the character from the film The Mask, Vyman with ‘I Didn’t Know About You’ (1944), Jester and Sweet with the comical duet ‘Rocks In My Bed’ (1941), Liv and Rev with the lovely ‘Something To Live For’ (1939), and then the Duke and Vyman in ‘Prelude To A Kiss’ (1938). These amazing soulful bluesy numbers that stand the test of time are all beautifully sung and are simply a delight to hear.
This is a wonderful production from Talawa Theatre Company, under direction of Michael Buffong and musical direction of Ashton Moore, as part of their Black Joy season, and any music lover will enjoy being introduced to these fabulous compositions by the legendary Duke Ellington in a joyous, uplifting show.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Nick Wayne