Theatre / Reviews
Review: Play On!, Bristol Old Vic – ‘A toe-tapping extravaganza’
Talawa Theatre Company has been championing and nurturing emerging and established artists of African or Caribbean heritage for 37 years. As part of their 2024/25 Black Joy season, Talawa brings Sheldon Epps and Cheryl L. West’s high-spirited jazz musical Play On! to UK theatres for the first time, almost 30 years after its Broadway debut.
The story is a twist on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, but no prior knowledge of the play is needed. Play On! takes place in New York City’s Cotton Club in the 1940s and combines the music of Duke Ellington – performed live on stage by the excellent band and exceptional performances from the whole company – with street dance choreography.
As a fusion of Twelfth Night and the iconic Jazz scene of the 1940s, Shakespeare’s work has never been more accessible. A five-piece band – Ashton Moore (keys), Shane Forbest (drums), Chris Hyde-Harrison (double bass), Kaz Hamilton (sax, clarinet, flute), Alexander Polack (trumpet) – is always on stage, with a cast of 16 actors and dancers performing on a simple, versatile set.
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Tsemaye Bob-Egbe is Viola, a young, small-town woman with aspirations to become a songwriter. Tales of her show-stopping uncle Jester (Llewellyn Jamal) inspire her to follow in his footsteps, and she arrives in Harlem in search of her big break.
However, she quickly discovers that the 1940s Cotton Club scene is ‘a man’s world’, and, with the help of Uncle Jester and the Cotton Club dancers, concocts a plan to achieve her goal of a mentorship with the renowned composer, The Duke (Earl Gregory).
Donning a suit and tie, Viola is transformed into ‘Vyman’, and, as this male alter-ego, strikes up a deal with the Duke; if Vyman is able to convince singing sensation and bonafide diva, Lady Liv (KoKo Alexandra), to give the Duke a second chance at love, the Duke will take Vyman on as his protegé .
Jamal’s Jester and Alexandra’s Lady Liv provide stand-out performances. Jester sets the pace for the show in the opening dance number, while Alexandra’s vocal abilities are stunning, providing the most nuanced and touching performance in the show. Effortlessly emulating the great jazz voices of the 1940s, she really wows the captive and appreciative audience.
With his expressive powerful singing, Lifford Shillingford as Sweets delivers a performance that is also integral to the Cotton Club vibe. Bob-Egbe has incredible range as Viola and is very convincing when disguised as Vyman.
We get a superb version of I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues, sung by Lady Liv. That leads into the Malvolio yellow stockings scene, which consists here of Rev singing I’m Beginning To See The Light in a yellow suit (think Jim Carrey in The Mask) and a series of terrific duets follow.
When Jester and Sweets get dumped by their respective partners, Ceecee (Gleanne Purcell-Brown) and Miss Mary (Tanya Edwards), they get drunk together and deliver Rocks In My Bed. Rev and Lady Liv reconcile over Something To Live For, Sweets and Miss Mary sing Love You Madly, and when Vyman reveals her identity to The Duke, they duet on Prelude To A Kiss.
Artfully directed by Talawa’s artistic director Michael Buffong and choreographed by Kenrick ‘H2O’ Sandy, the show’s combination of modern street dance with more traditional jazz choreography is inspired.
The elegant set design provides uncomplicated and effective expositional delivery; jazz bar on the left, a dressing room on the right and the band on stage throughout, moving back and forth as they come in and out of the story when required. Johanna Town’s lighting design complements the whole beautifully.
Play On! is a thoroughly enjoyable musical show with a highly talented cast singing 24 songs in two hours. It manages to be both entertaining and funny while touching on serious themes of racism and sexism.
The songs are woven seamlessly into the production, adding extra layers to the emotions and expressions of the characters and their journeys.
Charming, enchanting, and laugh-out-loud funny, this toe-tapping extravaganza of a show is quite the revelation.
Play On! Is at Bristol Old Vic on January 16-25 at 7.30pm, with additional 2.30pm matinee shows on Thursday and Saturday (no shows Sunday).
The show is produced by Talawa Theatre Company and Belgrade Theatre, with co-producers Birmingham Hippodrome, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, and Wiltshire Creative, Salisbury.
Tickets are available at www.bristololdvic.org.uk.
All photos: Ellie Kurttz
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