Review: PLAY ON!, Lyric Hammersmith

During these dark and cold nights, something magical is happening on stage at the Lyric Hammersmith. Play On! was originally created by director Sheldon Epps and writer Cheryl L. West back in 1997, transferring briefly to Broadway. Talawa theatre company have stripped the show back and have created a truly joyful production to delight the most curmudgeonly of audiences.

The combination of Shakespeare and jazz master Duke Ellington is not new. Ellington and his writing partner, Billy Strayhorn, were hugely inspired by The Bard and recorded "Such Sweet Thunder", a jazz suite based on Shakespeare’s plays in 1957*. Play On! takes the basic story of Twelfth Night and moves it to a 1940s Harlem jazz club, throwing in twenty classic Duke Ellington numbers for good measure. But make no mistake, this is no paint-by-numbers jukebox musical.

Country girl Viola arrives at the Cotton Club to make it as a songwriter. She quickly realises that she must appear as a man to break into that sexist world and renames herself Vyman. She meets and quickly falls in love with composer The Duke (Orsino), who employs her to help win back the diva club singer Lady Liv and reboot his creative block.

Shakespeare’s clown Feste is transformed into womanising dancer Jester (a very funny Lewellyn Jamal), and the puritan steward Malvolio becomes the amusingly uptight club manager Rev. Sir Toby becomes club worker Sweets (Lifford Shillingford) with Maria becoming Miss Mary (Tanya Edwards), as Lady Liv’s downtrodden dresser.

This run at the Lyric Hammersmith is the end of a country-wide tour and it shows. Every element of the production is as tight and slick as can be, with wonderful understanding and engagement between the cast.

Tsemaye Bob-Egbe brings sweetness and vocal clarity to Viola. She is also very funny in her attempts to convery herself as a man. Earl Gregory is suitably love-lorn as the slick Duke, with fine and smooth vocals to match.

As Lady Liv, KoKo Alexander's extreme diva-ish behaviour is both convincing and amusing, but leaves little room for any other dimensions in the character. However she is a vocal powerhouse, bringing emotion and huge range to her songs. “I Ain’t Got Nothin’ But The Blues” is a standout.

Cameron Bernard Jones is wonderful as Rev, quietly in love with Lady Liv. The puritanical attitude of the original character is softened hugely, with Jones trying to bring order and professionalism to a venue he can see is being judged by outside forces. A delightful moment comes when he bounces onto the stage in an extravagant yellow zoot suit, complete with fedora and shoes, a lovely nod to his original yellow garters.

Shakespeare's original story is much simplified; several characters, including Viola's identical brother, are removed completely. The focus of the story is less cruel; it is kinder and more about romance and the pressures of a woman to succeed in a man's world.

The music is simply wonderful, performed with authenticity and huge skill by the on-stage quintet. Benjamin Kwesi Burnell’s new arrangements make the music sound as vibrant and fresh as when it was composed. Sweets and the Duke are given a duet with “Rocks in My Head” that nearly takes the roof off and tracks such as the addictive “It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing)” sound so vigorous and full of life, it is incredible to believe that it debuted back in 1932.

Kenrick H2O Sandy's choreography also bursts with energy, using every part of the space to bring zip and vigour to the whole production. The ensemble is superb here.

Shakepeare purists may accuse the show of stripping back the essence of the story a little too much and the rather basic set could do with further embelishment, but it is hard not to get swept up in the inherent joy and energy of this wonderful production. Play on? It certainly deserves to.

Play On! is at the Lyric Hammersmith until 22 February

Photo Credits: Ellie Kurttz

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