I Wish my Life Were Like a Musical
Live at Zedel
Reviewed – 15th August 2018
★★★★★
“impeccable vocal agility, faultlessly-measured interpretation and just enough audience engagement”
Musical theatre has long been a defining part of West End nightlife. Shows of all genres come and go – classics, new creations, film adaptations and jukebox musicals – but always with the glossy, brightly-lit image of the actors, singers and dancers and the glamorous lives they seem to live. Alexander S. Bermange’s revue ‘I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical’ is an antidote to this glittering, colourful illusion. His inventive, comic songs with their witty lyrics take us backstage through the trials and tribulations of starting out, the bitter sweetness of working on stage and the adrenalin and emotion which make it all worthwhile.
Cosily hidden on its lower floor, Brasserie Zedel offers us an intimate, cabaret-bar venue for this peep into the personal reality of these performers. We sit in the dimly-lit, carmine-coloured glow; Bermange takes his place at the piano; the singers appear and make their way round the tables, setting a satirical scene and kicking off the evening with ‘The Opening Number’, cleverly concocted from well-known opening numbers of shows.
During the songs that follow we are delighted and dazzled by four impressive voices, each distinctive but blending beautifully together. Madalena Alberto and Suzie Mathers stun us with power and sensitivity, Cedric Neal’s smooth tones take some surprising technical turns and we are charmed by Lucas Rush’s lyrical expression. With impeccable vocal agility, faultlessly-measured interpretation and just enough audience engagement, they tell of the precarious career path with ‘Audition’, ‘Guest Spot’ and ‘The Diva’s in the House’, as well as anecdotal tales such as ‘The Key Problems’, ‘The Kiss’ and ‘When a Fan Loves a Woman’. They shape scenarios and characters to describe the obsessive nature of performers with their remedies and routines, the hard work behind the scenes, awkward moments, pleasant surprises and the ultimate magical feeling.
Derek Bond’s direction of these four talented and experienced artists and Bermange’s original insight into the world of showbiz make this classy pastiche a welcome alternative to the blockbuster blowout.
Reviewed by Joanna Hetherington
Photography by Danny Kaan
I Wish my Life Were Like a Musical
Live at Zedel until 26th August
Related
Previously reviewed at this venue
Liza Pulman Sings Streisand | ★★★★ | March 2018
The Clementine Show | ★★★★ | July 2018
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