PLAY ON!
Lyric Hammersmith
โ โ โ โ โ
โThe unique quality of this musical is that each number comes with its own ever-increasing โwow factorโ.โ
The atmosphere in the bar is electric. The only thing missing is the fog of cigarette smoke, otherwise weโve walked into an old brownstone building on the corner of 52nd Street. It is the early 1940s. Was that Charlie Parker over there by the bar? Iโm sure I just saw Dizzy Gillespie. Through the crowds clutching their Daiquiris and Manhattans, I think I can hear Duke Ellington strike a few opening chords on the grand piano. But then the chime of the intercom โ with its five-minute call โ brings us back into the twenty-first century, as we file into the auditorium for Sheldon Eppsโ musical โPlay On!โ
The title comes from the Dukeโs famous opening line from โTwelfth Nightโ on which this musical is based. Eppsโ concept, with the book by Cheryl L. West, takes brazen liberties with Shakespeare while still convincing us of its faithfulness. The result is a revelation โ as we are transported from Illyria to the Cotton Club in Harlem in nineteen-forty-something. The music of Duke Ellington slots into the narrative as though he were commissioned to write the songs specifically for this show. This is hardcore jazz, steeped in tradition, but sharing the stage with its modern sister โhip-hopโ thanks to the stunning choreography of Kenrick H2O Sandy MBE.
The opening routine sets the tone โ a burst of precision and emotion, the ensemble moving as one, led by Llewellyn Jamal. Breaking free from the song and from his magnetic dance moves, Jamal coaxes us into the action, playing Jester โ a chancing, two-timing yet loveable rogue. Into the club wanders his niece, Viola (Tsemaye Bob-Egbe), an aspiring songwriter looking to make it big in the Big Apple, and hoping to join the ranks of the clubโs band leader โDukeโ. She hasnโt bargained for the reception she receives though. โAinโt no woman can do songwritingโ her uncle Jester tells her. To be taken seriously she dresses as a man and becomes Vyman. Meanwhile โDukeโ (Earl Gregory) is suffering from writerโs block, unable to complete his melodies. With his Mojo gone, so too has the affections of Lady Liv (KoKo Alexandra) the nightclubโs diva. Vyman is tasked with trying to put things right and, with the help and hindrance of Rev (Cameron Bernard Jones), Miss Mary (Tanya Edwards) and Sweets (Lifford Shillingford) we embark on a very Shakespearean comedy of errors. With all that jazz.
The unique quality of this musical is that each number comes with its own ever-increasing โwow factorโ. And each performer matches the demands of the material with equal virtuosity. Gregoryโs plaintive โI Let a Song Go Out of My Heartโ is followed by Alexandraโs โMood Indigoโ (what an entrance Alexandra makes!). Bob-Egbeโs โDonโt Get Around Much Anymoreโ rightly betrays the fact that she does get around a lot on the musical theatre scene. Smoky, bluesy ballads interlock with Bebop, big band syncopation. โIt Donโt Mean a Thing If It Ainโt Got That Swingโ, but โPlay On!โ swings over the edge, and we cling on in ecstasy as it sways to the rhythm. An infectious and irresistible rhythm courtesy of the onstage five-piece band, led by musical director Ashton Moore at the grand piano.
Each number is a highlight โ the solos, duets, quartets and more. Jamal and Shillingford deliver a brilliantly hilarious โRocks in My Bedโ while the first act closes with a rousing โSolitudeโ, each singer overlapping before coming together into a rousing, show-stopping ensemble. The vocal dexterity is matched by their handling of Westโs text. Bob-Egbeโs fluidity and Jamalโs flexibility are a master class in acting and timing, while Gregoryโs cool smoky tones evoke the period with echoes of a young Leslie โHutchโ Hutchinson in his Harlem days.
The ending of the story plays fast and loose with the original plot. Rev, who represents Malvolio, has a very different fate. The reconciliations are not wholly expected by those familiar with Shakespeareโs text. In fact, in some ways, this has a more satisfactory conclusion. The feelgood factor is one that the Bard may not have sanctioned, but we endorse it, and love it. And we leave the auditorium with more than a dance in our step. โIf music be the food of love, play onโฆ Give me excess of itโ. That sums it up really.
PLAY ON!
Lyric Hammersmith
Reviewed on 31st January 2025
by Jonathan Evans
Photography by Ellie Kurttz
Previously reviewed at this venue:
OTHELLO | โ โ โ โ | January 2023
PLAY ON!
PLAY ON!
PLAY ON!