TWICE KNIGHT-LY
Channelling Tom and Elton
The suspension of disbelief is a key tenet of theatre, and it’s often a challenge. But two local musicians playing larger-than-life musicians Sir Elton John and Sir Tom Jones have done a remarkable job of channelling not only the voices of those storied entertainers, but their signature styles.
Two Good Knights, playing until Oct. 28 at the Mayfield Dinner Theatre, is a roundly entertaining evening if you drew a breath from the 1960s on. Part of the Mayfield’s Icon series, the show draws on the musicianship of two of Britain’s most famous subjects.
For extra glamour, watch for a guest appearance by Royalty, played giddily by the show’s narrator, Chris Bullough.
Keith Retson- Spalding, as Elton John, delights with hits from Tiny Dancer to Crocodile Rock, while Kieran Martin Murphy delivers What’s New Pussycat with all the verve and charm of the much-beloved Welshman. The Journal caught up with Martin Murphy as he was preparing for the role of the athletic performer, not by exercising his vocal cords, but working his core on a recumbent bike. The interview has been edited and condensed.
Q What’s the hardest part about playing Tom Jones?
A If I could just stand there and sing like Tom Jones, that would be easy. The real challenge is to find that inner sexy magnet, and to loosen up my body the way he loosened his, and be free with that. Because he’s an icon, so well known, it’s intimidating to do the physical part of him. But I was selling my albums after the show in the lobby, and there was this lovely woman who walked up and said, ‘you’re so sexy.’ I had to give her a hug and I said, ‘honey you had no idea how much I needed that.’
Q How profound was Tom Jones’ musical influence?
A Tom Jones has become a genre unto himself. Some people might call his music schmaltzy, but he was subject to the music of his time. He’s almost like a William Shatner in that his name is used to describe things.
He’s a good-looking guy, but he’s not amazing. But if you watch him live, performing or on TV, he’s magnetic. And that comes from an honest place. He wanted to sing since he was the youngest of kids, and he was good at it. That boyish thing never left him and he just wants to get out on stage and perform for people. He realized that he became a bit of a caricature, but he has fun with that.
Q Jones was a bit of a bad boy. Though he had only one long marriage, it was tumultuous, and peppered by a string of affairs and tabloid exploits. How much of the show is devoted to that part of his backstory?
A It’s mentioned in a subtle way. But it’s more interesting to find out where he came from, a coal mining town, and we’re finding other aspects of his story, such as his own personal strife when his career went into the ditch.
When he was in Vegas, he stopped growing and wasn’t making records or touring. Then he has a resurgence because of his son, Mark, who had a heartto-heart with his dad and said ‘you’ve got to change and find new music.’ That’s when he did Sex Bomb and he covered Prince’s Kiss in the late 1980s. And that reinvigorated him.
Q You’ve played musical theatre classics such as Jean Valjean, Buddy Holly, even King Arthur in Spamalot. How do you capture such a variety of musical cultures?
A It’s like any job; you want to diversify. Jean Valjean and Tom Jones have completely different styles. And for Spamalot, you need comedic chops. It’s just about being flexible and making yourself comfortable with anything you see — from rock to country to opera.
I’ve been fortunate in my career to have sung classically and then in a cappella groups and choirs; I’ve had a great breadth of musical experience. I was trained as an actor at Augustana in Camrose, and I have a BA in drama. Then I was a stay-at-home dad for nine years, and then in 2001 I auditioned at the Mayfield and got in.
That’s when I showed up in the musical theatre world, and I’ve been fortunate to work in Edmonton and Calgary and Vancouver.
Q What’s next for you?
A I’ve got a brand new album just coming out. It’s called L- O -Vee and it’s all about the different things that we love, the love between a parent and child, or a grandchild, and romantic love. And one guy who loves his beer. Then I’m going to be in the next show at the Mayfield, Canada 151. So I’m here for the next six months, doing two shows backto-back. I love doing the rock shows here.