Roxmouth, his talent, and a piano on a bare stage
FEW artists could be better qualified than Jonathan Roxmouth to present a valedictory production at Theatre on the Bay as this landmark on Cape Town’s entertainment scene closes (albeit temporarily, for an extensive revamp): over the years he has appeared regularly on its compact stage in a variety of guises, to unwavering acclaim.
This show is a gem of ingenuity, devised, directed and performed by the man himself – with the able assistance of pianist Louis Zurnamer, no stranger to local audiences as musical director and executant of the keyboard. Between them they navigate an artful deconstruction of musical theatre with deceptive artlessness on Roxmouth’s part.
This is no mere tribute show to the trio of Leonard Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Stephen Sondheim; rather, it takes its audience through the obligatory stages of a musical production illustrated by quotations from works by the august threesome, from overture and opening number to finale.
Given the occasion, nostalgia reigns with a sad sweetness, but sentiment, however intense, is seasoned with the wry, distinctive humour that bears Roxmouth’s signature. The result is intimate entertainment at its best, performed on a stage stripped bare of everything except a piano, three stools, and lighting devices – a set appropriate ahead of major reconstruction.
No need to identify the composers of successive songs as we progress through the show: the eponymous Lenny, Andrew and Steve each have a stool assigned to them, illuminated as a hint to the audience: it’s both innovative and economical.
Lighting design by Roxmouth and Tina le Roux is brilliantly evocative, for instance in Music
of the Night from Phantom of the Opera, when half of the singer’s face is left in shadow with the rest highlighted in an eerie glow.
Of the three composers, Sondheim has the lion’s share of inclusions to bring some lesserknown songs to the audience’s attention (an act of bravado, since Roxmouth admits that “singing Sondheim makes one lose weight”).
He meets the challenge of a demanding score with panache and a theatricality which enriches his vocal performance; a highlight is the lupine predator from Into the Woods.
At the end of the show, a tribute to Theatre on the Bay’s 30 years of service to theatre is de rigueur, and Any Dream Will Do from Lloyd-Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat has Roxmouth close to tears as we bid au revoir to this venue rich in memories. More, please.