Belgian singer
Jacques Brel embodied existential angst. He was an anti-war campaigner,
a humanitarian and a peace lover - in a sense he was Europe's counterpoint
to America's Bob Dylan. Brel wrote heartfelt, hard-hitting and moving
songs that reflected the political and social turmoil of the 60's and
70's - Vietnam, rebellion, youth culture and the need to change the
world. Brel's French lyrics are poetic and the translation into English
loses some of the wit and irony of the original French, where he incorporates
interesting nuances and a play on words.
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is the
antithesis of a traditional piece of musical theatre. There are few
song-and-dance routines, no script between the string of 28 songs, no
happy endings and a stark setting - the plot is the songs and the purpose
is to hear Brel's extraordinary poetry and the melodies. Producer and
Artistic Director of Sing'theatre, Nathalie Ribette, wisely let the
songs do the talking. Her direction was appropriate and clear, making
use of stillness and tableaux. The four performers, George Chan, Emma
Yong, Tony Mc Gill and Leigh Mc Donald, were strategically placed around
the simple set to sing their songs. A lamppost, some stairs leading
to a small balcony, a park bench, a café table for two and a
circular area for the band ingeniously conjured up the feeling of a
street in Paris. Ribette notes in the programme, "the show has
no ambition of imitating this fascinating personality" - it was
simply about presenting his songs.
The cast all gave solid performances and overall the diction was clear
and the expression sincere. At times this sincerity interfered with
the quality of the voices and the deep textures of the music were sometimes
lost. However, each performer had their special moments. Emma Yong succeeded
in bringing the audience to tears with her wonderful performance of
the chillingly poignant song Old Folks, and then in making
them laugh with a vivacious rendition of the quirky, Timid Frieda.
She also sang the classic Ne Me Quitte Pas in French - which
was most warmly welcomed by the large French contingent in the audience
who were probably expecting more songs in their own language.
Tony Mc Gill's powerful presence anchored the cast and his singing
of Amsterdam achieved the right melancholic tone. His duet
with Leigh McDonald, Song for Old Lovers hit the spot again,
and the connection between the two as they grappled to hold hands was
suitably tentative and awkward. McDonald's rich voice was virtuosic
in songs like Sons Of which she controlled beautifully as the
tragic lyrics unfolded - at other times her voice became harsh, as in
Carousel! which she belted out toward the end of the show.
Choreographer/performer George Chan added some lightness and created
the right amount of dance routines to give the performance some much
needed theatricality and contrast. The small band of five musicians
included the talented accordion player Daniel Blayo - this gave
the music an unmistakably French flair. But the decision to use an electric
piano rather than an acoustic one meant that the relationship between
the musicians and the singers was imbalanced: the piano simply drowned
out the lyrics of many of the songs on the opening night.
The cast finished off with a rousing performance of the Brel plea for
peace, If We Only Have Love - and the audience was invited
to join in as an encore. Although Jacques Brel is Alive and Well
and Living in Paris has some limitations as a piece of musical
theatre, the audience warmed to the raw honesty of the lyrics matched
by the strength of the well-chosen cast and the insightful direction.
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"The audience warmed to the raw honesty of the lyrics matched by
the strength of the well-chosen cast and the insightful direction"
Credits
Music and lyrics: Jaques Brel
Production, conception, English lyrics and additional
material: Eric Blau and Mort Shuman
Producer and Artistic Director: Nathalie Ribette
Choreography: George Chan
Cast: Emma Yong, George Chan, Leigh Mc Donald and Tony
Mc Gill
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