Play On!, Ensemble - Copyright Ciara Hillyer.The simplistic yarn centres on Viola (a superbly confident and likeable performance from Tsemaye Bob-Egbe) who has journeyed from Mississippi to join her unsuspecting Uncle Jester (an excessively louche Llewellyn Jamal) to follow her dreams of becoming a songwriter at Harlem’s renowned entertainment venue, where white folks pay to witness the most renowned black performers of the day. At its core is The Duke (Earl Gregory loosely channelling Duke Ellington) who has lost the love of headliner Lady Liv (KoKo Alexandra) and along with it, his song-writing mojo. Can the arrival of the young Mississippi Miss, act as a catalyst to events and more particularly, how will she respond to the universal assertion that a female will never be taken seriously as a songwriter?
Almost in spite of a pitifully drab set design, the cast in director Michael Buffong’s slight but engaging riff on Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night create a thoroughly joyous jukebox musical. Various romances and interactions orbit the central story, like those between Lady Liv’s long suffering dresser Miss Mary (Tanya Edwards) and her feckless beau Sweets (a show stopping vocal from Lifford Shillingford) and womanising Jester and his on/off relationship with Ceecee (Gleanne Purcell-Brown). Collectively, these create situations and reasons - as if any were necessary - to relive a dizzying array of Ellington’s hits from New York’s notorious 1920s jazz age. One of the best involves Rev (Cameron Bernard Jones) the club’s owner, and his longstanding unrequited idolisation of Lady Liv. His Cab Calloway-esque comedy transformation scene is another terrific company number to look out for.
Conceived by the writing team of Sheldon Epps and Cheryl L. West, Duke Ellington’s memorable catalogue of songs, act as a bedrock for the sort of effortless dance moves and note belting one has come to expect from a top West End musical. The action rarely drops a gear, helped in no small part by the sharp composite silhouettes of the dancers Jarnéia Richard-Noel, Natalia Brown, Amber Cayasso, Freya Karlettis, Andre Coulson, Alex Okoampa, Dylan Blake-Colbet and lastly (in the programme listings) but with stand-out technique which set him apart as most definitely one to watch, Tanaka Bingwa.
The show plays at Lyric Hammersmith until 22nd February, but is most definitely worthy of a West End transfer.
