Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris at the Charing Cross Theatre
You probably know more Jacques Brel songs than you think. Ne Me Quitte Pas, anyone? How about No Love You’re Not Alone (incorporated in David Bowie’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide)? Terry Jacks’ Seasons in the Sun was Le Moribond with a new lyric, while Scott Walker had a hit record with Jacky in the late 1960s.
Singer songwriter Brel was born in Belgium in 1929, moving to Paris in 1953 to pursue his career in music. Although he died young (aged 49) he left a remarkable legacy of chansons behind him, many of which focus on the darker side of life. “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris,” a musical revue of his work, was first produced in New York in 1968. The show reflects his strong anti-war stance, and features songs in English, French and Flemish.
The Charing Cross Theatre production has a heavy cabaret feel to it, which is all to the good. The first half was enjoyable: Eve Polycarpou opened the show with Le Diable (Ca Va), followed by Daniel Boys and Gina Beck, who made a favourable first impression with If We Only Have Love. Musical Director and Pianist Dean Austin sang a brief solo with Le Moribond, and I particularly liked the closing number Amsterdam, powerfully sung by David Burt, which gave a flavour of what was to come after the interval. I would have liked to hear some harmonies on The Desperate Ones, which was sung in unison by the full company, but by the time I got to the interval I was already impressed and looking forward to what was to follow.
Despite some feedback problems on the sound front, especially during “Middle Class” (which was a shame, as it was otherwise a very amusing number from David and Daniel), the second half blew me away. Eve’s Ne Me Quitte Pas was profoundly moving, and Gina’s “My Death” totally rocked. I’ve been lucky enough to see the wonderfully talented Camille O’Sullivan perform both of these, plus Amsterdam, live on more than one occasion, and Eve, Gina and David’s renditions in no way suffered by comparison. Daniel Boys also gave a consistently strong performance throughout, with his Next being a particular standout. Overall, the second half seemed to build to a final crescendo, with the full cast joining in for a reprise of If We Only Have Love at the end.
The four singers were ably supported on stage by band members James Cleeve, Felix Stickland, Doug Grannell and Richard Burden, as well as by Dean Austin as previously mentioned. This excellent show was directed by Andrew Keates, and is well worth a viewing.
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris runs until 22 November 2014 at the Charing Cross Theatre, Monday – Saturday 7.45 pm, Saturday matinees 3pm. Tickets are available from www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk.
