KAREN AKERS SINGS SIMPLY STYNE To 1 March.

London.

KAREN AKERS SINGS SIMPLY STYNE
music by Jule Styne.

Jermyn Street Theatre 16b Jermyn Street SW1Y 6ST to 1 March 2008.
Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Mat Sat & Sun 3.00pm.
Runs 1hr 20min No interval.

TICKETS: 020 7287 2875.
www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk
Review: Geoff Ambler 26 February 2008.

Make Someone Happy in Jermyn Street

Well into the Jermyn Street Theatre’s American Songbook in London season, Karen Akers takes the microphone for an evening of delightfully intimate cabaret.

Accompanied magnificently by Leigh Thompson on piano and bassist Dave Johnson, Karen delivers the works of Jule Styne with warmth and heart as she shares an obvious joy with her chosen material with the audience. Unlike previous cabarets this one is light on Styne biography. Instead we are left to enjoy the music without the burden or the insight from context, something which doesn't diminish Akers' performance.

Jule Styne should be claimed as a Londoner. Even though all his success came from the US side of the Atlantic he was born in Bethnal Green, only moving to Chicago when eight and already a prodigy. There he embarked on a musical writing career spanning the century. He collaborated with Sondheim on Gypsy and was also responsible for such timeless delights as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Funny Girl. Akers' journey through this music is something to relish; both the undiscovered and the familiar enchant.

The Jermyn Street Theatre, as always, is a wondrous environment for cabaret, lifting music lovers into a cloud of nostalgia, draped in lush red velvet in one of the most welcoming venues in the West End.

Vocals: Karen Akers
Pianist: Leigh Thompson
Bass: Dave Johnson

Director: Eric Michael Gillett.
Music Director: Don Rebic

2008-03-02 23:37:00