STAGE BY STAGE II. Written by Jonathan Roxmouth. Directed by Weslee Swain Lauder, with Jonathan Roxmouth and pianist Jessica de Koker. At Theatre on the Bay until September 5. TRACEY SAUNDERS reviews
THE popularity of stage musicals peaked in Cape Town recently when West Side Story was performed to both critical and popular acclaim. The leading man of the show, Jonathan Roxmouth in his role as Tony, was particularly memorable. Disappointed audience members who were unable to attend the sold out show should grab this opportunity to hear him perform renditions from other productions he has appeared in, and some roles that you may never hear him perform.
The stage is set up cabaret-style with De Koker at the piano – an essential part of the show. Roxmouth has an easy rapport with the audience and his banter has a “fireside chat” quality about it. Opening with Broadway Baby there is no doubt that he is most at home on the stage and in this autobiographical show he shares the ups and downs of his journey to be there.
He reveals his early experiences as an awkward teenager at Northcliff High and has some advice for the victims of school yard bullies, “make them laugh” – something that his off-the-cuff ad-libbing during the show does often. His accounts of attending auditions and the exhausting reality of performing in one city and auditioning in another reveal the high price that many actors pay. It is this insight in to his life off the stage that makes this more than a medley of songs.
Personal anecdotes confirm his addiction to musical theatre and he does not shy away from his “existential quest for applause.”
He is not above having a laugh at himself or the industry where the cult of personality and self promotion is a necessary evil. Roxmouth is charming and witty and while he performs the songs from musicals they are able to stand alone without the context of the production. His rendition of The Gnu, originally performed by Flanders and Swann, is hilarious.
Woven into the light heartedness of the show though is a touch of nostalgia and a sense of something bittersweet aptly captured in the songs from Phantom of the Opera. Roxmouth’s role as the Phantom earned him several awards, locally and abroad and hearing him hit that final note it is easy to see why. The vocal acrobatics in his performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General are astonishing and even more so when sung in double time.
He is Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard and the Teen Angel in Grease, but it is when he is simply himself that he really shines. It is the second half where he reveals his personal musical likes and performs roles that he has yet, and probably never will perform. While the familiar songs are well received it is these songs that linger the longest.
This is a show for those who love musicals and a treat for those who have yet to discover the magic of it. Stage by Stage II doesn’t require a magnificent mechanized set, a large chorus or multiple costume changes to leave you humming show tunes as you leave the theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s lyrics from Love never Dies ring true, “I count the silent days, Til I hear you sing once more.”
l Book: 0861 915 8000. Box office 021 438 3301.