Coinciding with the announcement that the Menier Chocolate Factory's showpiece musical this November will be a revival of La Cage Aux Folles, we went to a special BBC Friday Night Is Music Night gala celebration of the life and work of Jerry Herman on Sunday.
The gorgeously flamboyant Mr Herman is almost single-handedly responsible for some of the most brilliant and memorable musicals to hit Broadway and the West End (and in many cases the big screen too): Hello Dolly, Mame, Mack & Mabel and La Cage among them...
For anyone who loves musical theatre, Sunday's show (recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 2 this Xmas) was a real treat. The beautiful John Barrowman was both Master of Ceremonies and performer, singing the gay anthem I Am What I Am among others, and was joined by stalwarts of the stage Maria Friedman, Debbie Gravitte, Clarke Peters and Don Pippin, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra and the chorus Capital Voices. Whew! Even Jerry himself joined us live (by phone, unfortunately being too unwell to travel to appear in person, as had been advertised).
Jerry Herman is a phenomenal writer of big showtunes as well as pithy torch songs, and provided a career boost to luminaries like Barbra Streisand, Angela Lansbury, Louis Armstrong, Carol Channing, Barbara Cook, George Hearn, Gloria Gaynor and Michael Crawford among many others. All our favourite hits were here, including Put On Your Sunday Clothes, Before The Parade Passes By, I Won't Send Roses, Tap Your Troubles Away, and of course my all-time favourite The Best of Times is Now.
A brilliant night (needless to say)!
Jerry Herman on Wikipedia
Menier Chocolate Factory
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