"She packs the necessary dynamism, versatility, glamour and acting skills, not to mention Piaf-like moments of sturdy, feet-planted intensity when operating at maximum power." Evening Standard
"Her interpretative powers, her dramatic range and her ability to penetrate to the emotional heart of a number can stand comparison with anyone now performing popular song on either side of the Atlantic." The Telegraph
Madam Arcati and I were very fortunate to land ourselves tickets for a very special evening at a very special venue last night - an intimate cabaret appearance by the wonderful Miss Maria Friedman in the brand new Matcham Room at London's opulent Hippodrome (recently converted into a casino) in Leicester Square.
The venue is truly beautiful - carefully converted from the upper tier of the original theatre, balcony sensitively preserved - and a fine performance space; one Miss Friedman was evidently overjoyed to be playing. Indeed, she compared it to New York's premier cabaret venue, the iconic Café Carlyle. She told a tale of her early appearance at said venue, with its then rudimentary lighting system that left her on stage illuminated only across her waist, and none other than fellow Sondheimite the legendary Barbara Cook operating the sound ("a box with one switch - on and off", she said)!
In an hour-and-a-half-long show, Maria proved exactly why she is such a respected stalwart of the West End, paying tribute to her beloved Sondheim (and Bernstein) as well as some more homespun entries in the "Great British Songbook".
Among her brilliant repertoire, she sang Sondheim's Another Hundred People and the beautiful Being Alive from Company, the poignant Children Will Listen from Into the Woods, and Send In The Clowns from A Little Night Music, as well as Bernstein's A Little Bit In Love; all beautifully done.
She charmed the audience with her hilarious rendition of (Not) Getting Married Today - this being only the second show in her week-long run, Miss Friedman admitted she had to stop the number three times the previous night after tripping over cables on the stage. Happily, there were no such mishaps last night.
Her wonderfully engaging sense of humour shone through the whole evening - even draping herself across members of the audience during 100 Easy Ways to Lose a Man from Wonderful Town, and after her favourite show-stopper, the powerfully emotional Somewhere from West Side Story her encore was a hilarious rendition of that show's Gee, Officer Krupke, complete with changes of headgear to portray the characters of the judge, the accused, the psychiatrist and the officer himself!
A superb evening, and afterwards we took the opportunity to explore the various nooks and crannies of the casino, including the smoking area on the roof-terrace with its picturesque views of the original statues that adorn this magnificent building.
A wonderful night indeed!
This autumn, Maria Friedman will be making her directorial debut with Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along at one of our favourite theatres, the Menier Chocolate Factory (16th November 2012 to 23rd February 2013).
Maria Friedman website
A wonderful evening.
ReplyDeleteThank you.
It was a pleasure! Jx
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