What a show!
We went to see Lady Be Good at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park last night with a group of friends. For once we actually had a dry, warm sunny day - and it stayed that way all evening, which was a blessing. We started off with bottles of Cava and a picnic, and carried on drinking wine the whole evening... at least fifteen bottles between ten of us (oo-er).
Anyway, this current revival of the George and Ira Gershwin show is absolutely brilliant! The mainly youthful cast tapped, giggled, danced and hammed their hearts out as the silly, camp story of love triangles, mistaken identity and high society parties unfolded. And the songs...you can't fault a show that contains such classics as Oh Lady Be Good, Sweet and Low Down, The Half of It Dearie Blues and of course Fascinating Rhythm!!
Against a beautiful and gloriously over-the-top set comprising Art Deco stairs in the design of piano keys and drums, the ladies in their fabulous sequinned frocks sparkled in the dimming light, and the dancing boys - well, twink is the word!
Director Ian Talbot was sufficiently reverent about this Fred and Adele Astaire classic for it not to lose its period magic, but the way the characters emphasised some of the double-entendre lines was perhaps a bit of a nod to the supposedly more "aware" modern audience. (Mind you, with the number of liver spots and bad rinses that surrounded us I felt sure half of last night's crowd were around for the premiere of the original!)
A great night out in a great venue.
Oh! Lady Be Good
Listen to my tale of woe,
it's terribly sad but true,
All dressed up, no place to go
Each ev'ning I'm awf'ly blue.
I must win some handsome guy
Can't go on like this,
I could blossom out I know,
With somebody just like you. So...
Oh, sweet and lovely lady, be good
Oh, lady, be good to me
I am so awf'ly misunderstood
So lady, be good to me
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Oh, please have some pity
I'm all alone in this big city
I tell you I'm just a lonesome babe in the wood,
So lady be good to me.
Read the Official Theatre website's review
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