Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris - Charing Cross Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
GINA Beck, Daniel Boys, David Burt and Eve Polycarpou are starring in a major new production of the hit revue Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, which is playing at Charing Cross Theatre for a strictly limited season – until Saturday, November 22, 2014.
Often haunting, sometimes funny, heart-wrenching and vividly poetic, the songs of Belgian Jacques Brel – from Jackie and Amsterdam to Ne Me Quitte Pas and Carousel – explore the human condition through honest storytelling, with themes of joy and sorrow, love and loss, war and peace and life and death.
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is a musical revue of the greatest works by one of the most prolific singer-songwriters of all time, with what are regarded as the definitive English translations of his works by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman and fresh orchestral arrangements by Eric Svejcar from the award-winning 2006 Off Broadway production.
That production was the longest running and most successful revival of the show, nominated for several awards including the Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics’ Circle.
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is directed by Andrew Keates, whose recent productions include the European premiere of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahren’s Dessa Rose at Trafalgar Studio 2, Passing By (Tristan Bates Theatre), and the first London revival of As Is by William M. Hoffman and the European premiere of ROOMS – A Rock Romance (Finborough Theatre).
Other productions include directing and developing the award-winning professional premiere of A Winter’s Tale, co-written with Howard Goodall and Nick Stimson, The Thing About Man and The Hired Man (Landor Theatre), Conjugal Rights (Courtyard Theatre) and Just So (Tabard Theatre). His awards include Best New Musical (A Winter’s Tale) and Best Musical Production (The Hired Man) in the OffWestEnd Awards.
Award-winning Daniel Boys became a household name while appearing on BBC’s Any Dream Will Do in 2007. Since then he has starred in several West End musicals including three years playing the central character of Princeton/Rod in Avenue Q (winning him a Whatsonstage Award) and as Sir Lancelot in Spamalot. He has just starred as Oliver Barrett IV in Love Story at Bolton Octagon.
Boys other major roles include Captain Walker in Tommy (Prince Edward Theatre), Mike in High Society (UK tour), Judas in the 40th Anniversary concert of Godspell (Palace Theatre, Manchester), Mark in Rent (European tour) and Anthony in Sweeney Todd (Royal Festival Hall).
Olivier Award-nominated David Burt is one of the West End’s most respected and in-demand leading men. He has appeared in many notable West End productions, including playing Enjolras in the original cast of Les Misérables, Magaldi in the original cast of Evita, Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar and Count Fosco in The Woman in White.
Burt’s other credits include Cats, Chess, The Far Pavilions, Closer to Heaven, Taboo and Kiss Me, Kate, as well as seasons at the National Theatre and RSC. He was nominated for a Best Actor Olivier Award for his performance as Macheath in the RSC’s The Beggar’s Opera. This December, he can be seen playing Scrooge in Antic Disposition’s musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol at Middle Temple Hall.
Gina Beck, who recently starred as Glinda in Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and on the US national tour, previously appeared in the critically acclaimed The Belle’s Strategem at Southwark Playhouse and as Maria Von Trapp in The Sound of Music in Kuala Lumpa. Her other recent credits include The Les Miserables 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Arena. In September 2010, she completed two years in the West End production of The Phantom of the Opera playing Christine.
Eve Polycarpou recently starred in the central role of Abuela Claudia in the UK premiere of In The Heights (for which she was nominated for an OFFIE Best Actress Award) at Southwark Playhouse. Her other major roles include Mother Courage and Her Children (Manchester Library Theatre Company), The Bacchae and Palace of the End (Manchester Royal Exchange), and Threepenny Opera (National Theatre).
Polycarpou received awards as ‘Manchester Evening News Best Actress of the Year’ and the ‘Amnesty International award for freedom of expression’, given for her impressive body of work at Manchester Royal Exchange.
Jacques Romain Georges Brel was a Belgian singer-songwriter who was widely considered a master of the modern chanson. With over 25 million records sold worldwide, he is the third best-selling Belgian recording artist of all time.
Although he recorded most of his songs in French, he became a major influence on English-speaking songwriters and performers such as David Bowie, Alex Harvey, Leonard Cohen, Marc Almond and Rod McKuen. English translations of his songs were recorded by many top performers in the United States, including Ray Charles, Judy Collins, John Denver, the Kingston Trio, Nina Simone, Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker, and Andy Williams.
In French-speaking countries, Brel was a successful actor, appearing in 10 films. He also directed two films, one of which, Le Far West, was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1973.
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris has music by Jacques Brel, lyrics by Jacques Brel, Eric Blau and Mort Shuman and a book by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman.
The production has musical direction by Dean Austin, choreography by Sam Spencer Lane, design by Chris de Wilde, lighting by Mike Robertson and sound by James Nicholson.
Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Gallery.
Tickets: £10 – £22.50. To book, call the box office on 08444 930 650 or visit www.charingcrosstheatre.co.uk/.
Times: Monday to Saturday at 7.45pm; Saturday matinee at 3pm.
Running Time: 2 hours including interval.