There is a tension at the centre of ‘Your Song’ throughout: Here are four talented singers on stage with their band singing Elton John songs. If they chose to just sing the songs we all know and love they would have a good show, but would that just leave you with a cover band on stage doing a tribute show? Alternatively, surround the show with a lot of distractions and do you miss celebrating what makes The Rocket Man and his songs so special?
For the most part, this latest show from The Little Red Company strikes the right balance.
Helped along by a framing device of the performers telling a variety of collected personal anecdotes about Elton John songs, and how they have been a major part of someone’s lives. Like the songs themselves, these stories are touching, funny, defiant, and achingly melancholic. It illustrates how Elton John, who now has had top ten hit singles in six separate decades, has produced a songbook for several generations. More importantly it underlines that not just this music, but all music provides the soundtrack to our lives, and the music that we really love is always there at the big moments. Elton John has been there for a lot of such moments.
‘Your Song’ captures this well, but certain moments take flight better than others. Early on Irena Lysiuk re-enacts a girlfriend having learned to play ‘Your Song’ on mandolin and performing it for her beau. Having delivered a flawless comedic intro, Irena then deftly switches between singing badly to singing in her classically trained voice. It’s a crucial early moment that showcases the intent of the show and how it can more than deliver on its promise.
In fact, the challenge from that moment on is how can the other performers Andy Cook, Marcus Corowa and Luke Kennedy be as good as Irena. They prove up to the task, all three combining to give ‘Tiny Dancer’ the rendition it deserves. There are some strong solos, Andy Cook really goes for it with ‘Goodbye Yellow Brick Road’ and Irena holds the audience in the palm of her hand with ‘Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word’. Yet what is really enjoyable is when the singers share some connection often when performing a duet.
Image © Stephanie Do Rozario
‘Honky Cat’ sees all four on stage swinging their hips around joyously, their individual strengths as singers effortlessly melded as they bounce off each other. Nothing quite matches the ease they have with each other in that number. The singers smile at each other and have polished banter, but it often feels like they’ve come together for a gig rather than sharing the warmth of a common love and friendship. It might be ironic to use this as a criticism of a show that pays tribute to a solo artist, but it would have been nicer to see a little bit more of that warmth.
Still their tribute to The Rocket Man achieves what it sets out to do, it celebrates the music of Elton John and creates a communal feel in the audience for our common love of this artist and his music. A medley gets everybody up on their feet and closes out the show.
With all the troubles in the world over the past couple of years, ‘Your Song’ makes you feel that it's going to be alright, and what better reason to spend a night out at the theatre than that?
