Sign up to Greg's Fan Club for a chance to win an autographed Greg London ICONS poster!
| ‘Iconman’ weaves impressions into story |
| Friday, 10 April 2009 00:00 |
|
'Iconman' weaves impressions into story It’s after the March 11 performance of “Iconman,” Greg London’s latest presentation in Sammy’s Showroom at Harrah’s Reno, and the headliner is just starting to recover. “It’s probably the most demanding show that I’ve ever done,” said London, sitting in one of the booths of the 300-seat room, sipping a cup of coffee after mingling with the audience for half an hour after the show. “We were trying some things new tonight, and I was thinking, ‘Can we pull this off?’ ” London said. Well, they did, at least as far as the audience’s enthusiastic applause indicated at the end of that evening’s performance. This year marks the third that London has presented his mix of singing and celebrity impressions in Northern Nevada, following up on his previous show, “Icons.” It also marks the latest evolution of a performance style that has earned him praise in both the United States and the United Kingdom, where his “The Icons in London” was performed in London’s West End theater district. “Iconman” is a loosely constructed, hero’s-journey account of the American-born London’s life, from his days as a schoolboy in Great Britain (where he was raised by his British-born mother) who desires to be a TV showman to the attempts to break into the Los Angeles recording industry, leading up to his embarkation on a career as an impressionist and stage performer. The show starts off with a filmed, James-Bond-style opening sequence that introduces two of the live performers who will back up London during the show, singers-actresses Brittney Irwin and Hana Freeman. The three singers are accompanied by a four-piece band — husband and wife guitarists Danny and Barbara Leoni, drummer Chris Cook and keyboardist John Shiplay. The show’s sequences are linked by recorded narration, also by London, as a Sean-Connery-voiced Bond and, during his California period, as Arnold — beg pardon, “Ahh-nald” — Schwarzenegger. Along the way, there is some satirical socio-economic commentary, from digs at record-company executives to “product placements” that pop up now and then. London gives voice to such legendary performers as Sammy Davis Jr., Buddy Holly, Boy George, Tom Jones and Louis Armstrong, accompanying himself on trumpet in a rendition of “Hello, Dolly.” Singing “Unchain My Heart” as Joe Cocker, London mimics the singer’s incoherence and mannerisms, appearing as convulsive as a frog’s leg hooked up to a truck battery. One portion of the show pairs Ozzy Osborne and Kermit the Frog singing a duet of “The Rainbow Connection” from 1979’s “The Muppet Movie.” And, of course, there is an appearances by Elvis — the King in sequin-covered, high-collared jumpsuits. The show’s name is a holdover from a superhero theme London had wanted to use to set up his storyline, but had to cut out for stylistic and budgeting reasons, he said. Budget restrictions also meant London had to cut back on much of what he wanted to do onstage for “Iconman,” a process that only left him and his cast with about a month to put the show together. Fortunately, “Iconman” had the crew, both onstage and behind the scenes, that it needed to do the job. “We’re all professionals,” London said. “We knew where we needed to go with the show.” Not that any of these challenges could be detected from the audience. In fact, the show’s minimalist approach to its set actually helps enhance the performances, not just London’s but those of the other performers who get their own parts to play in the storyline. There even was one point in the March 11 show when London staged a “costume change” that allowed a real-life friend from out of town to take center stage as Nat King Cole and sing “Route 66.” London said he likes to incorporate these shifts of attention from him to others as a way to make the overall performance successful. “It’s not just about Greg London, it’s about the show and everybody in the show,” London said. It is a family-friendly show, though younger children may not get references to pre-1990s pop culture (nor may parents want them to get passing references to some celebrity peccadilloes, such as those of Osborne or of Amy Winehouse and Britney Spears). London has been performing for more than 30 years, and his work ranges from light opera to corporate-event entertainment. His single, “Everything I Own,” reached No. 21 last week on the adult contemporary chart published by FMQB, a radio/music industry magazine and Web site. Sean M. Grady is a freelance writer. |
Comments