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Tuesday, 16 January 2007 00:00 |
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London has a powerful voice and the stronger the singer he is impersonating, the better he gets. London's mix of showmanship, humour and all-important Icons should do well in his namesake city. London wheeled out some of the really big guns - Elvis, Sammy Davis Junior, Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, David Bowie and Neil Diamond, to name a few - I gave up counting after about twenty. The West End has been awash recently with shows that are composed of artists doing impressions of iconic singers. What makes this production work so well is that London, along with writer Paul Miller, has successfully created a personal narrative to bring the characters together using the story of his own attempts to gain a foothold in the music industry. London doesn't make the mistake of taking himself too seriously. He has the sense to send both himself and some of the ICONS up. It was a stroke of genius to pair Ozzy Osbourne with Kermit the Frog in a duet. The Prince of Darkness, didn't feel right about singing "Rainbow Connection"! Directed by West End veteran David Taylor, the show was carefully balanced between big numbers (Tom Jones 'It's not Unusual') and thoughtful ballads ('How can I mend this Broken Heart' by the Bee Gees). London's climactic performance as Elvis is absolutely worth waiting for.
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