“Every Broadway career starts with a dream”. This is the oft-repeated mantra of John Lloyd Young in this biographical journey through his career in the world of Broadway, West End, and Hollywood musicals.
A Tony and Grammy-winning performer, Young’s big break was playing Frankie Vallie in the original Broadway production, and then Clint Eastwood’s film, of Jersey Boys. He’s a self-confessed musical-theatre nerd, having been bitten by the performing bug at six years old, watching a stage production of Annie. In this one-man show (accompanied by pianist Zoe Carole), we’re treated to 14 songs that take us on his journey through the musicals that impacted his career and life.
Proceedings kick off with, to be fair, a rather ill-advised rendition of So You Wanted To Meet The Wizard from The Wiz. The original is a frenetic, over-the-top, narrative song, that’s driven by a deep funk production. Here, with only a piano accompaniment, it comes across as a jumbled mess of a song that leaves most bemused. We later find that the reason for this song is that it was the big Broadway show from the year of Young’s birth, so a sort of bookend to the evening’s show.
We rapidly leave The Wiz and move onto safer ground with The King and I’s I Have Dreamed, and you can palpably feel the relief from the audience. In an instant, you understand why Young is a much-feted musical performer. His voice is smooth, resonant and wonderfully emotive. He commands the song and the audience and you feel like you’re in safe and caring hands. The show continues through the songs that made him and the stories that give us some background into his journey and why these musicals mean something to him.
The stories do not give any exposé of Young as a person nor of the trials and tribulations he’d have gone through to get where he is, but they are interesting, entertaining and give us a peek into life on the stage and screen. The song selection (opening number excepted) not only reflects the musicals that influenced his life but drives the ‘I-dreamed-it-and-it-came-true’ narrative of the show.
Young is a confident, engaging and surprisingly humorous performer. Despite only being accompanied by a piano, the songs have been arranged to make the most of his voice and the limited musical support and all, opening number aside, work very well. This is a delightful show that will entertain and, ever so slightly, educate you, leaving you relishing the joys of musicals.
Runs until 4 July 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Captivating musical showcase
