Chapel
off Chapel, 14-23 December, 2011
Reviewed by Joe Calleri on Dec 14
Stars: 4.5
Reviewed by Joe Calleri on Dec 14
Stars: 4.5
Charming,
talented Bert Labonte’s homage to legendary black performer, Nat King Cole, is
a stylish, deeply satisfying show that should find a broad audience for lovers
of fine music.
“When I Fall In
Love: The Nat King Cole Story” is a musical journey through the late Cole’s
life. At one point of the performance, Labonte tells us that, Cole was a three
cigarette packs a day man, and that’s what Cole attributed his silky smooth voice
to. Little wonder then that Cole died at the tender age of 45. What a great loss.
We learn a great deal about Cole’s life during this performance, including
details of Cole’s rise from relatively humble beginnings, to his rise to
international, musical superstardom, to his failed marriages.
Labonte is a fine
performer, blessed with good looks, and a wonderful singing voice, who rather
than seeking to imitate Cole – which would have been a big artistic mistake –
infuses many of Cole’s best known songs with his own deep, rich, heart-felt
passion.
Backed by a hot jazz
trio (John Shawcross on piano, Tim
Dunlop on bass, Daniel Zampatti on drums) Labonte delves deep into Cole’s treasure-chest of
timeless tunes including the title song, “When I Fall In Love”, the whimsical “Mona
Lisa”, the deeply romantic, “Unforgettable”, the up tempo “Route 66”, and the
soaring “Love is a Many Splendored Thing”.
With the
exception of the overly detailed reference to the inauguration of John F Kennedy,
and the fact that, Mueller has chosen to not write the show from Cole’s first
person perspective, which serves to diminish the emotional impact of this
performance, this is a fine tribute to a wonderful performer who left the world
an enduring musical legacy.
By Joe Calleri
