The Jewish Legacy – A Night at the Musicals (Manchester)

As the title suggests, The Jewish Legacy celebrates the contribution that Jewish composers and lyricists have made to musical theatre.

The format is refreshingly simple, with four vocalists supported by a musical trio performing songs in full or medley format, linked by explanatory narrative from author Leon Trayman, who also performs. The narrative – brief biographical details of the composers and general observations on the themes of displacement and aspirations – does not conceal that the show is essentially just a collection of songs. But as they are of such quality and performed so well no one complains.

For many audiences, musicals are the height of showbiz glamour, so director Bronagh Lagan‘s decision to set the show in an intimate theatre with sparse instrumentation and no props is daring. It largely works well; the bombast that can become wearying in musicals is avoided in the simple arrangements of keyboard, reeds and bass, so that the melancholy of songs like "Summertime" becomes all the more powerful.

Trayman does not limit the selections to just musical theatre and also draws in crossover hits and songs from Tin Pan Alley. This is particularly beneficial for vocalist Abi Finley, who revels in the chance to deliver a charming "My Funny Valentine."

Director Lagan refashions many of the songs to suit the intimate format, but ensures that the most popular are reproduced faithfully. Danny Whitehead‘s and Emily Bull‘s closing duet of "Tonight" is a stunning end to Act One. Taking the songs out of their context has surprising results. A lightweight number like "Somewhere that’s Green" gains weight in Bull’s gentle, tentative version. Other revisions are less successful. The cast swapping lines on selections from "Cabaret" drains the menace from the songs.

Lagan sets a lively pace and format. The cast stride confidently around the stage in the well-established style of musical performers. Bull, Finley and Whitehead goofing around behind Trayman as he sings "You’ve got a Friend in Me" helps to offset the mawkish sentimentality of the song. Lagan knows when to leave well alone and copies a Bob Fosse dance routine from "Chicago" pretty much intact. The dance routines in the show are simple but very well performed, particularly by the tap dancing Whitehead, who comes close to stealing the show.

The limited observations on the Jewish lifestyle are not sufficient to become the focus of the show and are quickly overwhelmed by the sheer quality of the songs. The Jewish Legacy becomes, therefore, more inclusive than the title suggests and will appeal to any audience, no matter their ethnicity, that has an interest in musicals.

The Jewish Legacy is at The Radlett Centre, Hertfordshire on 6 April. This review is from Manchester on 30 March.

– Dave Cunningham