Douglas Mayo reviews The Simon and Garfunkel Story starring Sam O’Hanlon and Charles Blyth at the Vaudeville Theatre.
The Simon and Garfunkel Story
Vaudeville Theatre
4 Stars
UK Tour Information
Firstly, for those who are expecting a Buddy or Jersey Boys type treatment of the story of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel you should look elsewhere. What is being presented at the Vaudeville Theatre and on tour around the UK (and indeed the world) is more a musical celebration in concert form with only the thinnest of narrative to differentiate from a straight out live concert.
But, if you are a Simon and Garfunkel fan as indeed I am, what is on offer is a true celebration of some of the greatest popular music lovingly bought to life by a small group of talented performers and musicians. It’s a chance to hear this incredible material performed in an intimate, comfortable setting which from my point only adds to the experience. With the duos biggest gig in Central Park bringing together 500,000, it’s safe to say this is Simon and Garfunkel in a setting few experiences unless you were around the folk clubs of the 60’s.
Sam O’Hanlon (Simon) and Charles Blyth (Garfunkel) are perfectly matched. They harmonise well and are wonderfully at ease as they perform number after number. Close your eyes and for the majority of the evening you would swear you were in the presence of the real deal and for something like this that’s no mean feat.
They are supported by Will Tuckell, Leon Camfield, Mat Swales and Kyla Brown who are supplemented in the second act on brass by Tim Bloomer, Dominik Told and Christiano Castellitto. It’s a funky ensemble that give a real groove to numbersincluding Mrs Robinson and The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feeling Groovy) and some of the harmony support provided by Camfield and Brown give greater depth to some of the timeless classics performed.
The true test of O’Hanlon and Blyth’s artistry come when it’s just the two of them performing with a single guitar. It’s a test they pass with flying colours and what bliss it is to listen to.
The show’s major weakness lies in its format. Part live biographical narration and part projected captioning it never quite knows where it sits. Reading the show’s programme it would appear that half of the live narration is derived from its text and it’s trite at best. It isn’t helped by the fact that Simon and Garfunkel really don’t have a terribly dramatic story that needs to be told. Performing together and breaking up again and again seems to be about it really. The only thing I found quite interesting was Garfunkel’s return to teaching high school maths after his success.
The production utlises some nifty projections for most of the time, which given the static nature of the performers isn’t such a bad thing. There’s a weird recorded interview moment in the second half which was unintelligible and unecessary. It’s also a shame that for most of the show O’Hanlon and Blyth’s faces were completely obscured by the microphones washing away any hope at visual dramatic presentation.
The Simon and Garfunkel Story is really a show for die hard fans of the music. Along with the likes of Bernie Taupin and Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel’s material showed the power of poetic lyrics combined with unparalled harmonies. Whether performed with a simple guitar or with an ensemble, these are timeless songs. Sitting in the audience you are transported back to past times as each envelops you like a favourite old jumper on a cold day. There’s just no escaping how phenomenally good these songs are or how well they are performed. Finishing with Bridge Over Troubled Water you are left with little doubt of the majesty of perhaps their greatest anthem. Forty years on they have no equal.
