|
|
 |
| |
Willard's
bass rings out
CLICK
HERE TO BOOK THEATRE TICKETS
THE remarkable voice of the bass Willard White is
supremely rich and flowing – and he displayed his full
musical talents at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Monday.
The occasion was a show dedicated to the memory of another black
bass – Paul Robeson, a singer and actor who became an icon
in the civil rights movements of the last century.
Like all great singers Willard isn’t just technically good
– he also has a distinctive sound of his own with which
audiences identify.
Instead of a simple piano accompaniment, which would have dated
the performance, White used modern, jazzy arrangements of Robeson’s
songs – many of them of a religious kind – by Noel
Thornton.
At times the production slipped into a kind of shallow biopic
of Robeson with biography readings. But it came to life when
White abandoned the script and talked directly to audience.
The show opened a week long festival of performances to celebrate
the 55th anniversary of the independent publisher Souvenir Press.
JG
CLICK
HERE TO BOOK THEATRE TICKETS |
|
|
|
