For some people the name Burt Bacharach conjures up a vision of soppy 1970’s elevator muzak. However for those musicians in the know, Bacharach has always been considered a legendary composer who transformed pop music with his innovative jazz rhythms and harmonies. It is therefore an absolute pleasure to see his music so thrillingly and modernly re-imagined in ‘Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined’ at the Criterion Theatre. The show was initially staged in New York and was followed by a successful run earlier this summer at the red hot Having seen and loved the show at the Menier I am pleased to report that it remains an exciting and thoroughly entertaining celebration of the brilliance of Bacharach and his many collaborators.
The show is the brainchild of Canadian born Kyle Riabko who was nominated for a prestigious Lucille Lortell award for his performance in the show in New York. Riabko has re-arranged all the classic Bacharach tunes we know and love in a mostly acoustic style that makes each song sound absolutely new and fresh. It is no surprise that Bacharach himself has been a huge supporter of the show and his voice even makes a brief appearance during the pre-show ‘turn your mobile off’ announcement.
The simple, but beautiful, and often delightfully surprising set design suggests a very cool, instrument strewn East Village loft. And there are even comfy sofa seats on stage for those audience members who want to feel more a part of the action. The show is elegantly staged and choreographed by Stephen Hoggett of Frantic Assembly fame. He keeps the show moving and changing and the subtle choreography is a beautiful complement to the music.
the subtle choreography is a beautiful complement to the music
The cast of six actor musicians are all supremely talented and charming with voices to die for. What is particularly lovely is that unlike many of the current crop of jukebox musicals the creators of this show did not feel the need to beef up Bacharach’s tunes with a silly story. Instead they trusted the composer’s music to stand on its own and to just let the audience wallow in the brilliance of Bacharach.
In the early nineteen sixties, according to the programme, celebrated Shakespeare directors John Barton and Peter Hall tied them selves up in knots and reached the point of nervous breakdown over adapting Shakespeare's HENRY VI trilogy into two plays.