Let's Get It On, Athenaeum Theatre, Friday September 12th 2014

Let's Get It On - The Life and Music of Marvin Gaye, Athenaeum Theatre, Friday September 12th 2014

"Let's Get It On - The Life and Music of Marvin Gaye" is the full title of this show that played at the Athenaeum Theatre, Friday September 12th 2014.

As their website states this is a show.  I think it vacillates somewhere between a concert, musical and a cabaret show.  Having just seen "Motown" on Broadway, which also features the main aspects of Marvin Gaye's life, it is hard to separate the two shows.

Firstly, Bert Labonte and Jude Perl have great voices and sing the songs with passion and provide fine interpretations of the catalogue of Marvin Gaye songs.  My American friend said he has never heard the "Star Spangled Banner" sung so well.  Congratulations  Bert for providing this iconic moment.

The Funky City Band were terrific in their musicianship and artistry.

Upon arrival at the theatre preparations for putting up posters and setting up the programme stand were taking place.  We arrived at 7.25pm for an 8.00pm show and I was curious why staff were preparing the foyer so late.  Why was the foyer not prepared earlier, as the show was playing for a week, and this was its second last night?  This did not give a good first impression.

At first I thought the show was going to be a musical, as the title suggests.  Also, the flyer calls it a show and this term is used frequently when describing musicals.  It is only when you read page three of the programme or the website (the next day)  does it specify the show as a narrative concert.  This too me is the main issue with the show.  It is not defining enough to stamp its direction.

As a musical it dies a death but as a narrative concert it works, though I felt it was about twenty minutes too long.  I think it would have worked better as a concert without an interval and by cutting out some songs.

The opening narrative levels were way too loud.  My immediate question - was did they do a sound vocal level check? I put this down to a hiccough, as the sound levels improved remarkably.

The choice of songs did not seem to progress the story in the way a musical can.  The choice of songs seemed to be an excuse for what may appear to be the most appropriate song. 

Tom Healy directed this show. The narration needs to be delivered with less casualness and off hand ad lib.   The narration needed to use pauses more effectively. There seemed to be a repetition of phrases - narration, song, narration, song.

Some of the repeated jokes between Jude to Bert wore thin after their repetition.  Also the fluffing of lines in the narrative, on at least four occasions, made the show more amateurish and took away from Bert and Jude's fine singing ability.  In fact, they discussed on stage some of the confused jokes.  If this were cleaned up it would provide more direction to the narrative.

There seemed to be a lack of drama when Marvin got shot whereas in "Motown" there was a weight to the significance of his death.  This show needs editing to create emotional connections to the story and provide some texture in the narrative. We need to be taken on a journey and the narration was delivered in too casual a tone.

The show needs cleaner choreography or staging directions.

The lighting design by Lucy Birkinshaw was messy and used clichéd plots.  There were major holes in the flow of the design with some very jarring lighting changes.  At times the lighting was bland and gave the stage a look of black death.  It looked like a lighting plot for a touring show that had been an afterthought, rather than providing a seamless trinity of staging, music and lighting.

The simple steps and band-stand set design by Kym Jones was effective.

As my friends and I discussed afterwards with the choice of songs, it was neither chronological or truly specific to progressing the story.  The location of songs did not build any dramatic tension.

With all of these confusing aspects you just had to sit back and enjoy Bert Labonte and Jude Perl's singing.

With some cleaning up this show could deliver a much slicker story.