Andrew Bain drew parallels between opera and musical theatre in Love, Loss and Passion at the Chelsea Town Hall, London
Love, Loss and Passion was performed at the Chelsea Town Hall, London.
Marketed as ‘The Singing Dentist’ Andrew Bain’s career is varied to say the least. Alongside practicing at the King’s Road Dental Clinic, Dr Bain has been a professional singer in the West End, had a record deal with SonyBMG and performed live on GMTV and BBC Breakfast. With Love, Loss and Passion he has put together a programme of opera and musical theatre classics in order to raise money for the Cheyne Charity for children with Cerebral Palsy and JDRF, the type 1 diabetes charity.
For all the splendour of its surroundings – Chelsea Town Hall is a stunning mixture of marble and old wood – this is a determinedly accessible evening. Bain contextualises each number with its history and character’s story so that although the arias are sung in Italian or French, everyone is on the same page throughout.
La bohéme sits next to West Side Story, Charlie Chaplin’s Modern Times follows Tosca, and Carmen faces off with the The Phantom of the Opera in what is an eclectic programme. But rather than clashing, Bain’s enthusiasm for both the highest art form and what some may – unfairly of course – call the lowest is palpable and this is a cleverly curated event.
Bain threads a narrative through the set so that each piece, however disparate, leads neatly from one to the next. We are taken through the first hopeful stirrings of love, into the darkest aspects of passion, to the tragedy of loss. But as befits such a benevolent event, we are soon back round to the unbeatable power of true love once more.
Bain mixes duets with solos from himself, guest soprano Karin Thyselius and first violin Freddie August in a richly textured programme. The staging is dynamic and equally sophisticated with Bain and Thyselius using the space to its best advantage. Thyselius’ voice soars into the rafters of this great hall and she imbues her performance with real feeling. Bain’s vocal is less effortless but he is a rousing tenor. With his witty asides in between numbers he is an assured master of ceremonies as well as a charming lead.
Musical Director Bernie Lafontaine’s chamber compositions evoke the richness of these orchestra pieces and his ensemble creates a full sound that belies their streamlined numbers.
During the interval auctioneer Peter Settelen sells off items to good natured beneficiaries, and following the performance there is a raffle prize draw. Love, Loss and Passion is a good hearted evening’s entertainment that draws interesting parallels between the worlds of opera and musical theatre and will no doubt succeed in bringing some new fans to both.
Honour Bayes
Chamber ensemble: Bernie Lafontaine, Freddie August, Tina Bowles, Simon Trentham, Samantha Ellis, Clive Miller.
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