A scene from Bons Baisers de Broadway. Picture: Frédéric Iovino
Bons Baisers de Broadway was performed at the Centre Culturel Paul André Lequimme a Haubourdin, Lille and Touring.
Sar rating: 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★
After giving us an outstanding version of Sweeney Todd last summer at Hardelot Castle, La Clef Des Chants is treating us to a new musical built around Broadway standards: Bons Baisers de Broadway (From Broadway With Love) commissioned by Patrick Bève to Mrs Lovett herself, Alyssa Landry (who writes the libretto).
Born in Boston and starting at 12 in the chorus of The Pajama Game, Landry is passionate about musical theatre. After moving to France, the actress went on to star in the original French versions of Cats and Nine (Folies Bergères), Les Misérables at Mogador, and more recently She Loves Me at Théâtre de Paris, before Sweeney was recently revived in Calais.
As opposed to many jukebox musicals which concentrate on one composer, this two-character show explores a wide range of musical styles from Gershwin and Bernstein to Kander and Ebb and Sondheim. The aim is to find a strong storyline which moves forward with the help of a versatile musical catalogue.
Landry, with the help of director Sébastien Fèvre and choreographer Armelle Ferron (who both gave us the Moliere Award-nominated original musical La nuit d’Elliot Fall in 2011) really achieves this. The plot, telling the story of two French performers trying to make it on Broadway, might be a little clichéd, but the show never becomes a simple musical revue.
Helped by the capable musical director/pianist and occasional narrator Daniel Glet, Dalia Constantin and Sylvain Mathis are a charming and talented pair, even if their love story is not always believable!
With shows such as The Full Monty, Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel to her credit, Constantin is an excellent and dynamic actress/singer, while dancing is definitely more the forté of her male partner, Mathis.
Himself a seasoned cabaret singer, Mathis delivers vocally impressive versions of ‘Lonely Town’ and ‘Footloose’, the latter helped by showstopping choreography.
‘Nine to Five’ and ‘You’re the One That I Want’ from Grease are two other highlights, and the medleys are equally brilliantly arranged and choreographed.
Choreographer Ferron does an excellent job here as she did on She Loves Me two years ago, and will certainly do the same for the workshopped French version of Kiss of the Spider Woman when the project gets the go ahead.
But aside from the staging and choreography, the ultimate star of this memorable evening is the minimalist but nevertheless breathtaking set design by Christophe Guillaumin, using mirrors in a way that is reminiscent of A Chorus Line.
The costumes by Dominique Louis and lighting design by Jean-Baptiste Cousin also add up to a highly polished evening, not to be missed at any cost.
A big thank you to Patrick Bève and the whole La Clef Des Chants team for bringing Broadway to Northern France at last!
Patrick Honoré
* Bons Baisers de Broadway will tour through the spring. The next dates are: 3 April (Marck-en-Calaisis), 4 April (Douchy les Mines) and 16 May (Montigny-en-Gohelle).
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