Lucie Jones & David Hunter – Live at the Phoenix Arts Club

Pictures: Danny Kaan

Lucie Jones & David Hunter – Live at the Phoenix Arts Club (Livestreamed)

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

Is there a musical theatre star left whose kitchen or home office we haven’t seen? The recent run of concerts streamed from the residences of our favourite performers may have been welcome glints of light in the growing dark of lockdown madness, but all those Formica countertops and suspiciously curated bookcases served mostly as a reminder of how far away from a proper return to theatre we are.

So it is a fantastic feeling when – after 20 or so minutes of technical difficulties – Lucie Jones and David Hunter opened their live-streamed concert with a gorgeous rendition of ‘Falling Slowly’ from Once and we see the gorgeous Phoenix Arts Club, finally back in action and looking as grand as ever.

This venue has been a popular destination for theatre aficionados in need of after-show drinks and world-class cabaret since 1988. Like many businesses, it has been through tough times over the last few months, but now it is beginning to reopen in a safe, socially responsible manner.

The interior is was alluring as ever, and its stage lights and smoke machine were given a thorough work out after their long hibernation. This visually striking concert served as a great enticement to get customers back through their doors.

Early on, Jones and Hunter jokingly warned us about their fondness for sad songs. Fortunately, the bulk of these were of the modern power-pop variety and the show’s energy remained at a steady high. Joe Hood provided excellent piano accompaniment to their voices and guitar. It was suggested that the audience should imagine a full orchestra, but the more minimalist arrangements served the environment and song choices well.

Jones and Hunter became friends while performing in Waitress in 2019 and were due to make their triumphant return to that pie-centric musical the very day theatres closed. Hunter jocularly suggested this must have been part of a grand conspiracy against him which Jones is in on, and that sounded fair enough: how else could you explain such disastrous timing?

Of course, Jones was instantly forgiven any such diabolical schemes when she effortlessly slipped into her Waitress character Jenna and duetted with Hunter’s Dr Pomatter on ‘It Only Takes a Taste’. For all their playful competitiveness about missed lyrics and alleged career sabotage, the pair have a wonderful chemistry and clearly are great friends.

Though their non-Waitress song selections were mostly modern pop fare, Jones and Hunter performed every number with the same commitment and astounding talent they bring to their theatre work. Highlights include Hunter’s touching take on Benn Platt’s ‘Grow As We Go’ – in which he whispered a delightful “nailed it!” after a difficult riff – and Jones bringing her best Liza inflections to the show’s one dip into the classic musical theatre songbook: ‘Sing Happy’ from Kander and Ebb’s Flora the Red Menace.

Inevitably, plenty of sustenance was provided for the hungry Waitress fans in the audience, including two songs that were cut from the show: ‘Without a Believer’ and ‘Door Number Three’. As Jones sang her heart out on the latter, she was interrupted by not just a heckle, but a thrown water bottle from Hunter. In a delicious plot twist – and despite accusing Jones of career sabotage earlier in the show – Hunter had revealed himself to be the true villain after all, even going so far as calling Jones a “cold-hearted cow” and publicly blaming her for the technical difficulties at the beginning of the show.

Of course, this was all affectionate teasing and part of the evening’s relaxed charm. Jones and Hunter were giving us an endearing peek at their real-life friendship and the concert was all the better for it. At a time when the future of theatre is uncertain and we all are being deprived of much-needed social interaction, this show’s Twitter hashtag was full of young fans bonding over their love of Jones and Hunter and getting excited about what the post-lockdown world might hold for musicals.

This concert was brilliantly entertaining, joyous, and warm. It was a shame when it was over after only about an hour total of performance. The final duet of Waitress showstopper ‘She Used To Be Mine’ ended the stream with a bittersweet but beautiful bang. Jones and Hunter are inspiring performers who – despite their penchant for the sadder songs – sent us away sharing their warm glow of connection and hope.

Ian Bowkett