The Great Jewish American Songbook – Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Lee Ormsby, Jessie May, Grant McConvey and Jennifer Harding in The Great Jewish American Songbook at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London. Picture: Kim Sheard

The Great Jewish American Songbook continues at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London until 28 February and then at the Radlett Centre (6 March).

Rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

The story of the Jewish contribution to the Great American songbook has been the focus of several shows such as The Jewish Legends and You Won’t Succeed on Broadway if You Don’t Have Any Jews. So the real question is: how is this piece any different from the others?

Sure, the themes of those shows are similar and the song lists have a slight overlap, mostly due to material from Fiddler On the Roof (although a show about Jewish composers without the ultimate Jewish musical would just be bizarre.). What The Great Jewish American Songbook, directed by Matthew Gould, does do differenty is to focus more on the history and personal experiences that influenced the work of these songwriters.

The show focuses on Jerome Kern (‘Ol’ Man River’, ‘I Won’t Dance’); George Gershwin (‘Summertime’, ‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’); Irving Berlin (‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’, ‘White Christmas’); Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart (‘The Lady is a Tramp’, ‘Falling in Love With Love’), followed by Rodgers’ collaboration with Oscar Hammerstein (‘The Sound of Music’, ‘Oklahoma!’), and ending with Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (‘In My Own Lifetime’, ‘Tradition’).

The small cast of four – Jennifer Harding, Jessie May, Grant McConvey and Lee Ormsby – sing beautifully, both in their solos and ensemble numbers. They have a remarkable ability to harmonise perfectly and never slip up at any point.

The snippets of narration between songs are slightly disappointing, as it feels like the cast don’t connect much with what they are saying. Judaism carries such a rich and deep history, but at times it feels like the artists are just following a script, rather than understanding the pain and suffering the Jewish people underwent during this era.

Unfortunately, the storytelling skills and punch line timing which should be on display are completely missed. McConvey plays a brilliant old Jewish man on a couple of occasions, but these moments are rare.

Harding really steals the spotlight though. She’s expressive and enthusiastic, and when she sings Suppertime it is very clear that all her heart and soul is invested in the heartbreaking performance. Even when the actress isn’t singing, she is involved in other songs and responds appropriately to the emotions other cast members are conveying.

Perhaps with more of an insight into the lives of 20th century American Jews, this could be even better. There is no denying that the twinkle in the eyes of the performers demonstrates just how much they are enjoying every moment of the show. This was definitely reflected in their rendition of ‘Oklahoma!’ (the whole back row couldn’t fight the urge to join in), and Fiddler On the Roof’s ‘L’Chaim!’ when the audience happily clapped along.

If you are a fan of these songs from The Great Jewish American Songbook, then you will love this show. Despite being slightly disappointed by the narrative between songs, the much-loved classic musical numbers make for a rather enjoyable evening.

Tal Fox

www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com