Chris
Dean
Chris Dean is the musical director with the Syd Lawrence
Orchestra. Here, he has assembled a show dedicated to the
celebration of probably the most prolific and popular of 20th
century songwriters, Burt Bacharach, (a new exclusive interview
with whom we are very fortunate and excited to be including on
this website in a few months' time.)
Featuring
seven musicians and three female vocalists, as well as the talents
of Chris Dean himself, the show covers most of the
favourites from the Bacharach songbook. The three lady singers provide
a range and variety, much needed when trying to pay homage to
original hits from artists as varied as Bobby Gentry (I'll Never
Fall In Love Again), Cilla Black (Alfie, Anyone Who Had A Heart),
Dusty Springfield (I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself, The
Look Of Love), Sandie Shaw (Always Something There To Remind Me) and Dionne
Warwick (Walk On By, Do You Know The Way To San Jose?) The show acts
as a reminder that there was almost a 'special relationship'
between Bacharach and the UK in his heyday, helping the careers of
several of our leading performers with his material. Costumes and
hairstyles are in keeping with Bacharach's golden age.
The band are seven solid musicians, with the horn sound very much
to the fore, of course, and they generally don't disappoint. It's
hard to reproduce the big Bacharach sound with seven musicians and
only two of them brass, but for the most part they pull this off
well.
Chris
Dean seamlessly steers the ship and the show seems well rehearsed.
The occasional wrong line or missed cue only adds to the live
experience and, afterall, this was only the second show of the run
that I saw.
It's a well-paced and hit-packed spectacular, combining
instrumentals and solo and group performances by all four singers,
with Chris Dean taking centre stage for a few of the
numbers. A wise decision by Chris to handle Wives and Lovers
as an instrumental (the lyrics would seem incredibly sexist in
this day and age!) and with an injection of humour with Three
Wheels On My Wagon, the show lacked nothing but an encore which I
was hoping would be Trains And Boats And Planes, Blue On Blue or
Message To Michael. So strong is the Bacharach songbook that even
after a packed show full of hits such as this there were still a
fair number that weren't covered.
Chris
is to be commended on the concept and execution. Anyone with a
love of Bacharach or fine melodies and arrangements performed by
expert musicians and singers should love this show.
CHRIS
DEAN THE SOUNDS OF BURT BACHARACH
24 Mar
Miners Institute, Blackwood
26 Mar Royal and Derngate, Northampton
7 April Hawth Theatre, Crawley
11 April Town Hall, Cheltenham
15 April The Playhouse, Weston Super Mare
20 April The Assembley Rooms, Tunbridge Wells
1 May Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury
7 May Regent Centre, Christchurch
8 May The Playhouse, Harlow
19 May Arts Centre, Millfield
22 June Queen's, Hornchurch
23 June Opera House, Buxton (tbc)
10 Sept Worthing Theatre, Worthing
1 Oct Palace Theatre, Redditch
