Nothing Short Of Wonderful!
Pasek & Paul, London Hippodrome Casino, 21st October, 2013
End of October I was in London for five days. Besides the usual hardcore musical theatre marathon I was also lucky to be in London for the Pasek & Paul concert on a Monday night after an evening show. The two had performed a concert in Hamburg before but as I was travelling around Germany to wherever (just as I do too much as Deutsche Bahn can confirm ;-) ) I missed them being a bit upset so when I learnt that they would do a show in London just when I was in London I was excited and of course so had to go.
If people know them, they might know them for their songs to the second season of "Smash" (a show I do not watch, I watched like the first two episodes but it was so OTT that I just simply did not bear watching it).but I adore them for the score of Dogfight, a musical based on the acclaimed 1991 movie with the same title telling of three marines on their last night out in town before shipping out to war.
The "dogfight" is a cruel and nasty men's game in which each marine has to find the least attractive girl to take on a date. The guy, judged by the other guys, brings along the ugliest girl wins a pot of cash funded by the guys.
Premiering in 2011 Off Broadway the score combines wonderfully a well known 1960s sound with mordern fresh and innovative elements elaborating and supporting the story line very well with lyrics that are clear to follow which also catch the various moments, scenes and emotions in the show well.
Yes, they are no Sondheims, maybe even not Scott Alan, but there is a sincerity, even in songs which I would just rate as average but nevertheless suitable, in them that they touch me.
And this sincerity is also what made this concert a wonderful experience with from the first moment the two appear on the stage of the Matcham Room they seem so open that you feel connected to them immediately as if you have known them for a long time.
Feeling comfortable, relaxed, being funny and witty but also caring about their babies they present their songs with such a devotion hardly ever seen before.
Benj Pasek sings with just the right amount of feeling and is supported exquisitely in synchronised harmony by Justin Paul, that even when singing of grasshoppers and ladybirds as one from their musical "James And The Giant Peach" you are impressed by the (most of the time) cleaver and well crafted lyrics.
And when songs are so wonderfully presented, when a show is not just rattling off of songs but little anecdotes around the songs, the shows, lives in general are told and I cannot help but be fascinated by the two young men.
Special guests at this show were Oliver Tompsett who performed "Do You Remember" from Pasek & Paul's unfinished musical version of "Peter Pan" with decent boyish charm after slightly embarrassing himself a bit making the audience laugh about stuff he did as a child, French performer and X-Factor participant Sarah Manesse and Lauren Varnham who is currently performing in "From Here To Eternity" giving a perfect rendition of "Perfect" from gtheir Edges song cycle that was not only sung beautifully but also emotionally causing goosebump moments.
And last but not least there was a leading lady called Willemijn Verkaik ,-) who was with singing three songs somehow the very special guest.
I am personally not a massive fan of her, her acting is always a bit too much for me, not overacting, no, just too clean, too eager sometimes and too keen, like the best pupil in class, yes best but often you can tell, they do not have much to be top of the class. Saying that her rendition of "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight" was emotionally sung, her "Caught In A Storm" from Smash felt a bit flat, too polished, but she certainly rocked the house for the show's final "Ready To Be Loved" though by then I already loved Pasek & Paul a tiny bit more.
And last but not least there was a leading lady called Willemijn Verkaik ,-) who was with singing three songs somehow the very special guest.
I am personally not a massive fan of her, her acting is always a bit too much for me, not overacting, no, just too clean, too eager sometimes and too keen, like the best pupil in class, yes best but often you can tell, they do not have much to be top of the class. Saying that her rendition of "Pretty Funny" from Dogfight" was emotionally sung, her "Caught In A Storm" from Smash felt a bit flat, too polished, but she certainly rocked the house for the show's final "Ready To Be Loved" though by then I already loved Pasek & Paul a tiny bit more.
