As part of the hugely successful, multi platinum selling opera group, Amici Forever, South African born soprano Tsakane Valentine Maswanganyi has always enthralled and captivated audiences with her stunning voice, beauty and stage presence. So when I heard she was to take the lead in Jude Kelly's new production of Carmen Jones this summer, I was very keen indeed to see her shine in this different setting and eagerly travelled to London to see her in action last week.
The newly renovated Festival Hall, part of the Southbank Centre, provided a fitting stage for this flamboyant show, in spite of being more of a concert hall than a dedicated music theatre. Due to the limited space and setting, the orchestra actually sat prominently in the middle of the stage, with the show taking place around them. I had read mixed reviews about the success of this idea, but speaking from a personal point of view, I found it worked well, creating a sense of separation and distance for the various scenes within the play.
From the very start the show is lively, upbeat and full of flair and passion. The clever use of space, scenery and the talented ensemble cast produces a constant hubbub of little things happening on stage secondary to the main action, drawing you in to the setting and making you feel more like part of the scene than part of the audience. The sense of reality created from these "normal" happenings around the stage also helps to avoid any marginalisation or tunnel vision towards the main characters too, keeping the whole set alive and integral to the highly charged atmosphere.
The entire cast shone, from the many children within the ensemble cast to the very impressive principal leads. Tsakane's smooth and seemingly effortless soprano voice taking on a whole new strength and edge as she tackled the title roll with amazing verve, spark and attitude. The sassy standard most definitely being set from the moment she first struts on to the stage and proceeds to put on a pair of bright red knickers! I had fully expected to be impressed by Tsakane's performance and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Her sultry moves and polished act, combined with that crystal clear yet warm voice whilst portraying the dangerously flirtatious but ultimately vulnerable Ms Jones only proved once more what a talented, shining star she is in any setting or situation.
Sherry Boone, who played Cindylou had received rave reviews in the media and after hearing her show stopping solo, "My Joe" in the second act, I could well and truly understand why. her powerful, emotive rendition bringing the whole audience to it's feet with rapturous applause. Andrew Clarke also produced a highly accomplished and emotionally charged performance as Joe, but I found his brother, Rodney Clarke, was breathtaking in his portrayal of Husky Miller. His rich baritone voice exuding confidence and power during his wonderful "Stand up and fight", which is an adaptation of Bizet's fabulous Toreador Song. Former X Factor semi-finalist, Brenda Edwards deserve a special mention as Pearl too, her rocking version of "Beat out dat rhythm on a drum" making it difficult for anyone to sit still in their seat!
The Royal Philharmonic and the Philharmonia share the orchestral duties for the show, with the latter performing on the night I attended, adding extra intrigue, emotion and atmosphere to each act and scene with their faultless playing. With regard to the actual songs, I have to say that it was quite strange hearing familiar tunes from Carmen, such as the Habanera, that I've heard Tsakane sing with stunning clarity so many times with Amici, now performed equally as stunningly, but with very different, English lyrics. Oscar Hammerstein's adaptation of Bizet's classic opera is certainly cleverly and successfully done though, with the afore mentioned Habanera still as provocative as ever, when sang as "Dat's Love" and as I said previously, Rodney Clarke's "Stand up and fight" version of the Toreador Song was just amazing.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and it's great to see and feel that the cast obviously enjoy performing it just as much too. A fact confirmed when I spoke to several of the leading artists afterwards, with Tsakane, Sherry Boone and Rodney Clarke admitting that although it was hard work performing eight shows a week, it was also immensely good fun too and they felt honoured to have been part of Jude Kelly's debut as venue director. The cast will be able to enjoy a well earned rest soon though, as sadly for the audiences the show's six week run comes to an end on Sunday. If you do have the opportunity to attend one of the remaining shows over the weekend I would definitely recommend doing so, as in my personal opinion it's well worth the effort.
As for Tsakane Valentine, well you get the distinct feeling that Carmen Jones is just the beginning of a very bright journey, as she's already lined up to perform Porgy & Bess in Berlin next year. I for one wish her every success in all her future ventures, because whether in the recording studio with Amici or up on the musical/operatic stage, this wonderfully talented soprano always hits the right notes!
