Review
ALONGKORN PARIVUDHIPHONGS
Musical theatre lovers were pleasantly showered with popular songs from mega-hit musicals of the 1980s at the Music of the Night concert, held recently by the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra (BSO).
Under the baton of Steve Sidwell, the two-hour performance brought the West End legacy to life. And thanks to international vocalists John Owen-Jones and Janet Mooney, the audience, which was made up of everone from newbies to fans of musical theatre, were enthralled by the magic of Claude-Michel Sch
adi?nberg and Alain Boublil's Les Mis?rables and Miss Saigon, as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats and The Phantom of the Opera.
The star of the night was Owen-Jones, who is credited as being the youngest Jean Valjean in Les Mis?rables and the longest performer as the Phantom. He brought with him vocal talent and the charm of a West End veteran. Once he crooned a song, he also recreated a character through his well-trained, sweet and powerful articulation.
Though only four mega-hit musicals were promised, the programme also added two songs by Webber, Seeing Is Believing from Aspects of Love, and Close Every Door from Joseph and the Amazing Magic Technicolor Dreamcoat. However, his occasional brusque vocal alteration from head tone to the upper level was abrupt, resulting in two different sounds _ as if he was performing two different characters. Still, he managed to wow the audience when he intentionally gave a long howl at the end of several songs in order to show off his power-house lungs. Owen-Johns flaunted his theatrical skills and vocalism. And the audi ence loved it!
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about soprano Mooney. As soon as she uttered her first words, it was clear that she was not really a theatrically-trained singer, which is probably why the programme gave her only stage credit as Cosette in Les Mis?rables.
Despite her long list of experience in theatrical performances with many big names in the West End circle, she sounded more like a singer in a cover version of hit musicals. Still, she shined bright during the last 20 minutes when she performed romantic numbers from The Phantom of the Opera, which required her soprano enunciation as Christine.
All the vocalists were accompanied by Thailand's very own BSO. With a mix of new faces and veterans, the performance in the first act was not well-synced. It was during the last phase when they performed numbers from The Phantom of the Opera that all elements beautifully fell in place.
Alas, the night came to an end before they could soar higher.
Though the concert was promoted as a performance in memory of HRH the late Princess Galyani Vadhana, nothing was mentioned during the entire performance. All in all, the concert was really a rare treat for musical lovers.
'The Golden Fantasy', featuring songs from Disney's animated movies, will be held on December 3, at 8pm at the Thailand Cultural Centre. The show will feature international vocalists, Simon Greiff and Rachel Barrell. Tickets are from 1,200 to 300 baht, available at www.thaiticketmajor.com/.
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