JESS ROBINSON: ELTON REIMAGINED
You might have spotted her name as the credits scroll on Spitting Image, or heard it at the end of BBC Radio 4’s Dead Ringers, two shows in which Jess regularly displays her talent. There she gets to display her amazing ability to impersonate public figures and people in the news, it is remarkable talent for sure… but it’s only a part of the story!
Jess Robinson can deliver those names yes, but she can also make them sing, and when I say sing, that is SING in capital letters. She has an amazing voice, tone, range and power, but add to that she can do it in character.
There is a third factor to her talent that should not go unmentioned, she is a very fine writer of comedy, this show is a beautifully crafted piece of entertainment, wittily scripted links and asides, bravely reconstructed or marginally adjusted lyrics made to work for each of the personalities she brings to life.
The concept for the evening is a tribute to Sir Elton John, she is clearly a fan, but not so much so that she is afeared of taking the occasional liberty. It works so well, whether she is Billy Eilish or Kate Bush, each song has been recreated in their style, and masterfully so. There are moments when you wonder why the stars she has chosen have not covered the song themselves, so perfectly constructed and arranged are the songs. And praise must go to her arranger whose tracks are as accurately presented as Jess’s vocal impressions.
The show is punctuated by phone calls to Liza Minelli from her agent, cajoling her about an audition tape for a role in The Lion King, totally hysterical and irreverent and allowing that other side of Elton’s ouvre, musical theatre (not often I get to refer to Elton’s ouvre)!
There are moments of delicacy too, Billy Holiday stands out, chillingly beautiful and sung in believable period style. Then masterful comedy as she delivers a complex trio of Katherine Jenkins, Julie Andrews and Ariana Grande. Her Paloma Faith is used to show how so many pop stars have two voices, one for speaking and a very different one for singing.
That mastery is further explored in the second half when twenty personalities, randomly selected by the audience, are charged with singing Don’t Go Breaking My Heart. It’s a feat of timing, memory, comedic improvisation that sees, Liz Truss, Theresa May and Dame Mary Berry thrown into duets with Piaf, the late Queen and the most seemingly inappropriate music stars in a number that knocks spots off any Gilbert and Sullivan patter song, break-neck silliness that has the audience in hysterics.
Jess Robinson is a talent to watch and let’s hope, that as a Hove resident, we get to see more of her here, she can certainly fill The Old Market, but a show of this quality could fill and should be filling bigger venues for sure.
Andrew Kay
19 June
The Old Market
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