A Night Of Make Believe

If you're looking for a rousing night of musical theatre with instantly memorable songs performed with passion, then head to the New London Theatre and spend the evening aboard The Cotton Blossom show boat, moored on the banks of the Mississippi. It won't disappoint.

The wrap-around auditorium of this theatre makes the arrival of The Cotton Blossom and its exhilarating cast of traveling performers a showstopper in itself. The actors slip out into the audience and you're taken into the story with a level of intensity that most theatres couldn't achieve.

Set at the turn of the 20th century when theatre boats plied the Mississippi bringing entertainment and spectacle with them, Show Boat broke the mold on its Broadway debut in 1927 as it moved away from light operetta and presented a storyline with grit and passion. This 21st century production brings a fresh energy to the show that treads lightly over the themes of colour and equality, concentrating on the uplifting and frothy exuberance of the music.

Emmanuel Kojo has the gift of leading the performance of Ol' Man River and his commanding performance brings the house down in the first act. But the real magic of this piece comes with the subtle repetition of the key numbers in differing styles that build and carry the story along. Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man is an undoubted masterpiece of a song, but as the cast play around with it in the second act it builds into something much more than a pleasant tune.

The use of the 'N' word packs a big punch in this otherwise upbeat musical, but these darker themes are never explored beyond a passing nod and, like the paddle steamers themselves, the story navigates swiftly away from deep waters as young Magnolia falls in love with a drifting gambler and despite everything sticks by her man to the bitter end.

The cast includes some magnificent voices and perfectly chosen characters, and their contagious enjoyment of the music is the greatest achievement of this show. It can drift into dangerous shallows with the Southern accents, and try as the cast may to act weary and downtrodden, you can see them enjoying the show too much to be believable, but by some happy miracle of fortune Captain Andy manages to steer this jolly ship safely to port.

It's been a while, what with all the jukebox musicals, since I've noticed an audience really enjoy the discovery of long forgotten or unknown show tunes, humming, whistling and singing as they leave the show. This was certainly one of those all too rare evenings.

View our show pages for more information about Show Boat, New London Theatre.