Play On! is a new musical, touring England since September and finishing end of February, that features Ashton Moore as musical director and musicians Shane Forbes, Chris Hyde-Harrison, Kaz Hamilton and Alex Polack playing 20 Ellington songs including Mood Indigo, Take The ‘A’ Train, Don’t Get Around Much Anymore, It Don’t Mean A Thing and Solitude.
The publicist says the show, staged by the black theatre company Talawa, is a “joyous musical retelling of Shakespeare’s beloved play” that “brings to life the 1940s New York jazz scene, set to a timeless, toe-tapping Duke Ellington score”.
The musical was conceived by Sheldon Epps, with a book by Cheryl L. West. The plot has a young songwriter arriving at the Cotton Club in NYC, ready to make her name but disguising herself as a man to give a better chance in a male-dominated music world. The publicist says: “As she meets the club’s world-famous songwriter The Duke and sensational singer Lady Liv, Vy is swept up in a syncopated symphony of melodies, mistaken identities and romance.” A trailer on YouTube – youtube.com/watch?v=tUbr0bdXMK4 – gives an indication of the content and style.
Talking to Jazz Journal, Ashton Moore indicated that listeners can expect a contemporary take on Ellington’s music. He said “This is Duke Ellington. It’s already absolutely superb music. We’ve not set out to rip up his scores and intentions. We don’t need to improve what is already there on the page. What we do want to do, however, is make the audience feel the way that audiences did feel when they first heard Duke Ellington. To an extent, hearing Ellington now can feel vintage, nostalgic – familiar, even. However, when Ellington was making his mark in the 1920s and 30s, his ideas would have felt fresh, innovative, daring, and almost dangerous in parts. He was breaching new ground. Our job, therefore, has been to try and bring these emotions to our audiences, while still protecting and preserving the essence of Ellington throughout. This has meant leaning into a number of 20th century African-American genres and sub-genres. I won’t spoil anything, but coming to the show, you’ll hear nods to soul and gospel, reggae and trap, slow-jam RnB, and plenty more.”
For Mr Moore, the band, coming from what he describes as “a traditional jazz background, rather than musical theatre … really know how to create an authentic sound”. He continued “I lead the band from the piano, supported by Shane on the drum kit, Chris at the double bass, Alex doubling trumpet and flugelhorn, and our woodwind maestro Kaz, who’s tripling flute, clarinet and tenor saxophone. With just the five of us, we’re something of a “mini” big band, but it’s testament to the outstanding arrangements of Liam Godwin and masterful orchestrations of Benjamin Kwasi Burrell (as well as Tony Gayle’s stunning sound design) that the big moments really, really hit you.”
The production has been seen so far in Coventry, Liverpool, Salisbury and Birmingham, and will play Bristol Old Vic (16-25 January 2025) and the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre (28 January–22 February 2025). The show received funding from the Arts Council and the National Lottery.