Review: Shakespeare in Song
★★★★★☆
By Michael Søby for CPH Culture
Read the original review in Danish
On a small side street off Nørrebrogade, you will find a vibrant cultural center called LiteraturHaus. Together with The Copenhagen Musical Theater Company (CMTC), they are presenting a predominantly English-language cabaret titled SHAKESPEARE IN SONG, which humorously and intelligently revolves around the world’s most popular playwright. This is done through musical highlights drawn from a range of musicals that are either based on or inspired by Shakespeare’s works.
Rachel Kador, who is both one of the six singers on stage and our guide through SHAKESPEARE IN SONG, has directed the performance with elegance, creativity, and, above all, musicality. The vocal harmonies are carefully crafted, and pianist Christine Eggert, as well as choreographer Emma Balalic, manage to leave their positive mark on the show.
Rachel Kador has succeeded in assembling a team that truly complements each other vocally, and every number is performed with enthusiasm and presence. Dennisalias Crystallando impresses with his vocal range, Jasper Thomas III has the most beautiful tone in his warm voice, Kristen Flanagan bubbles with humor, Olivia Yoonjoo Jang exudes sophisticated grace, and Freya Uldal brings a wonderfully quirky and offbeat approach to the material. Add to that Rachel Kador’s sweetness and wit, and you have a magnificent ensemble with no weak links.
We travel far and wide, from "Kiss Me Kate" (based on The Taming of the Shrew) and "West Side Story" (based on Romeo and Juliet) to "The Lion King" (based on Hamlet) and "Hamilton" (with quotes from Macbeth). But excerpts from the Tony Award-winning musical version of Two Gentlemen of Verona and a Broadway musical from 1938 based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors also find their way to LiteraturHaus in Nørrebro this evening.
The speaker on the left side of the hall acted up a bit during the show, but that can easily be fixed in time for the final two performances to run smoothly. For SHAKESPEARE IN SONG is among the most delightful cabarets of the year in Denmark, and it is unlikely to be the last time the excellent Copenhagen Musical Theater Company (CMTC) graces LiteraturHaus, which even has a balcony fit for Romeo.
