For six decades, lyricist Don Black’s work has dominated popular culture. A Tony and Oscar Award winner, Black has written some of the most instantly recognisable songs from stage and screen in a remarkably successful career, which goes under the spotlight in this entertaining new revue of the songwriter’s back catalogue.
Don Black’s From The Heart has been years in the making. A love letter to the New York cabaret scene that inspired Black, the production is an opportunity for the lyricist to share stories from his life and songs newly collaborated on with performers such as Gary Barlow and Natasha Bedingfield, often with terrific comedic vigour, as well as deep-diving into his more well-known pieces. It is also a homage to Black’s wife Shirley, who passed away in 2018 after 60 years of marriage, with some of the works ruminating on love and death with great emotional weight.
Over 80 minutes, delivered by an exceptional cast, Don Black’s From The Heart whizzes through almost twenty newer works before ending with a roaring medley of Black’s most famous output, including the titular number from Sunset Boulevard, ‘Ben’ (his collaboration with Michael Jackson), and several iconic James Bond themes, proving that, just as Shirley Bassey sang, diamond music really is forever.
Just as impressive as Black’s back catalogue is the superb cast working under Nick Winston’s direction and choreography. Clive Rowe, Caroline O’Connor, Michael D. Xavier, Frances Mayli McCann, and Shona McGarty appear as five cabaret-style performers, decked out in stylish black tuxedos and cocktail dresses, sitting gracefully within Sophia Pardon’s stylish set before taking turns to belt out each solo or duetted hit.
Much of the music for this production is new, and what shines through is the deft wordsmith nature of Black, who started out as a stand-up comedian. They do not give out Tony and Oscar Awards for nothing, and the production and new works highlight Black’s sharp penning of witty and heartfelt lyrics that, as Black himself champions, encourage audiences to think.
There are plenty of terrific performances, with standout moments including Rowe and Xavier’s delightful duet about two Alcoholics Anonymous attendees lamenting their choice of water (‘Fizzy or Still’), McCann’s morbidly sweet ‘I’ve a Hundred Things To Do Before I Die’, and the roaring opening number that also closes the revue, ‘From The Heart’, performed by the quintet.
O’Connor and McGarty soar with Black’s quieter numbers too, in a production that takes a stroll through a reasonably well-sequenced set of works loosely threaded against Black’s lifetime of musical influences. McGarty, most famous for her work on EastEnders, also amusingly sings the original theme tune to the soap that Black penned in a slightly corny moment. Meanwhile, each night promises a surprise guest star, and during this performance it was terrific to be treated to a cameo from Tell Me On A Sunday’s Marti Webb, who, despite labelling herself semi-retired, was on great form, celebrating her long-standing collaboration with Black.
Black’s voice also appears, narrating the transitions, which is a neat touch. However, the levity of much of the interesting, heartfelt narration clashes with some of the moodier directorial choices as the cast sit stoically, waiting to perform. Indeed, it is a little tonally conflicted, with the musical shifts between comedic and emotional reflections on love and death having slightly too much of a whiplashing effect, although the songs themselves remain compelling.
What is most effective here, however, is that while the production rightly recognises Black’s contributions to theatre and film, the piece never drifts into indulgence, letting Black’s writing hit the right notes for itself.
