Review of The Simon & Garfunkel Story at The Lyric Theatre

The Simon & Garfunkel Story starts with Paul Simon – Adam Dickinson, and Art Garfunkel – Kingsley Judd, telling us of their meeting during their school days and the first performance together in Alice in Wonderland. Soon realising performing together is where the future lays and forming the rock group Tom & Jerry (they perform the group’s biggest hit Hey Schoolgirl) to the groovy times in the psychedelic sixties and onwards.

When Tom & Jerry didn’t give Art and Paul the success they desired they enrolled in different colleges to continue their education. Nothing could keep them apart for long though and the early 60s had the pair reunited through music but now folk-rock was their style. The first Simon & Garfunkel album Wednesday Morning 3 A.M. sadly went the way of Tom & Jerry so the pair split and Paul went to England to pursue a solo folk career. They stayed best friends though with Art coming over to visit Paul and the pair singing together producing harmonies on stage to keep their incredible ‘oneness’ going. Whilst Paul was in England the sound of silence got a lot of air time, getting it to number 1 in the American charts, so Paul had a big decision; stay in England and continue touring the country with his solo career or head back to America and jump on the success of The Sound of Silence. Luckily for us, the second option prevailed.

Act 2 starts with The Graduate and Mrs Robinson. The duo were at the height of their fame and released their most successful album, Bookends. Sadly their personal relationship struggled with the success and huge tour and recording schedules. During this difficult time, they recorded Bridge Over Troubled Water, quite possibly their most known masterpiece.

It’s obvious within the first minute that Dickinson and Judd have spent a lot of time together working on their harmonies and the performances they’ll give. Both are amazing on, and a complete delight off, stage. Dickinson has a voice you can listen to all night long and never tire of it. I thought he was vocally outshining Judd until the end of the show and Judd gives quite possibly the best rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water I’ve ever heard. So I stand corrected, their voices complement each other with harmonies that will make you wonder if Simon & Garfunkel have somehow worked out how to reverse the ageing process. Phenomenal is the best word to use to describe the auditory treat you’re in for.

The live band only add to the experience, musicians of talent all of them. Will Tuckwell – keys/lead guitar, Leon Camfield – bass and Mat Swales – drums. Throughout the show, there is a great use of newsreels, audio clips and projection to enhance the evening. The sound engineer has worked some magic and I haven’t heard a concert style show ever sound better.

A fantastic trip down memory lane for some and for the others a superb introduction into the music of Simon & Garfunkel. Get and see The Simon and Garfunkel Story if you can. I enjoyed it so much I purchased the CD after the show and had a quick chat with Dickinson and Judd to compliment them on their performances.

Review by Lee Cogger

A critically acclaimed concert style show which uses state of the art video projection, contemporary newsreel footage, TV commercials, incredible concert-style lighting and a full live brass ensemble, The Simon & Garfunkel Story takes you through all the songs and stories that shaped them, chronicling their rise from their humble beginnings as 50s rock n roll duo Tom & Jerry to global superstardom, their dramatic break-up at the peak of their international success, solo careers and ending with a stunning recreation of their legendary 1981 New York Central Park reunion concert, attended by 500,000 fans.

Featuring all their greatest hits including ‘Mrs Robinson’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, ‘Homeward Bound’, ‘Scarborough Fair’, ‘The Boxer’, ‘The Sound Of Silence’ and many, many more, Charles Blyth and Sam O’Hanlon star.

Director & Musical Supervisor Dean Elliott, Set & Costume Designer Andrew Riley, Sound Designer Chris Crowther, Lighting Design Dominic Warwick, Video Design Perry Freeze & Rachel Allen (Z Frame), Casting Director Anne Vosser.

Produced by Maple Tree Entertainment Limited
www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com

LISTINGS INFORMATION
THE SIMON & GARFUNKEL STORY

LYRIC THEATRE
Shaftesbury Avenue
London, W1D 7ES

Monday 29 April at 7.30pm
Monday 20 May at 7.30pm
Monday 24 June at 7.30pm