BLUE EYES

Original Cast: Andrew London, Tracey Savage, James Cameron, April Phillips

A Cabaret with a Story

1 Female Actress & a Jazz band with a female lead Singer

"You only live once, and the way I live, once is enough." Frank Sinatra

A cabaret with a story, this is a celebration of the music of Frank Sinatra with a heart warming tale that will bring tears to your eyes.

This dynamic show full of fun and foot-tapping excellence includes his signature songs like New York New York, Fly Me To The Moon, and Mack The Knife as well as other Sinatra hits such as Luck Be A Lady, It Was A Very Good Year, and One More For the Road. A moving and intimate story links the songs bringing them to life and making us better acquainted with “the Chairman of the Board”.

The premiere production was at Circa Theatre, Wellington, New Zealand in 2004 and starred Tracey Savage as Frances and April Phillips as Mother (Singer) with a band made up of Andrew London (vocals and guitar), James Cameron (vocals and double bass), Johnny Lippiett (saxophone), Norman Meehan (piano) and Lance Philip (drums). The production won the "Stellar Award for Best Musical Production" of the Fringe Festival.

Blue eyes; The music of Frank Sinatra, Circa Theatre, February 19. Reviewed by Garth Wilshere.

THIS is a clever and well-constructed show, devised and written by vocalist April Phillips.

Frances (Tracey Savage) is in her parents home going through some of her late mother's personal effects. She discovers an old diary in the form of letters to Frank Sinatra, and for the first time realises that her mother had been a singer in the 1960s.
As she reads, the spotlight dims and the lights come up on the cabaret representing her mother's band (The Roulettes at the Speak Easy Club).
Many of Sinatra's great songs are covered as the play alternates between the reading of the letters and the band's performance.
The musicians are excellent. April Phillips plays the 'mum' role with some nicely personalised renditions while Andrew London is a stylish singer. I particularly liked his number One for my Baby (one more for the road).

The band is tight and jazzy with swinging-cool when required, driven by great musical direction and superb piano playing from Norman Meehan, exciting drumming from Lance Philip and vibrant saxophone from Johnny Lippiett.

Source: Capital Times

Review: Theatre Hawke’s Bay’s production Blue Eyes a revelation and a half

Hawkes Bay Today

Blue Eyes

Playhouse Theatre, cnr Hastings and Alexandra Sts, Hastings

Until November 11, matinee performance Sunday, November 5.

Reviewed by Jesse Smith

“The smoke fades and the lights dim, and we have the place to ourselves…your music still playing quietly in our heads.”

For a Sinatra novice largely unfamiliar with cabaret, Theatre Hawke’s Bay’s production of Blue Eyes was a revelation and a half.

Penned by England-born, New Zealand-bound April Phillips, the script blends music from the iconic star with a tale of aspiration and legacy, wrapped in sweet cabaret.

Kelly Reid, in her directorial debut, navigates this well, giving every spoken phase the space to unfold, allowing Carol Williams - wonderful as ever in the role of Frances, who has begun to discover more about her mother’s past - to convey it beautifully.

It is always a pleasure to see Laura Jeffares grace the stage - this time as the aforementioned mother in her prime, impressing all with her vocal prowess and stage presence - and flanked by Jasmine MacDonald and Segan Lance Cupido as Andy and Jimmy respectively.

Jasmine matches Laura, with an equally stunning voice and a subdued charm reminiscent of Peggy Lee, and every bit as endearing; her rendition of It Was A Very Good Year superbly marked a critical turning point in the show.

Rounding the trio off nicely, Segan did well, bringing sassy charm to his moments up front.

Nice simple staging and lighting accommodates both settings. The band sits in a prominent position just behind the trio. Musical director Justin Lindsay must be given credit for ensuring they both melded as well as they could - neither band member nor singer sounded out of step at any point.