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Willard's
bass rings out
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HERE TO BOOK THEATRE TICKETS
THE remarkable voice of the bass Willard White is
supremely rich and flowing and he displayed his full
musical talents at the Bloomsbury Theatre on Monday.
The occasion was a show dedicated to the memory of another black
bass Paul Robeson, a singer and actor who became an icon
in the civil rights movements of the last century.
Like all great singers Willard isnt just technically good
he also has a distinctive sound of his own with which
audiences identify.
Instead of a simple piano accompaniment, which would have dated
the performance, White used modern, jazzy arrangements of Robesons
songs many of them of a religious kind by Noel
Thornton.
At times the production slipped into a kind of shallow biopic
of Robeson with biography readings. But it came to life when
White abandoned the script and talked directly to audience.
The show opened a week long festival of performances to celebrate
the 55th anniversary of the independent publisher Souvenir Press.
JG
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