Michael Griffiths is on a one-man mission to re-enact parts of Madonna’s life through the medium of musical theatre. This show, written and directed by Dean Bryant, is an hour-long performance, including 35 song references and 12 Madonna songs.
This show, located at The Boards, is obviously not a re-enactment of her life but is certainly a wonderful experience. On walking in, you discover one man sitting alone at the piano and for the next 60 minutes he illustrates Madonna’s life through spoken word, song and a couple of props including her childhood diary and a nude calendar.
I would happily have sat for an hour and simply listened to the man’s beautiful voice and his exceptional ability to play the piano. The theme of Madonna was merely a bonus. He kept the audience engaged through a flurry of laughter, awe and all-round enjoyment. The atmosphere was electric; Michael Griffiths really knows how to capture and hold the audience
The director, Dean Bryant, must be applauded for his attention to detail; the little details within the show were brilliant, a delightful female hair flip, performed on Griffiths’ balding head of hair provided raucous laughter.
This show is certainly for Madonna’s most avid fans, as some of more specific humor regarding the Queen of Pop would go straight over non-fans’ heads. An example of this would be Madonna’s 1992 nude calendar. However, threaded through the show are very obvious gags which allowed even the most casual fans to guffaw.
Michael Griffiths’ voice bears no resemblance to Madonna’s’ and there is no comparison between them. However, it doesn’t seem like he is trying to embody her; he is casually elevating her while pointing fun at her. This becomes especially clear when he refers to her (or himself) as ‘Madonna, the most famous bitch on the planet.’
There were a couple of moments when Griffiths’ beautiful voice became a little sharp, especially in ‘Papa Don’t Preach,’ however, this can surely be excused by his consistent ability in reaching most of ‘her notes’ with perfection.
Don’t go expecting Madonna’s voice, but it is a lot of fun and I predict Griffiths will pull in huge audiences, especially those middle aged die hard fans.
