Gregory Charles’ show Music Man centres around his truly encyclopedic knowledge of music. The performance never has a set list, and is almost entirely improvised. On the way into the space each audience member gets presented with a piece of paper on which they are free to request any song that takes their fancy. Charles’ formidable knowledge of music means that he is able to fulfil any song request. He is so supremely confident in this miraculous talent that he claims if he is bested by someone’s choice, he and his band will perform for them free of charge in their home. Naturally, the audience are palpably excited and a deafening cheer rises up as Charles and his band take centre stage. He has a warm and affable stage presence, and his quick wit and obvious passion for music make him an incredible host. Before he begins reading out the requests, the musicians warm up by having the audience play ‘music history’, a game Charles recalls from his childhood. The audience members are encouraged to call out any year since 1953, ‘It could be the year you were born, the year you bought your first car, had your first kiss, whatever you like’, and he will subsequently launch into a medley of hits from that year. He then performs an impromptu mix of some of 1960s finest, including Georgia On My Mind, Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow and Save The Last Dance For Me. Closely followed by some from 1988, with the crowd’s favourite being the Guns ‘N’ Roses seminal track, Sweet Child O’ Mine. Charles and his three incredible band mates perform with such gusto, it is an absolute pleasure to watch them. There is enough energy in the room to power a whole city, with the permanent grin plastered across Charles’ face acting as a veritable powerhouse. When he moves on to the requests section of the show, the overwhelming talent both of Charles himself as well as his accompanists is demonstrated even further. He does not default on his promise to perform every request he has time for, picking them at random out of a box at the side of the stage. To make it even more impressive, Charles never tells his band mates what the song is, he merely calls out a key and they have to improvise the rest. They are absolutely flawless, and their cover of Marvin Gaye’s Sexual Healing is absolutely sublime. One hour goes past criminally fast and the show ends with the musicians receiving a whole-heartedly deserved standing ovation. Music Man is without doubt an absolute jewel in the crown of this year’s musical acts.
