Christopher Walker reviews Jerry’s Girls at the Menier Theatre

The theatre at the old Menier Chocolate Factory is one of the greatest delights on the London theatre scene. 

Amongst its many specialties is a rich seam of work dedicated to American musical theatre. Often these pieces benefit from the small scale of the theatre and give the audience the feeling that they are in a cabaret setting. 

It is in this tradition that it now offers us Jerry’s Girls, a homage to the music and lyrics of Jerry Herman

Herman was a giant of the Broadway theatre. Amongst his list of credits are Hello Dolly, Mame, Mack and Mabel, and La Cage Aux Folles. This show strings together hits from all of those, as well as lesser-known works, in the setting of an off-Broadway dressing room.

The three accomplished singers give voice to the full range of female roles in Herman’s work. Veteran Jessica Martin captures well some of the pathos of the older roles and what it feels like to be “somewhere between 40 and death” in the world’s of the song from Mame. 

Cassidy Janson, the wonderful performer familiar to London audiences from Juliet and Chess, is simply quite outstanding in her rendition of ‘Time Heals Everything’ and other great Herman swan songs. 

Herman’s younger roles are captured by relative newcomer Julie Yammanee, who starred in Bonnie and Clyde and who has one hell of a powerful voice.

All in all a wonderful evening of Broadway show tunes with no shortage of schmaltz, in a cabaret setting.

Indeed, since the restaurant upstairs at the venue closed in consequence of the Pandemic, I wish the theatre management would consider going the whole hog and staging some of these entertainments in proper cabaret style with food and drinks served at tables. 

For tickets visit: https://book.menierchocolatefactory.com/tickets/series/JERRYG

Pictured top: Jessica Martin in Jerry’s Girls at Menier Chocolate Factory (Picture: Tristram Kenton)