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In the autumn of 2004 Michael Ball performed his one man show Alone Together as part of Singular Sensations at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. With just a lone piano as accompaniment Michael told the story of a performer entirely through song, an emotional journey , full of happiness and sorrow, struggles and successes. |
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AFTER THE BALL IS OVER… Review by Linda Doffek |
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If you
were to simply read a list of the tunes that would be performed you would
have to wonder how on earth this would all fit together into some kind of
meaningful Michael
Ball had originally presented this show at the diminutive Donmar Warehouse
Theatre in London three years earlier. The performance was released on
dvd/video so I had some inkling of what to expect. The pervasive mood of
that performance was perhaps a bit dark but very thrilling. Some of the
songs as performed, in sometimes unconventional ways, nudge you a bit out
of your “comfort zone”; some songs
One of
the highlights of the show is a showbiz themed medley that begins the
second act. Michael Ball affectionately calls it the “medley from hell”.
It’s quite something, rolling out for about 9 minutes and squeezing in
recognizable snatches of thirty or more well known standards by writers
such as Gershwin, Sondheim and Berlin. It’s pure genius and you have to
consciously make yourself blink and breath while Michael is performing
it. A light moment comes when he delivers a line from his signature tune
“LOVE (the
In the
second half, the absence of Guettel’s Glory Goes for instance, led me,
personally, to a different conclusion of what happens in this performer‘s
life. In it’s place was Tomorrow (Annie). To be honest, when I heard
the first couple notes and recognized the song I groaned inwardly thinking
“oh no not this song!” But Michael/The Performer stands there singing it
so simply, so wistfully, with shining hope on his face and it becomes one
of the most beautiful songs of the show. His diction is so excellent, you
have never heard this song sung so well. I believe he broke my heart
every time I heard him sing it. I found Michael Ball to be in exceptionally good voice. The sheer power of that instrument could nearly strip the upholstery off the seats. He belted out the million dollar notes time after time and some songs finished with his hands clasped upon his head and a satisfied gleam in his eye. However, some of his true power lies in his well controlled sotto voce delivery. If you want to really know what he sounds like, “this is what it is“. I came there knowing he was an exceptional singer based on his recorded material. But when you are up there fairly naked in the light with just simple piano accompaniment there is nowhere to hide. Michael never had to, he shone like a diamond. I ended up seeing the show five times (despite being adamant that I wouldn’t) and each was a little different. Night after night I knew what was coming but sometimes the emotions still overtook me. I found myself laughing delightedly during some numbers or biting my lip to stop the tears in others. Michael had immersed himself completely into this somewhat ambiguous character and sometimes we didn’t recognize the performer telling his tale. And I guess that’s the point, isn’t it? I can say personally I was very impressed and moved by Michael Ball’s performance and I don’t think I will ever look at him quite the same again.
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© Michael Ball Corner 2004
Over
the past week I have found myself reflecting many times on the
performances I have just seen of Michael Ball’s Alone Together. As I sit
down to write this I mentally note that, at this moment, 4000 miles away,
Michael is in the last few minutes of his final performance of this
limited two week engagement at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. I wonder how
he’s feeling…exhilarated, exhausted, or ? 
tale. But it does, and it’s a powerful tale wrought by the
director Jonathan Butterell and the musical director Jason Carr, who
accompanies Michael Ball on piano during this journey. Without a scrap
of sheet music he manages to play this entire show brilliantly. When he
plays a bit of Bach, Prelude 8, well, it’s heady stuff. The notes just
drift down upon you like snow and you feel relatively certain that if you
were to look down you would see them melting on your skin. 
shove you out of it and leave
you out in the cold gasping. It’s sometimes a bit ticklish or even
painful to listen to these songs because they carry different meaning and
weight depending on what personal baggage you lug with you into the
theatre. I found myself grateful that, for this series, Michael
delivered this repertoire a bit more lighthearted and made us laugh with a
range of expressions and actions. Also some musical changes were made
that seemed to lighten up the overall mood of the piece A couple songs
were replaced that put a different spin on the story. The one that nearly
brought the house down was One from A Chorus Line. Yes, Michael Ball
is a singular sensation, he left us in no doubt of that. He certainly
seemed to have a hell of a good time with this piece and I defy anyone to
watch him perform this animated, playful self parody without smiling ear
to ear. This one alone was worth the
price of admission, ladies and
gentleman. He ends the first half with a powerhouse performance of There’s No Business Like Show Business starting out gently and
reverently building to a volcanic finish. Breathtaking. 
lights above him burst into bright blue, gold, and white
bathing him in an angelic glow)…Love changes everything‘s coming up
roses!”. There is an appreciative murmur thought the theatre. Overall,
the staging and lighting were simple and a bit sparse, but particularly
effective. 
