Ian von Memerty is a consummate entertainer, one of only a handful left on our stages who unaffectedly possess that old showbiz essential – ‘star quality’. What he doesn’t quite shine at he knows how to fake incandescently. With his toothy Liberace-like smile, a dimple that stretches to his chin, and an ebullient energy, Von Memerty is as generous as he is entertaining. His professional standards are high, even if much of the material is a bit parochial.
His latest guise is as the eponymous Captain Entertainment sent to salvage “the crisis in our theatre”. It’s a ruse for a show, and not to be taken seriously. The Captain is guaranteed permanent work. The theatre is a perpetual invalid, always about to die, but never breathing its last.
Our singing superhero proceeds to deliver an illustrated lecture on the variety and vaudeville circuits in ten acts. He is skilfully accompanied by the reedy, poker-faced Oliver Keys on keyboard.
There’s a sequence in A Handful of Keys (Memerty’s other hit show) where some evergreen hit, like Yesterday, is played in several classical styles. This time he auditions Singing in the Rain in versions from rap to country and western. Here Von Memerty is at his best– part clown, part star. However, his moving rendition of Mr Bojangles shows off precise phrasing and a dramatic depth, more of which would give the show a stronger spine.
Captain Entertainment comes in to his own in resuscitating the spirit of vaudeville rather than the actual games and joke-time that finally killed the variety show off, because television was better at it. However, Von Memerty knows just how to give his audience permission to enjoy themselves in the company of a highly accomplished performer, transfixed by this superhero’s sonic trap.
