⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Rating: 5 out of 5
It is an almost unthinkable scenario that Liberace and Pavarotti had secret love children, let alone that those children went on to inherit their fathers’ talents!
Then they met one another, fell deeply in love and married. Well, you would be forgiven for thinking just that, as married couple Chris Hamilton (Piano) and Shimi Goodman (Tenor) take to the stage to perform to a sell-out audience of dedicated fans.
It is not that either look like Liberace or Pavarotti, of course. Far from it, their model-like good looks add to the pairs’ incredible stage presence. They do channel those great icons and more when you witness their sheer talent during the performance.
Hamilton is a classically trained piano player and songwriter, whose wit and style is from another era. It reminded me of why I love New York, often falling into off Broadway venues and The Village bars, and hearing some of the most incredible talent performing Jazz and classic Broadway tunes. Boy, do I miss that. Chris Hamilton brought it all back tonight.
Goodman has appeared in many West End shows and has a degree in musical theatre. He is at his very best when he seduces the audience with songs from Tosca and reduces them to tears with others. His range is exceptional and brought me to my feet more than once during the evening.
They brought the house down with a melody of James Bond Oscar winners. The pair do Adele, “Sky Fall”, Sam Smith, “Writing on the Wall”, and Billie Eilish, “No Time to die”.
If this is not enough, they also belt out musical theatre hits such as “Seasons of Love” from the production “Rent”. My favourite is “Losing my mind “from Follies.
Though Hamilton does not exude the campness of Liberace, he does have the show man
quality of the Vegas legend. I could not help but think that if there were a stage musical version of “Behind the Candelabra” (I hope there is!), the producers just found their man to play Liberace.
Being a gay man, what made the evening so special for me was watching a happily married gay couple look so in love and work together in harmony, without having to resort to clichés or innuendoes. They merely relied on their genuine incredible talent and professionalism.
It won’t cost you the sometimes dizzy-making prices of the West End to see the pair perform, but you will walk away thinking that you have seen one top show and want to go back again.
For booking and information: https://www.brasseriezedel.com/events/tiano-the-piano-and-tenor-duo/
2Shades Magazine 