Swinging at the Cotton Club

May 31
2 min read

The Lindy Hop Dance Company. Image credit The Lindy Hop Dance Company.

Swinging at the Cotton Club, at The Cidermill Theatre, Chipping Camden, Saturday 30 May.

Review by Charles Essex

A combination of great musicianship, dancing and singing recreated the Roaring 20s and 30s at New Yorks’s most famous jazz venue, The Cotton Club. The 8-piece Harry Strutter Hot Rhythm Orchestra started the evening with a Duke Ellington number Jubilee Stomp. The Lindy Hop Dance Company burst onto the stage to perform the first of several routines, thrilling the audience with a Charleston. Compère Tim Jacobs sang Please don’t talk about me when I'm gone, with powerful clarinet and tenor sax accompaniment.

Marlene Hill enchanted the audience with several solo pieces, showing her versatility and range. Muss Jenny’s Ball evoked the smoky atmosphere of a speakeasy, while Ethel Waters’ song No Man’s Mamma conveyed the satisfaction at being free, celebrating getting divorce papers finalised. Lee Payne, a noted tap dancer with an impressive CV of appearances in film and theatre, was guest soloist and gave several top notch tap routines. The floor of The Cidermill appeared quite slippery but Lee showed his skill and experience by incorporating slides into his routines. Four of the Lindy Hoppers performed One Man Dance, in which they coordinated their steps and danced in a line in very close proximity, almost sitting on the lap of the dancer behind them.

The Lindy Hop Dance Company. Photo credit Julia Essex.

Tom sang some classics of the era, Is you is or is you ain’t my baby?, and to the absolute delight of all, one of Cab Calloway’s most famous songs Minnie the Moocha. Marlene gave a real emotional intensity to Stormy Weather, with a mournful sax and trumpet accompaniments, as she hit the high and low notes. Creole Love Call was a clever wordless song, in which she used sounds to convey feelings, with Lee accompanying her with a short comedic routine. Tom finished the first half with Everybody loves my baby with all the Lindy Hoppers on stage.

The second half started with the band playing another Duke Ellington number, Stevedore Stomp. There was great costuming throughout, and the Hoppers danced to C Jam Blues, with Zoot suits evocative of the era. Marlene sang several pieces that gushed with emotion, of women wronged or in distress – Right key, wrong hole and Willow weep for me, the latter sung with real heartfelt intensity. On Revival Day was a wonderful Gospel song, capturing the liveliness of a church in Harlem.

All God’s children got rhythm was taken from the Marx Brothers film A Day at the Races and was an energetic and enthusiastic finale, with all the dancers and singers on stage. This was a fantastic evening’s cabaret with the dancers really adding immeasurably to the music and songs with their enthusiasm, skill and wonderful smiles. There was no doubt that everyone left in high spirits having been thoroughly entertained.