Monroe Kent III Recording Credits

Monroe Kent III

REVIEWS

"Five Guys Named Moe"

"[I] enjoyed this company's freshness." "I felt as if it had never played anywhere else."
"This group of actors has taken the show as their own."
(Five Guys Named Moe)
Cameron Mackintosh

"As NoMax, the seriously gorgeous Monroe Kent III makes you want to wrap him up and take him home.
His lyric baritone marks him as a natural..."
Time Out London~ Bonnie Greer

"Monroe Kent III has a touching air of battered, baffled melancholy about him and gets maximum value from the darker numbers, such as the beautiful opening blues, Early in the morning.
Charles Spencer

"...Kent has the best voice in this group. With a depth, resonance and clarity of tone..."

"...Kent pulls heartstrings with
"'I Know What I've Got'", a tribute to his love." "The energy from "'Five Guys Named Moe'"
Threatens to blow the venerable walls apart."
The Free Lance Star~Lucia Anderson

"As NoMax, Monroe Kent III has a velvety-dark voice and is very funny when he stares unbelievably at the antics of his unbidden guests-teachers."
The Washington Post-Harry Naltchayan

"Jesus Christ Superstar"

"Kent is deliciously wicked as Caiphas in Jesus Christ Superstar..."

"Unforgettable"

Hard to forget

By Amanda York
Staff reporter

"Never before, has someone been more…"

As Monroe Kent's velvety voice caressed the words of "Unforgettable" – one of Nat King Cole's greatest hits – the audience sat transfixed and reflected on the life of one of America's greatest talents.

Kent, the star of the one-man play "Unforgettable, The Nat King Cole Story," was — to put it simply — unforgettable. The multi-talented performer, who has made a name for himself performing in other musicals such as "Showboat," "West Side Story" and "Guys and Dolls," pulled off the story of Nat King Cole with style and charisma at Saturday night's performance at Sangamon Auditorium, while saving the show's namesake for the last song.

The show, which consisted of Kent, and three men who played the King's jazz trio, told the story of Cole's life by using various songs sung by the legendary musician. Clad in a silk robe, the show began with an older Cole reflecting on his career and the elements that led him to pursue his musical abilities.

The main characters in the show were played by Kent. By simply using a scarf, a hat and a pair of glasses, Kent would morph into the characters that shaped Cole's life such as his minister father, his first wife Nadine and Sparky, the valet who accompanied him throughout his career.

The show addressed the ups — such as how he took the name of King, his television show and his family — and downs of Cole's career.

As a black entertainer in the '40s and '50s, Cole faced extreme racism. Kent used lyrics from Cole's greatest hits to walk the audience through what it must have been like for Cole. One of the most touching points of Saturday night's performance was when Kent told the story of how Cole was forced to lighten his face with makeup for television performances.

Kent's humor softened the harsh realities of racism and warmed up the audience. In several parts of the performance, he would interact directly with the audience with ad libs.

Members of the trio provided soft background music for many of the show's most poignant moments. The mood would change from joyful to serene with the adjustments of a few chords. Guitarist Edison Herbert, pianist Kevin Christopher Teasley and bassist Fumi Tomita, while they had no lines to memorize for the performance, were as much of the performance as Kent.

Their facial expressions mimicked Kent's monologue and added some interaction to the show. All three have extreme musical talent and it shined as brightly as Kent on the stage.

And when you put all that together, well you get a performance that is simply, "Unforgettable in every way."

Grade: A

UNFORGETTABLE

Monroe Kent III
Monroe Kent III / Clarke Peters

"Unforgettable Cole classics" - Irish Times, Belfast

Unforgettable Grand Opera House
"Clarke Peters and Larrington Walker's deceptively difficult biographical musical of the story of Nat King Cole asks a lot of its performers. During the 135 minutes of Unforgettable only four performers graced the stage of Belfast's Grand Opera House.

As the great man himself, the splendidly named Monroe Kent III, effortlessly retells Cole's rise to stardom and his battles against prejudice, racism and finally cancer. He eases in and out of half a dozen other characters employing the aid of a few props and the odd mannerism or two to paint conversations pictures of the dramas Cole faced.

The New Yorker is one of those gifted people who acts with all of his body and it's no exaggeration to say that his hands are every bit as expressive as his voice. A glance here, a signal there and a gesture with a finger or two often says more than mere dialogue.

Time flies quickly as Peters and Warrington seamlessly weave Cole's story into a string of hits that includes Sweet Lorraine, Too Young, Walking My Baby Back Home, Mona Lisa, Let There Be Love and the title song itself." John Graydon

"To many, Cole was the king of jazz, yet his contribution to popular music - influencing the likes of Ray Charles and Chuck Berry - is often overlooked. Therefore this high quality bio-musical is most welcome, not only for reminding us of this mould breaking coloured artist but also of the equally high quality of music which existed throughout that jazz oriented era.

For this reason, it is not vitally important that the man who portrays Cole - Monroe Kent III - is neither a lookalike or a soundalike of the man (although he does come close during a few of the better known songs).

However, Kent is a singer, an actor and a mime artist of amazing talent, for in this extremely portable production - bereft of sets and other cast - he turns in a one man performance that can only be described as a tour de force..."
Irish News, Belfast

"He (Kent) gave a wonderful, respectful portrait of the man" Strait Times, Singapore

Unforgettable has played four successful tours in the past three years. visiting:- Theatre Royal, Bath; King Theatre, Edinburgh; The Grand Opera House, Belfast; Theatre Royal, Newcastle; Theatre Royal, Glasgow; amongst others in the UK. Internationally:- Bangkok; Hongkong; Singapore and two tours to Japan. Playing in theatres from 400 to 2,000 seats.

UNFORGETTABLE

FIVE GUYS NAMED MOE

GENERAL

By Chun-Wei Yi

On September 22, Robsham Theater was the stage for Unforgettable – The Nat King Cole Story. This one-man show, starring Monroe Kent III, depicts the life and times of famed singer Nat King Cole.
Last Saturday Robsham Theater was treated to a night of classic entertainment. One man and three musicians proved that the purity of art and performance is not lost. In today’s world, this purity is often glossed over with extravagant stage setups and special effects, but in “Unforgettable, The Nat King Cole Story,” there was nothing to rely on but the purity within every note and every motion.

Singers are known and respected for their songs and performances but their world off-stage, away from the microphone is often ignored or forgotten. Writers Clarke Peters and Larrington Walker find an excellent balance of fact and fiction to recreate Nat King Cole’s life. The story and its structure brings depth to each and every song while giving Cole (Monroe Kent III) the chance to shine.

Throughout the entire performance, Kent seamlessly moves between characters and audiences. One minute he is Cole recording in the studio or interacting with his audience and another minute he is Sparky, Cole’s assistant, narrating and recounting Cole’s life. One minute he is Cole’s father, speaking words of advice and love and the next, he is Cole’s love interest, flirtatiously batting her eyes. This is all executed with great ease and made easy with writing. Peters incorporates his mime training in the script and Kent succeeds in creating believable characters.

Starting with Cole’s childhood, nothing is left out, allowing the audience to understand what raised Cole to what he is known for today. Incessant smoking, love for family, respect (or fear) for his father, infidelity and racial inequities are all subjects of discussion. A poignant scene showed what struggles existed for Cole and our society when he was asked by television executives to apply whitening cream so as to “lighten up” his complexion.

The simplicity of the show allows true appreciation for key elements of stage performance. These elements contribute to the authenticity of the story and anything less would be a shame. The lighting effortlessly altered moods and atmospheres while the costumes immediately created yet another character. Scenery was often limited to a piano, guitar, bass, and their respective players. But of course in every scene, Kent stole the show. By the end of the show, he definitely persuaded many with his rich voice and graceful elegance that the “King” was back. Performing many of Cole’s greatest hits, like “Straighten Up and Fly Right” and “Mona Lisa,” Kent’s agile voice can melt hearts.

The Nat King Cole trio is reincarnated with three talents. Edison Hebert on the guitar, Kevin Christopher Teasley at the piano and Fumi Tomita plucking bass add the finishing touch to a well-orchestrated show. All renowned in their own right, they do their real life counterparts justice.

A one-man show is hard to pull off but a one-man show is near Monroe Kent III impossible to achieve success. Provided with a great script, Monroe Kent III delivers Nat King Cole. Filled with laughter, melancholy, and achievement, “Unforgettable, The Nat King Cole Story” evoked every imaginable emotion. The encore featured the requisite ballad “Unforgettable,” capping an excellent show.

Whether it was the singing or the simple gestures associated with the legend, Kent recreates what a night with the “King” would be like.

Hard to forget

By Amanda York Staff reporter

By Amanda York
Staff reporter