UNFORGETTABLE
press

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
REVIEWS
 

"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

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