Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentleman at the Soho Theatre

Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentleman at the Soho Theatre

03 September, 2009
by: Emma

It's been three long years since I last saw Mikelangelo and The Black Sea Gentlemen perform in the Spiegeltent in Edinburgh. This Vaudevillian venue, an old circus tent full of mirrors was the perfect setting for the group; a sort of musical, black cabaret act, or 'kabaret noir' as they like to call it. Consisting of the stocky Mikelangelo on vocals and guitar, the deadpan Guido Libido on the accordion, The Great Muldavio on clarinet, Rufino 'The Catalan Casanova' on violin and Little Ivan on the cello, the troupe play the guise of an Eastern European folk band, interspersing songs with storytelling and dancing. I'd never seen anything like it before and was blown away by the show, desperate to catch them again with more friends in tow.

Three years later and here I am in the Soho Theatre, not as pretty as the Spiegeltent perhaps but the stage is decorated with the same carnival touches: red and white striped curtains, strings of red and yellow lights, boxes, straw, beer bottles. The band troop onto the stage with their instruments and introduce their leader who emerges from the back of the room for a suitably dramatic entrance. Barrel-chested Mikelangelo (aka Mikel Simic ) plays the part of the Balkan Lothario to a tee; dressed in a natty suit and long-collared red shirt combo, he oozes testosterone out of every sweaty pore. He regularly jumps into the crowd during a song to kiss, caress and sit on anyone he can get close to. One man shrinks away in terror from his touch - "Bloody homophobe", Mikelangelo growls.

Naturally, Mikelangelo dominates proceedings but each Black Sea Gentleman has their story to tell and brings an individual persona to the table, from the eager-to-please Rufino to Guido Libido the deadpan accordion player. His subtle facial expressions - a bewildered look here, a condescending glance there, are just as funny as his disturbingly deep voice. Most of the material tonight comes off the band's new album Dead Men Tell a Thousand Tales, a collection of black gyspy songs on death, sex and the devil. Mikelangelo's rich baritone is perfect for these macabre ballads and ditties, but he is also supported by a very talented band. They can all play several different instruments from the harmonica to the pennywhistle and do so with such energy and flair (Little Ivan even manages to stand on his cello while playing it) that your eyes are constantly moving around the stage to keep up with them.

The Gentlemen leave the stage to a shower of applause and encore calls, and it's well deserved. Sure, not much has changed in the act since three years ago but so what? It's a perfectly polished show with so much going on in terms of theatre, music and comedy that you could happily watch it several times over. For the encore, Mikelangelo emerges on stage wearing some of the funniest swimming trunks I've ever seen, leaving little to the imagination. They play a belting carnival song and get all the audience (who are already clapping) to sing along. A wonderfully silly and uplifting end to a show about death. If only funerals could be more like this.

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Emma