Review: LONDON CALLING at the Harlequin is the Best Rock Show I Have Seen

After a lot of "compilation" musicals like "Rock of Ages", where hits of yesteryear are shoehorned awkwardly into feeble or unrealistic stories that serve only to take you to the next song, it is refreshing to come across a show that does away with all that nonsense and just gives you the music in a tight format that is magnificently performed and choreographed.

"London Calling" at the Harlequin is one of the slickest shows I have seen since moving to San Antonio just under six years ago. It offers a multitude of classic rock songs presented with such enormous verve and energy that it takes your breath away. The pace never lets up. It's a wonder the cast had any breath left at the end of it.

This is director Shawn Kjos' best show to date of the ones I have seen. His music arrangements are terrific, and everything is tied together with the excellent choreography of Laura Anglin, assisted by Sarah Peters.

Everyone in the cast rose to the occasion with infectious enthusiasm and it is possibly unfair to pick out anyone for special mention as far as performances are concerned, but one cannot ignore Danny Romo's exuberance in his engaging interactions with the audience. Shawn Kjos himself stood out with his remarkable vocal abilities.

There are so many infectious songs in this show that make you want to sing along. I'm not a great one for joining in the singing at such shows (for one thing I'm a lousy singer) but I couldn't stop myself on occasions, like when they did Led Zeppelin's Rock n Roll and I found myself singing the "lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely, lonely" refrain.

The standing ovation at the end of the show was more than well deserved. This is probably one of the slickest shows in Texas, and deserves to be shown more widely.

The new sound system at the Harlequin also pays huge dividends. The sound seemed much more dynamic and crisp than on previous occasions, and Robert Olivas's lighting design added to the excellence of this production.