The Simon and Garfunkel Story

Review by: Paul Towers, 28 May 2017

The Simon & Garfunkel Story by Dean Elliott

Maple Tree Entertainment production, Sam O’Hanion & Charles Blyth

DeMontfort Hall 28 May 2017

“timeless music beautifully performed”

One of the first albums I ever bought when I started work was Simon & Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, which sold over 25 million copies and dominated the charts for 3 consecutive years. So going to DeMontfort Hall for this sold out show was especially poignant.

The Simon and Garfunkel Story charts their musical career from their inauspicious pairing in a group called, believe it or not, Tom & Jerry, to the pinnacle of their joint careers in 1970 with the release of Bridge Over Troubled Water. Although they have come together a few times since, famously in 1981 for a ‘Concert in Central Park’, their partnership never regained its previous heights and the close friendship that had been forged in their teen years was forever broken by the time they parted in 1970.

This show is really a journey through those incredible years showcasing their music. There are no hard hitting revelations; no dirt dug and aired; no personal tit bits, just timeless music beautifully performed.

As Art Garfunkel, Charles Blyth has the ethereal, other worldly look and amazing high voice of  the duo while Sam O’Hanion as Paul Simon has the solid, capable face of the writing powerhouse in the relationship.

While neither guy is supposed to be the singers’ doubles, happily they bear a slight passing physical resemblance. But then they start to sing and you could be back in the sixties or listening to an original album. Charles Blyth in particular has an amazing, crystal clear voice that breaks your heart.

The Simon and Garfunkel Story is touring. Details can be found on www.thesimonandgarfunkelstory.com
First published on Western Gazette