“The Simon and Garfunkel Story” stopped in Madison this weekend with performances at The Overture Center. With two shows Saturday, this concert-style theatre show provided the audience with a heartfelt and informative experience.
With Taylor Bloom as Paul Simon and Benjamin Cooley as Art Garfunkel, the show delivered an enthralling and eye-catching theatre experience. The two actors started the show off with a beautiful rendition of, “The Sound of Silence.” Their harmonies sounded remarkably similar to the actual voices of Simon and Garfunkel, and the live band who accompanied them provided a richer sound.
The actors then went on to introduce the audience to the show. “The Simon and Garfunkel Story” consisted of Cooley and Bloom speaking directly to the audience. They did exactly what the title of the performance said, telling the story of Simon and Garfunkel.
Courtesy of The Simon and Garfunkel Story Website Gallery
Of course, this story was frequently interrupted by more of Simon and Garfunkel’s songs.
The story of Simon and Garfunkel itself is interesting, but the stage effects made the show even more so. The light sequences throughout the songs were done in a very creative manner in which the light flashes often matched up with the drum beats.
There was also a projector screen behind the stage, providing authentic images and video clips of Simon and Garfunkel’s journey. During some of the songs, the screen gave illustrations of the lyrics, with the leaves in a photograph even changing color when the line, “And the leaves that are green turn to brown,” was sung.
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As the actors moved through Simon and Garfunkel’s story, the costumes of Cooley and Bloom were slightly altered to demonstrate the change in time period.
The live band that accompanied Cooley and Bloom did a tremendous job of rendering the true feel of Simon and Garfunkel’s music. With an electric guitar, bass, keyboard and drum set, the cast of “The Simon and Garfunkel Story” accurately recreated the sounds from Simon and Garfunkel’s discography.
The performance gave an accurate and interesting retelling of Simon and Garfunkel’s story, leaving some audience members in tears. This unique show proved to be a captivating and memorable experience, filled with a talented cast and a powerful story.
