Review: Bill Murray, Jan Vogler And Friends at Plenary Hall, Melbourne, November 17th, 2018
It probably goes without saying that Bill Murray is the last name that comes to mind when you think of classical music, but to quote a YouTube comment on one of his musical videos; “who knew?”
As the story goes, world-renowned comedian first ran into German-born cellist Jan Vogler while on a flight from Berlin to New York almost five years ago. While the pair didn’t recognise each other at first, they soon developed a fast friendship that eventually grew into one of the most ambitious musical projects of all time.
While Bill Murray is best known for his work on films such as Ghostbusters, Stripes, and many other comedic classics, Jan Vogler has had a career that revolves around performing with numerous orchestras from around the world.
On paper, a collaboration that sees classical works mixed with famous texts and musical standards isn’t something that should work, but on the live stage, it’s a resounding success.
With an immense crowd eagerly entering the Melbourne Convention Centre’s Plenary Hall on Saturday night, it was clear that no one was quite sure what to expect. As hordes of music and comedy fans of from all walks of life shuffled in, they were greeted by a sparse stage that consisted only of a piano, a podium, and a handful of chairs.
While some audience members reminisced on their favourite Bill Murray jokes, others professed their love of the classical genre and Murray and Vogler’s collaborative album New Worlds. Nevertheless, when the performers took to the stage, one fan’s loud outburst of “it’s Bill fucking Murray” made it perfectly clear who they were here to see.
After kicking things off with a recitation of the works of James Fenmore Cooper to the sounds of Franz Schubert, Murray was quick to note that he was more than aware of the audience’s mixed reactions to this performance.
“This is the moment when audience members look at each and say…” he explained, a look of bewilderment covering his face. “And I completely understand.”
“The noises that [Jan Vogler] is making on that box of his shouldn’t be repeated publicly, the chicken -strangling that [violinist Mira Wang] is, y’know… the authorities should step in,” he continued. “But I want to make you a promise, I really swear to you; the worst is over.”
Thankfully, to the delight of many in the audience, the evening was far from over, and the night continued to showcase more of “the collision of America and Europe” that those in attendance were promised.
As the evening progressed, Bill Murray, Jan Vogler, Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez treated audiences to songs by George Gershwin, Stephen Foster, Van Morrison, and even Tom Waits, whose ‘The Piano Has Been Drinking’ showcased Murray’s trademark slapstick skills.
Lengthy readings from Mark Twain’s Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn, and James Thurber’s If Grant Had Been Drinking At Appomattox followed, before a medley of songs from Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim’s West Side Story closed out the set.
Returning for the standard encore, the performers ran through renditions of John Prine’s ‘Angel From Montgomery’, and Bruce Hornsby’s ‘The Way It Is’, before Murray took the chance to show off his athletic ability.
Being given a large bouquet of roses, the 68-year-old soon began tossing the flowers into the audience, quickly breaking into a sprint which saw him bound across the numerous levels of the Plenary Hall, showering the evening’s attendees with petals and affection.
While many in the audience left the venue loudly discussing the pros and cons of what they had just seen, the prevailing attitude was that of sheer wonder and amazement.
After 45 years in the entertainment industry as one of the world’s most prominent performers, Murray’s ability to reinvent himself and deliver an astoundingly chaotic, yet mesmerisingly soulful evening of music and literature was not at all lost on this crowd.
While it isn’t clear whether or not Bill Murray collaboration with Jan Vogler will be an ongoing endeavour for the famous funnyman, there’s no denying that the end of their debut Australian tour was something fans will be talking about for years to come.
Check out Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends’ cover of ‘America’:
Bill Murray, Jan Vogler & Friends @ Plenary Hall, Melbourne 17/11/18 Setlist
‘It Ain’t Necessarily So’ (George Gershwin cover)
‘Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair’ (Stephen Foster cover)
‘The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) (An Evening With Pete King)’ (Tom Waits cover)
‘When Will I Ever Learn To Live In God’ (Van Morrison cover)
‘Moon River’ (Henry Mancini cover)
‘Somewhere’ (Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim cover)
‘I Feel Pretty’ (Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim cover)
‘America’ (Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim cover)
Encore:
‘Angel From Montgomery’ (John Prine cover)
‘The Way It Is’ (Bruce Hornsby And The Range cover)’
