He is known as one of the UK’s best recognised comics; he fronts comic relief and has opened so many doors for people behind him that it is easy to forget how important Lenny Henry is to the British Television experience past, present and future. On May 24th at Rich Mix London, Monologueslam welcomed Lenny Henry as its special guest judge for the May slam to kick off the summer!!
Lenny Henry was joined on the panel by; one of the UK’s most prolific female Directors, Paulette Randall, Head Agent at JLM Sharon Henry, acclaimed British Actor and producer, Roger Griffith.
To add to this joyous occasion Monologueslam also welcomed as its closing musical performance for the night X-factor participant Duane Lamonte!
The night opened with a strong 1 minute smack down, the open round where a belief is sometimes all it takes for these actors or aspiring actors to get on stage. Samuel Awosoga kept the audience on their toes with his version of “Good day sir” from Charlie and the chocolate factory, whilst NIkkisha Lewis continues to grow as an actress with her performance of Steven Berkoff’s West. However, the night belonged to first time performer Ashley Pontius who wowed the judges with her performance of Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s The Night Season, and was crowned “1 Minute Smack Down” champ for May 2010.
After some great improv to get the audience involved, ranging from Nollywood, Musicals and some strange but effective lines given by the audience – the show was well and truly on its way and eagerly awaiting the 3 minute “Heavyweight” round – the professionals!!
Monologueslam 2009 “Classics” champion Pip Mayo was given the daunting task of opening the round. Her rendition of Carol, written by new playwright Kenneth Emson set the tone! We were in for a tough round! Sandra Quartey made a strong monologueslam debut with Gordon Steel’s Like a Virgin whilst there were notable performances from Sammy Umoh with his take on Tarrantino’s Pulp Fiction, Jill Raymond perfected Laura Wades Breathing Corpses, while Junior Monologueslam Champ, Bolade Alake stepped up and delivered her strongest performance yet, with her energetic performance of Kellie Powell’s And Turning, Stay. Zack Momoh gave the audience a look into why you cannot hold a business meeting in the same room as a beauty pageant with his take on Ben Hersey’s Larry Dupree. With excellent performances from Dubem Nuabe, Sarah Amankwah and Jodie Perry as well as Andy Seaman, the night belonged to Rebecca Noble who came back as a reigning 1 minute champion from January and left the judges speechless with her performance of Roger Williams’ Gulp! She was crowned May 2010 Monologueslam Champion!!
With a great performance by Duane Lamonte that got the audience on their feet, monologueslam took another giant step forward. A great night and the presence of Lenny Henry proved that Monologueslam is a unique show that’s going from strength to strength.
