Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall

In the midst of a whirlwind world tour, the much-beloved actor and musician Jeff Goldblum, alongside his trusty sextet, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, stopped by The Royal Albert Hall to charm a packed house at the iconic and substantial venue. Their numbers were bolstered tenfold by members of The Heritage Orchestra – the trendy orchestra for hire about town at this time – under the energetic baton of Bryan Carter. The sound world of a giant, squishy big band was ushered in, lacking the punch of a replete horn section, but fitting enough for the softer end of the jazz sound spectrum that the group typically occupies. This tour coincides with the release of the band’s latest album, Night Blooms, many numbers from which are included in this live show’s programming.

Goldblum, of course, shines as an onstage personality, immediately fostering an easy rapport with the audience. As a vocalist, he projects a little discomfort when not at the piano, though his voice remains a warm embrace for the auditorium, whatever his stage locale, effortlessly pleasant and surprisingly rangy. He is a slick, instinctive and sometimes slightly violent pianist, who impresses most when noodling atop this extra-rich orchestral soundscape. His adoration of language is pleasingly evident as both a vocalist and compere; as the latter, he takes a unique yet highly involving approach, evidently unplanned and highly trivia-based.

The programming takes the form of an eclectic mix of covers, not straying too far from the band’s usual mélange of cinema, standards and The Great American Songbook. Arrangements are generally high quality, intricate and intriguing, presented by a number of contributors, including several by Carter himself. The expanse and versatility of the broadened orchestral forces are explored thoroughly and to good effect throughout. Arrangement highlights include The Carpenters’ Close to You and Wonderful, as performed by Goldblum’s Wizard of Oz in 2025’s Wicked: For Good (in fact, the performance makes several dips into the actor’s now highly profitable inhabitation of the universe of Oz). Special guest stars Imelda May, Dodie and Khailah Johnson invariably shone, including a contortionism dance showcase from Goldblum’s former Olympian rhythmic gymnast wife, Emilie.

In all, this evening’s proceedings were in fact somewhat edgy and unpolished, with one or two mishaps and a general straying from togetherness an underlying theme, but Goldblum and company somehow pulled this off in a manner not of anticipation that everything could fall apart at any moment, but of performers and audience alike being along for the thrilling ride. This was an imperfectly perfect lark.