Tag Archives: Dave Stewart

“The Time Traveller’s Wife” at the Apollo Theatre 

Any show tackling time travel runs the risk of being judged a waste of just that precious commodity. This new musical adaptation by Lauren Gunderson of Audrey Niffenegger’s best-selling novel isn’t that bad. There’s plenty of talent involved – on stage and off. And it is, broadly speaking, entertaining. But it is bland.

This isn’t sci-fi. The story of Henry, who can’t help going back and forth in time, and Clare, who has to put up with his disappearing, is really about loss and grief. Let’s ignore the uncomfortable idea of Henry meeting Clare when she is a young girl and her waiting to grow up for him. Or Henry’s fascination with his opera-singing mother who died when he was a child but who he waits at stage doors for as a grown man. Instead, Niffenegger’s repetition that “love wins” and that it exists outside time is an idea clearly appealing enough for huge success.

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Joanna Woodward and David Hunter

Even if you think there’s always time for romance, I fear disappointment, as the show is horribly rushed. An awful lot of the book has been crammed on to the stage and, as a result, there’s little room for emotion. Too much time is taken working out what’s going on. And this is all despite the efforts of our leads, David Hunter and Joanna Woodward, who sound great, act well, and, alongside director Bill Buckhurst, make sure the action is clear.

The score is a big disappointment. Indeed, coming from Joss Stone and Dave Stewart, the songs are something of a shock. Nothing is unpleasant (although some incidental music sounds like we’re in a lift) but nothing is inspired. And, too often, perky, sweet or swooning sounds contrast awkwardly with what’s going on in the story. And isn’t it downright odd that, despite the time travel, there’s so little variety in the score? There’s no exploration of the time covered by events. The lyrics, credited to Kait Kerrigan as well as Stone and Stewart, are bad. Attempts at humour fail.

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David Hunter and Ross Dawes

Yet there is stuff to praise in the show. Buckhurst has a lot of success with the staging, helped by Chris Fisher’s illusions. Andrzej Goulding’s video and animation work is a highlight. Anna Fleischle’s design, particularly the costumes, are useful. There are also strong roles for Tim Mahendran and Ross Dawes as Henry’s friend and father, respectively. While the main love story is beige, these incidental figures get the best numbers dramatically. It just seems slim pickings for a big show and not worth travelling (far) for.

Until 30 March 2024

www.timetravellerswife.com

Photos by Johan Persson

“Ghost The Musical” at the Piccadilly Theatre

Many would rather die than see Ghost. A West-End musical that’s blatantly yet another attempt to cash in on the popularity of a movie that wasn’t very good in the first place, it sounds strictly for out-of-towners. Yet Ghost has some serious talent both behind the scenes and on stage. While its trite tagline asks us to ‘believe in love’, should we believe that this Ghost is worth seeing?

The plot is a given. A young woman becomes haunted by the ghost of her fiancé after his murder, aided by a medium who discovers, to her surprise, that her gifts are genuine. The first coup is the casting of Sharon D Clarke, who has fine comic skills and the kind of voice that makes you suspect she’s too good for the songs she’s singing. Which is certainly the case with the star of the show, Caissie Levy, who plays the lead role of Molly. A performer from America with the kind of belting voice and acting skills Broadway produces so well, Levy is a real star.

The important thing about Ghost is that it contains original music. There are occasions – such as the trio finale of the first act – that are very good indeed and, if some numbers fail, I think Dave Stewart should be given a break, as writing for this must have been a thankless task. With the ‘theme’ from the Everly Brothers already in so many heads, anything else penned is bound to seem incidental. Yet Stewart has produced a score that is interesting and deals with that tune intelligently.

Talented director Matthew Warchus adds credibility to the project and his speedy handling of the story is commendable. But the show seems hampered by flashy projections and the ensemble underused. It is tempting to imagine Ghost as some kind of chamber piece and possible to see that a stripped-back production could have been something very different indeed. The illusions added to the show by Paul Kieve are spectacular and the projections mark a new high technically, but both achievements move the production uncomfortably close to its cinematic heritage and make it strangely untheatrical.

That Ghost is so technically accomplished will not seem a fault to many. But the role of the leading man is a flaw that should have been corrected. As the programme reminds us, the departed fiancé, Sam Wheat, joins a long line of supernatural characters in plays. Unfortunately, Sam has the distinction of being the most boring ghost in theatre history. Richard Fleeshman deals valiantly with this fact, seemingly under the impression that if he sings loudly enough we will forget his character’s insipid sentimentality. He is mistaken. It is difficult to believe Sam is the grand passion of the rather wonderful Molly – love may be blind but here it is in danger of ending up deaf as well.

It is difficult to care about this ghost, so should you bother to see him? Yes. After all, any belief takes a leap of faith and the power behind the central performances, along with the competence of those who have put the show together, should be more than enough to convert all but the most cynical.

Photo by Sean Ebsworth Barnes

Written 30 September 2011 for The London Magazine