Tag Archives: Piccadilly Theatre

“Moulin Rouge!” at the Piccadilly Theatre

This theatrical version of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 movie musical arrived in London with considerable hype (and ten Tony Awards) at the start of this year and is clearly set to be a profitable West End fixture. 

The escapist love story between cabaret courtesan Satine and singer-songwriter Christian has appeal. The book by John Logan may be thin, but it is well crafted – the device of a show-within-a-show is as safe as they come but it is used superbly. And you can literally see what’s drawing in the crowds – the production is as sumptuous as it is entertaining. With wonderful costumes by Catherine Zuber and stunning lighting design from Justin Townsend, Moulin Rouge! looks great. And it sounds, well, it sounds OK.

Luhrmann’s mashed-up soundtrack, taking snatches of songs from very different artists, was innovative and influential at the time. The music supervisor and orchestrator for the show (who has also provided additional lyrics) is Justin Levine and his work is accomplished. But, somehow, the music doesn’t excite as it should. Maybe it just lacks the element of surprise? The new songs utilised are a touch predictable. Or maybe, director Alex Timbers mistakes the wit for humour too often. The technique isn’t just a joke – it’s supposed to reflect Christian’s creativity and is used in serious scenes. Yet too often it becomes a game for the audience… remember the TV show Name That Tune? Frankly, the whole thing is done a little bit better in a much lower key show, &Juliet. Even worse, and more puzzling, the sound itself is underwhelming – and I seldom say that a show isn’t loud enough.

These disappointments are not the fault of the performers (although some of the singing could be tighter). But nearly all the characters have too little to do. The villain and Christian’s friends are woefully one-dimensional: Simon Bailey and Elia Lo Tauro end up wooden as a result. Jason Pennycooke’s Toulouse-Lautrec is better but hampered by a cod French accent. Clive Carter, as the owner of the cabaret, has clearly been directed to give his best impersonation of Jim Broadbent in the film. Carter can whip up a crowd, so it’s shame he isn’t given more freedom. And the character is a car crash – tarts with hearts is one thing but sympathy for the pimp?

The result of poor characters means the show rests on the leads, which isn’t unusual or necessarily a problem but often feels weak or lazy. Thankfully, these leads are good. Liisi LaFontaine uses her powerful voice to the max and really pleases the crowd. Honestly, the consumptive Satine is a bit of a bore, but LaFontaine makes her charisma believable. Jamie Bogyo has the better role as Christian and he can belt out a tune, too. There are moments of pathos as Bogyo sings that show that the musical mash-up can bring about drama as well as comedy. These moments shine, but leave the impression that the source material has been short changed. For once, the film is better than the stage. That’s not something to celebrate.

www.moulinerougemusical.co.uk

"Death of a Salesman" at the Piccadilly Theatre

Successful revivals – and this is one of the best – tend to present a classic text with reverence or remodel it for the current day. Trying to do both – respecting and reinventing – usually pleases nobody. But just such a combination has been achieved by co-directors Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell with Arthur Miller’s classic story of Willy Loman’s demise. It’s like no production of the show before, but presents Miller’s concerns for the working man with utmost conviction. The result is marvellous. 

Casting the Loman family as African American is the most obvious difference. The consequences are profound, rippling through the show, continually adding layers to Miller’s text. Take Willy’s subservience to his much younger boss – more painful than ever. Highlighting the play’s concern with Willy’s breakdown is novel, too: since Miller’s day appreciation of mental health, including dementia, and how distressing it can be for victims, has grown. Flashback scenes, with bold lighting design from Aideen Malone, add a distressing air that increases sympathy for Willy. The production takes modern sensibilities into account and fills the play with new questions and tensions.

Meanwhile Miller’s political concerns are amplified. Rather than connect Willy to buzzwords (“the squeezed middle” or the “precariat”), ideas about the dignity of work, perhaps old fashioned, are explored as the writer intended. Likewise, the aspirations that obsess Willie, maybe even drive him mad, are given space. A period atmosphere is aided by Femi Temowo’s compositions and musical direction – I don’t think Miller’s ever been this cool. The brilliant design, by Anna Fleischle, makes the family home, just about to be purchased, a frame: a perfect reflection of how transparent these lives become to us.

Matthew Seadon-Young and Wendell Pierce in 'Death of a Salesman'
Matthew Seadon-Young and Wendell Pierce

As if all this weren’t enough, this production also boasts some of the most fantastic performances you could witness. The whole cast is impeccable, even the smaller roles who add to the music in the show. Victoria Hamilton-Barrit and Matthew Seadon-Young excel, despite their characters coming close to being devices. The Loman brothers are vividly depicted by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù and Natey Jones with performances that complement each other – as they should. The tension for one bubbles under while the other’s anger proves explosive.

Making a West End debut that will surely be remembered for a long time, Wendell Pierce takes the lead role with astonishing skill. Willy is not an appealing character, rather a tin-pot tyrant who’s easy to condemn. But Pierce makes him a man you can warm to – and a surprisingly diffident person that you feel for. Adding a purity of intention, focusing on his sons, he becomes a noble character whose end is truly tragic. 

As his wife Linda, Sharon D Clarke recognises the role as the lynchpin of the play. Often quite literally centre stage, Clarke has the presence to make the role major. For Linda is also the play’s moral compass and Clarke gives a performance of dignified intensity that becomes heart-breaking. Finally, the chemistry between the two leads is something really special – adding an urgency to the drama and, again, an emotional impact that makes this the most moving Miller I’ve ever seen.

Until 4 January 2020

www.atgtickets.com

Photos by Brinkhoff & Mogenburg

“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