Cyrano - Review

Noel Coward Theatre, London

*****

Written by Edmond Rostand

Adapted by Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson

Directed by Simon Evans

Adrian Lester

Anyone who has ever been in love knows the impossible rollercoaster of feelings it brings: from the silly, adorable goofiness of sweet beginnings, to the nuanced hesitation of self-reflection and the gushing warmth of love — and sometimes, the salty taste of a tragic end. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s new adaptation of the classic French play Cyrano de Bergerac, originally written by Edmond Rostand in 1897, offers all that and more: a wild combination of Greek comedy and tragedy.

At the centre of the story is the iconic Cyrano de Bergerac, played by Adrian Lester. A poet, soldier and philosopher whose words are as sharp as his sword, but despite his charm and wit, Cyrano carries a paralysing insecurity about his appearance, feeling unworthy of the woman he secretly loves: Roxane (Susannah Fielding). As a long-standing friend of Cyrano’s, charming and sharp-tongued herself and recently widowed from her old husband who she had been forced to marry, Roxane longs to be dazzled by raw, breathtaking love.

As Cyrano finds himself watching Roxane fall for the dashingly handsome Christian de Neuvillette (Levi Brown), a man with the looks if not the brains that Roxane demands, he becomes the voice behind another man’s wooing, ghostwriting his rival’s terms of endearment, desperately hoping to provide the love that he believes Roxane deserves.

Simon Evans and Debris Stevenson’s adaptation — Evans’ second encounter with the play, having directed it around 20 years ago — provides a thrilling tale, crafted not only by an outstanding cast of actors, but also by a thoughtful balance between modern and classical language. The hilarious dialogue made the whole theatre laugh uncontrollably, while the emotionally moving monologues were full of romantic, rhythmic pathos.

The immersive staging, using the whole theatre with actors suddenly appearing among the audience adds to the evening’s effective comedy. Grace Smart’s stage designs are also remarkable, moving the audience smoothly through time and places, from Cyrano’s theatre to the battlefield.

In the original play, Cyrano says he has won, on a bet, a private orchestra for a day. Quite wittily, in Evans’ version, the band has apparently decided to stick with Cyrano for much longer. The gloomy yet obedient musicians quietly appear and disappear on the theatre’s balconies, on the stage and behind him, providing a heartwarming mixture of comic moments and a subtle echo of Cyrano’s feelings, sometimes before the character himself is able to acknowledge them. Outstanding amazing work from the band of actor-musicians and the composer Alex Baranowski.

There are no weak performances in the large cast of this big-hearted, bittersweet play. Lester is mesmerising and convincing as Cyrano, moving virtuously from impressive action fighting scenes to upbeat comedy and then to raw emotion. Brown, as Christian, reveals a great comic gift too. Fielding crafts Roxane as a believable character, goofy and vulnerable, allowing us to see her through Cyrano’s loving eyes and to care for her deeply too. 

This is a masterful production that tells of insecurities overshadowing even the greatest of loves — a familiar pain that makes this story so timeless.

Reviewed by Florit Shoihet

Runs until 5th September

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

A Chorus Line - Review

Sadler's Wells, London

*****

Music by Marvin Hamlisch

Lyrics by Edward Kleban

Book by James Kirkwood & Nicholas Dante

Directed by Nikolai Foster

The cast of A Chorus Line

Nikolai Foster created a magnificent revival of A Chorus Line at Leicester’s Curve Theatre in 2021. Even then, the brilliance of this production cried out for a wider audience, and so it is that London now has a month to enjoy this show with its residency at Sadler’s Wells before it tours across the country.

It has been 11 years since the A Chorus Line last played in the capital, a long wait to witness such a class act of a show and Foster’s interpretation has only improved with time. At just under two hours, this one-act record-breaker upends the traditions of musical theatre. There are no leading characters whose arcs we follow, rather an ingenious confection of the lives and histories of a fictional Broadway chorus line (with narratives drawn from real-life), all desperate to be chosen from the final-round audition that forms the backbone of the show. 

Adam Cooper and Carly Mercedes Dyer reprise their roles of the fictional show’s director Zach and Cassie an auditionee with more of a back-story than meets the eye. Both are sublimely skilled performers making captivating work not only of James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante’s fiendishly challenging book, but also of Ellen Kane’s choreography, with Dyer’s take on The Music And The Mirror proving breath-taking in her interpretation. Both Curve and Sadler’s Wells offer massive stages and Kane’s work, matched to a band that is intriguingly housed in an on-stage cube of gig boxes, uses that space to the full.

Most of the cast in this Curve revival may be new to the show but Foster has selected his actors wisely and they are all, to a person, performers at the very top of their game. The humanity that underlies each of their characters is sometimes funny but often heartbreaking and to name but a few of these gems, Amy Thornton, Lydia Bannister and Kate Parr as Sheila, Bebe and Maggie respectively make gorgeously poignant work of At The Ballet and Manuel Pacific has us in the palm of his hand as he delivers Paul’s devastating monologue of family dysfunctionality. Jocasta Almgill is entrusted with the role of Diana that includes the show’s hit-song, What I Did For Love. Almgill may have sung the lyric “look my eyes are dry”, but across the stalls on press night, quite a few eyes were moist at her delivery.

Throughout, under Matthew Spalding’s musical direction, Hamlisch’s score is handled beautifully. Grace Smart’s set design is neatly simple as the show demands. Howard Hudson’s lighting however is sensational, comprising ingenious use of rows of spotlights that rise and fall in carefully co-ordinated sequences, evoking scenes that range from intimacy to full on Broadway pizzazz. The tour’s lighting crew will have their work cut out on the road, re-calibrating this spectacular rig for each different venue.

It says much for the strength of the nation’s regional theatre that three of the finest musicals to be playing this summer, Oliver!, Barnum and A Chorus Line have all originated outside of London. With this interpretation however, Nikolai Foster has possibly created the definitive British production of this enigmatic show. Just go!

Runs until August 25th. Then on tour.

Photo credit: Marc Brenner

Killer Joe - Review

Trafalgar Studios, London


***


Written by Tracy Letts
Directed by Simon Evans

Orlando Bloom

Arguably, the revival of a 25 year-old script is done for one of two reasons; either its excellent writing simply entertains, or it is pertinent to today’s societal trends. With Killer Joe, the rationale is unclear. Billed as a blackly comic thriller, it makes for deeply uncomfortable viewing at times, before switching into an almost farce that can surely not be the intended effect.

The titular Joe Cooper (Orlando Bloom) is a detective by day and contract killer by night. Chris Smith (Adam Gillen) and his father Ansel (Steffan Rhodri) hatch a scheme to hire Joe to shoot Adele (Chris’ mother and Ansel’s ex-wife) and then cash in on her life insurance. Texan to his core and complete with cowboy hat, Joe wreaks havoc within the Smith family before even stepping inside their home.

Although it is Joe who sets the course for the tale, the story’s real focus is Chris’ sister Dottie (Sophie Cookson), an innocent twenty year old taken by the hitman as a retainer pending the life insurance payout. Ownership, agency and inequality are the dominant themes in the play, with the three intersecting most powerfully in the pawn-like Dottie. Cookson is found to be consistently captivating as she captures a young woman transitioning into adulthood.

Bloom unquestionably brings star power to the stage but it appears to takes him some time to get comfortable as Joe. During the second half however he comes more into his own, unleashing the dreadful power that has been quietly simmering below the surface. Elsewhere, Rhodri quietly shines, oscillating seamlessly between disinterest, flippancy and pain.

The other star of the show is its formidable creative trinity as sound, lighting and set designers conjoin to great effect. As a trailer park is neatly transposed on to the stage, the focal point of Grace Smart’s spectacular set is the Smith family home with an impressive depth and attention to detail that suggests authenticity throughout. Edward Lewis’ score and sound design complements the other elements of this production, despite its very occasional tendency to veer towards melodrama. Richard Howell’s lighting design is flashy (often quite literally) and precise.

Yet for all of this production's technical excellence Tracy Letts’ message remains unclear, with the onstage abuse of power proving to be as discomforting as it sounds. Even more jarring is the audience's laughter at such abuse. As today's headlines focus on morality and exploitation, it is hard to reconcile a truly menacing threat (even in dramatic fiction) being viewed as humour - and it is equally difficult to couch Killer Joe as either entertainment or art.

Runs until 18th August

Reviewed by Bhakti Gajjar

Photo credit: Marc Brenner