Burlesque – Jermyn Street Theatre
This is a masterclass on how to put on a musical on a stage the size of a postage stamp. However. what the stage lacks in substance is more than made up for in the text of this new musical by Adam Meggido (more at home with full scale musical improvisations) and Roy Smiles. The hugely intimate setting of the Jermyn Street Theatre definitely works with this musical in that singing voices that are rough around the edges do not jar but rather add to what is a visceral experience.
The setting is The Palace, a 1950s burlesque theatre who’s sun is setting and is in financial dire straights. After Crazy For You (struggling theatre) and Moulin Rouge (burlesque writ large) one might legitimately wonder what more could possibly be said about crumbling theatres and strippers. And in many ways this is very familiar musical territory; there is the weary, lascivious impresario Freddie Le Roy (Linal Haft – who is actually credited with appearing in Moulin Rouge), the comforting mama/madame of the house Lula (Buster Skeggs), and a trio of sexy strippers. What sets this story apart is the backdrop the McCarthy communist witch-hunts which has seen a comedy duo fall from the high cabaret scene to the low wit of The Palace due to one half of the act, Johnny Reno (Jon-Paul Hevey) being outed as a communist sympathiser. In turn his permanently drunk Irish stage partner Rags Ryan (Chris Holland) who is secretly in love with Johnny, becomes tainted with the same brush. Johnny must choose between fingering his friend in order to clear his own name, or taking a stand against The Man. Thus themes of fear, neglect, homosexuality and the nature of friendship make this much more than a knee slapping romp through theatre land.
Musically, the show is a bit hit and miss. The opening number is promising in its Gershwinesque instrumentation, but this thought is not carried through to every number. The musical style of numbers like “One of These Days” slips into something we might simply call, “Wicked”. The big numbers are good fun however, and the comedy songs like “Ladies Like a Novelist” and “Love’s The Same All Over The World” with their Flanders and Swan like lyrics are highly entertaining. What makes the show particularly appealing is that there is a great sense that this is not forced fun, rather that the cast are genuinely having a ball.
There was so much to like in the performances that it would be hard to mention them all in one review. I adored Lula’s Marianne Faithful-like low growl, and Saul’s (Jeremiah Harris-Ward) velvety tenor. The big success of the night though was the central duo of Rag and Johnny. Their closing numbers are very powerful indeed, and the chemistry between them is both touching and highly comedic. In truth though, this is an ensemble piece, and it is carried wonderfully by the whole cast backed by an innovative and creative use of a teeny weeny space. This is a new musical and it could definitely do with some polish, that being said there is certainly something to be said for catching now while it is still raw and gutsy!
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