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REVIEWS
Book by Richard Nelson, Music by Johann Strauss II, Lyrics by Ellen Fitzhugh Menier Chocolate Factory, London Until June 26, 2010 The amazing success of the tiny and unsubsidised Menier Chocolate Factory has been the defining story of London theatre this past five years. This year's Tony nominations for example are dominated by the Menier's glorious reinvention of La Cage Aux Folles (11 nominations) and Trevor Nunn's A Little Night Music (4 nominations). Their success attracted the attention of the great Hal Prince, the pre–eminent Broadway musical director of the past 50 years with a record 21 Tonys on his mantelpiece. He and Broadway's top choreographer Susan Stroman (only 5 Tonys) have now used the Menier as their "out of town try out" for their latest musical endeavour. Prince's name of course drew a stellar cast including the legendary Mandy Patinkin and Broadway veterans like Judy Kaye, Shuler Hensley, Nancy Opel and John McMartin whom we don't see over here often enough. Kate Baldwin, this year's Tony nominee for Finian's Rainbow, is the romantic lead. With this line–up, expectations were stratospheric but, sadly, they've come crashing to earth with a bang. This piece of cod Arabian Nights re–invented as burlesque and crossed with Viennese operetta is, to be kind, an honourable failure, but at least it gives us a chance to see this cast. Of course you can make a musical out of anything but the source material here didn't bode well from the outset. Based on the novel The Tale of the 1002nd Night by Joseph Roth it has a book by top American playwright Richard Nelson and, bizarrely, music by the waltz king Johann Strauss II, presumably inspired by the setting. The pantomime plot revolves around an elderly 19th century Shah of Persia (John McMartin). Having lost his libido and got the blues, he is going through the motions of a state visit to Austria when he becomes besotted with the current young Empress. He requests his sidekick Eunuch (Many Patinkin finally finding a character to suit his falsetto) to have her brought to his tent. With the help of a local Baron (Hensley in fine voice) he arranges for Mizzi from the local bordello to stand in for the Empress and thus prevent a diplomatic incident. We also learn about the emotional entanglements of the troubled Baron and the Eunuch's own fascination with romantic love. Patinkin gets the best song in the show "Without desire", which is the Eunuch's own exploration of the alien realm of the heart. "Life without feeling feels right," he sings. If made more pivotal to the show this strand might just have saved it, instead, we get distracted with other tedious sub plots. Prince and Stroman stage it all with their customary élan and as usual the Menier seems to have a Midas touch when it comes to design. Beowulf Boritt (sets), Howell Binkley (lights) and Judith Dolan (costumes) manage to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The large cast try to divine every moment of truth they can from it but eventually, diminishing returns set in. Kate Baldwin, luscious in every sense of the word, is captivating as the love interest Mizzi and Judy Kaye shines as the wily old Bordello madam Frau Matzner. The great Shuler Hensley is pitch perfect as the Baron, looking like he strayed in from The Merry Widow. In the second act the show fatally changes gear from frothy comedy, which at least amuses, to tired melodrama, which just outstays its welcome. Sadly despite the efforts of all the chefs involved this piece of Viennoiserie comes out of the oven as a stodgy slab of sachertorte. |
