Lautrec
by Julie MeaderShaftesbury Theatre April 1st 2000
‘Enjoy a little decadence’ said the advertising slogan for Lautrec, the new musical fresh onstage at the Shaftesbury. Why not? With music and lyrics by none other than Charles Aznavour, we thought we’d give it a go, and with preview tickets on a special offer, decadence was getting cheaper by the minute.
This was our first foray into the Shaftesbury since Rent and the most noticeable difference was that the audience were mostly of a certain age, and quite oddly, a certain height too? Anyway, the stage was lavishly draped in rich blue and purple velvet which looked most promising. Once the curtain rose, the large stage was dominated by a huge table complete with the family group of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, played by the diminutive actor Sevan Stephen, and his titled and inbred relatives. Right from the beginning, the humour was coming thick and fast with assorted jokes at the expense of Henri’s (lack of) height, and mostly from the man himself. Playing the central character as a kind of detached commentator, Sevan infused some wit into the show. Either sporting a leery grin or a raised eyebrow, Henri seemed to be permanently excluded from the action. His role was played out as one who gave one-liner responses to jibes from his friends or family while the main story centred around him, and was mostly about him, he walked through the scenes like an extra. The show was not a faithful account of his life, nor did it really tell you anything about him. But to be fair, it was called Lautrec; the Musical, not Lautrec; Everything you ever wanted to know. It was just a piece of theatre played out using real characters from turn of the Century Montmartre. And by taking this route, for me it worked.
Very large swings descending down from the rafters were used to escort the company on and off stage very effectively. Large gilt, transparent picture frames, not much wider than a human foot, were used for the exhibition scenes. The ‘upper class’ viewers were all in sombre black with a little splash of red here and there and came out in hats which reminded me somewhat of the Ascot Gavotte scene in My Fair Lady. But this novel method of conveying the actors in and out of scenes was most intriguing. At one point, Henri refers to calling a carriage, which in another scene was a cab. He did once become confused and say ‘I’ll call you a cabbage’ but no matterJ
The characters were all played with real relish, especially Hannah Waddingham’s Suzanne Valadon, Lautrec’s lover with a shady past. Her rather low-pitched rendition of Questions was a particular highlight. During the second half, she duetted with Jill Martin’s Adele, Lautrec’s mother, for Look Into My Eyes where she showed off her amazing belting skills! Jill’s main number, the Child Inside the Man while on first hearing was not sensational, had the potential to grace the repertoire’s of artistes such as Patti LuPone. The lyrics to the songs are not complicated or particularly diverse, but still pleasant. Peter Gallagher was a perfectly showy Aristide Bruant and his deep, rich voice was a wonderful choice to sing Love Is A Pain, along with David Langham’s freakish Valentin-le-Desosse. That song for me was the real winner in a score which was littered with memorable moments. The big chorus numbers were the most entertaining certainly, with Let’s Drink and the obvious CanCan handled well. The ensemble provide good choreography and general oomph is added to the show by way of the supporting cast. Sadie Nine imparts an earthy, ribald quality to La Goulou who seduces Henri’s cousin Gabriel rather un-ceremoniously during the obviously entitled ‘Doing It’. Martin Fisher as cousin Gab spends one act with a stiff upper lip and the other in bed with La Goulou. Their quartet with Henri and Suzanne ‘Me and You’ was also a very good song acted out with a split-stage effect.
The book is somewhat basic, and there is, as I said, no real premise to the story. I felt that the ending to Act One needed to be far more dramatic. The lights just dimmed and the curtains closed and you were left wondering if it was a scene change or the interval. But despite some minor misgivings, the show is most enjoyable; excellent sets, the cast are very good and the majority of the songs are well worth a second hearing. The audience who attended the show clapped hard and fast (and also along to the music at the end-urgh!!) and there were a few who leapt to their feet.
This show is on a short run, if you’ll pardon the pun, until mid July so if you fancy something a bit different, give it a go. I wouldn’t describe it as decadent exactly, but it is fun. I shall be returning if only to try and memorise the rest of the lyric for Love is a Pain, cos the one line I know is driving me crazy!
© Julie Meader 2000LES MISERABLES.
Saturday 8th April 2000th The purpose of yet another review of this very same cast, which I can’t possibly have much more to comment on, is because this particular performance marked the final show for most of them. All of the principals were departing for pastures new and so this was my chance to say goodbye. So, more of a tribute than a review.
John Owen Jones as Valjean has been one of the most phenomenal ‘finds’ of recent times. I first saw John years ago, when he was playing the Factory Foreman/Grantaire. I even saw him playing Enjolras on one occasion. But as soon as John received the nod to go on as Valjean, he seemed to find his niche and has made a spectacular, moving, consistent and thoroughly excellent job of the part both on tour and back ‘home’ at the Palace. His vocal interpretation was never less than perfect and not once did he appear to be tired or dare I say bored with the role. His partnerships with various Javerts over the years have given him the chance to adjust his performance to complete some very nice pairings and his interactions with Fantines and Cosettes has never been less than enthralling. He will be sorely missed in this show, but he has a marvellous future ahead of him and I feel sure that one day, those of us who had the pleasure of seeing him many times, will look back and feel honoured to have had the chance to witness one of his finest (three) hours! Emerging from the wings to take his applause, draped in the Welsh flag, John seemed somewhat pleased with the roof-raising reaction on Saturday evening. In previous curtain calls, he seemed rather reluctant to move to the front of the stage but by now I think he realised that the loudest cheers were for him. Needless to say that his performance was again one of overwhelming intensity and vocal excellence.
Hal Fowler as Javert, who has only been resident for these last 12 months, provided a very agitated Javert, constantly on the verge of a breakdown. Once more, as all actors I’ve seen in the part, Javert’s suicide scene was the greatest piece of drama which allowed Hal free reign to vent his spleen on that bridge! Shaking with emotion, and not doing the bridge lighting any good, Hal reigned supreme as the man losing his mind. Vocally, he put in a great performance and all of his lines were sung with clarity and conviction. Nice moment prior to Fantine’s arrest when he seemed to wait to hear what she had to say to excuse her behaviour but he still made to arrest her anyway. His delivery of ‘I have heard such protestations….’ was particularly good here, with the accompanying expression which said that indeed he had seen it all before, and was addressed to the surrounding crowd. His use of the night-stick for the initial scenes was rather alarming, inasmuch as he had poor John pressing back as the stick was right in his neck. Another nice moment was his release at the barricade when Hal was almost shouting his lines, completely unafraid of being overheard by the students, and John trying to whisper back that he could go. Overall a nice performance again.
Gunilla Backman’s Fantine was a very moving portrayal. I’ve always felt that her Come to Me is ‘superior’ to her I Dreamed a Dream, but during this performance she found another gear and delivered her song with such emotion and feeling, it was magical. Her death scene was wonderful too (which sounds odd, but you know what I mean)! and her Lovely Ladies lines for me are always heart-tugging as she mocks the Captain. She still manages to express her own disgust at herself at Valjean’s recognition of her which makes that scene all the more poignant. Another top drawer Fantine.
Amanda Salmon as Eponine gave yet another stomping performance in the part! Her general performance is just fabulous and there are far too many things she does that make her stand out. She gives Eponine the kind of quality that makes you immediately like her, not that many people don’t anyway, but she attracts sympathy straightaway because she is accepting of her destiny in that she will never get her man. Her joshing with Marius and the way she acts around him are well thought out. She acts with acceptance that she is always to be the bridesmaid, never the bride. Saturday she almost came a cropper when she leapt off the barricade but she still managed to deliver her ‘Good God, oh what a rumpus’ nursing what must have been a sore ankle. I think whoever is playing Eponine gets the rough end of the deal in the show, not just because she has to suffer the ignominy of her unrequited love, but she gets the first main song after the interval, and so has to sing over several dozen cases of acute bronchitis with added wheeze. However, that aside, she still gave a performance second really to none. Her death scene was enacted with great feeling and on Saturday, she was absolutely drenched in blood. Her delivery of On My Own, conducted mostly by standing still, contained such emotion it was impossible not to be moved.
David Malek returning to the role of Enjolras, whom I saw on my first-ever Les Miz trip, acquitted himself well in the part of the noble student leader. Vocally he remained strong and committed throughout and I felt his voice was better on the more restrained lines, particularly right after Gavroche’s death. He is very nimble on the barricade, running up and down it with ease and grace, but because of the location of our restricted seats, I couldn’t quite see the very top so I missed his last death scene. His entrance for One Day More was also slightly obscured, not by the fixtures of the Palace, but by my watching for the trunk-filling again! Sorry David.
If I could have chosen one cast member to stay on for longer, it would have been Tom Lucas as Marius. His performances over the months have been a real revelation. And to think I scoffed when I heard he was joining the cast. Well, I ate my words a long time ago, and Tom matured in the role of the lovesick student with ease and grace. His voice was assured and melodic with the added bonus of emitting from his rather nice face! His A Heart Full of Love was always both comical and poignant and he seemed to have found the measure of Marius early on. He treats Eponine with some kindness, not altogether as an equal, but certainly as a friend, even pinching her nose in the book-dropping scene. His expression on coming face to face with Cosette, although at ground level, was always one of believable credibility and I for one will miss his interpretation.
Rebecca Vere gave a spirited performance yet again as Cosette, infusing the character with some wit and wisdom. Her voice is always easy on the ear and her acting, especially for the garden scene is a real joy. The modification of her vocal pattern after Valjean tells her not to worry about the past is rather wonderful, moving from almost harsh in tone to apologetic and pleading. Her reaction at the final moment of truth is always a tear-jerker, with her realisation that Valjean not only bought Marius back from the brink of death and the revelation of her childhood (I always assume that it’s Eponine who remembers Cosette but not the other way round) makes for some agonising expressions. Yes, Cosette, he did it all for you!
Cameron Blakely and Joanna Mays are almost impossible to separate as a team. What would you call a pair of Thenardiers? A slime perhaps. Cameron having recently been covered ably by Stephen Matthews at the Palace, was back for this performance as the roguish innkeeper and it was something to quite savour. While Master of the House passed by with fairly modest humour, not un-funny but not hilarious, the best was saved and served up hot for the Wedding scene. Having only encountered Cameron on the tour version so far, I’d almost forgotten what he did during this scene. Not only does he have the most outrageous wig on, even bigger than before, but his dancing is just SO amusing! The hair is a bit like a the Eiffel tower in shape, and I’m thinking it must even be his own, cos other Thenardier’s at the Palace haven’t worn it? It’s really hard to describe his dancing, he just kind of leaps about like a horse with fleasJ Cameron’s voice I’ve always felt is rather too ‘good’ to be Thenardier, and the same goes for Joanna. She tries to add a rasping note but if you can sing, you can sing and you can’t disguise it. Joanna’s hair also has a life of its own and I liked the way she tried to pretty herself when Valjean returned with Cosette. As if! She is very active during Master of the House, running here, there and everywhere and on conning 1,500 Francs let rip with a very dirty laugh. So, another notable pair of old rogues who went for the comic touches and certainly found them.
In contrast to the programme which stated that Andrew ‘Bishop’ Williamson was playing Grantaire, it was actually Sam Hiller playing my favourite student (OK third favourite). Sam handed back Grantaire’s humour and his interraction with Gavroche was more like old times. Under the characterisation of Sam, Grantaire was returned as the more comic drunk, rather than Andrew’s portrayal as a cynic. Nothing wrong with either interpretation but I just prefer him fun. Sam is continuing in the role too but I wonder why Andrew didn’t finish up playing him, as was billed?
The ensemble all gelled together and made the barricade, slo-mo and crowd scenes all fit perfectly. From our seats I found that the orchestra seemed rather quiet and so you got a much more vocal show which was lovely, especially during Turning when you could hear each voice clearly defined. As with all the principals, it seemed ‘too soon to say goodbye’ to the ensemble also. But I do feel sure that many of them will return to the Palace at some point, although it would be completely unfair to mention some and not others so I won’t….just Tim Godwin as Valjean.
So, a huge thank you to everyone and looking forward to following your careers in other roles. And welcome to the new cast who began on 10th April - see you soon!
© Julie Meader 2000LES MISERABLES.
Thursday 27th April 2000th Palace Theatre.
Having allowed the almost entirely new cast two weeks to settle in, it was time go along to the Palace to see how they were coping. Among some familiar faces whom I had seen in other shows, there were some ex-Mizzers returning in new roles, and some into old, along with some of the UK tour staff. Simon Bowman has been enrolled to play Jean Valjean and he was one of the cast who was treading unfamiliar ground for me, as I had so far managed not to see him in anything. Peter Corry was joining from the tour to reprise Javert to a much wider audience and the Miss Saigon duo of Joanna Ampil and Niklas Andersson were playing Eponine and Marius. Paul Manuel was returning to fill the red (and black) jacket of Enjolras, with Rebecca Thornhill our newest Fantine. Mandy Holliday was back as Madame Thenardier and Barry James was hotfooting down Charing Cross Road, discarding bits of Cogsworth’s clock en route to resume Thenardier, a role he first played more than ten years ago.
Having listened to first hand accounts of the new cast, it appeared that all was not well. Simon seemed to have two distinct followings – those who thought he was excellent, and those who, well, didn’t. Being for me the actor who really must be on top from to carry the show, this was all sounding quite alarming. Especially as we’d just seen the best thing to happen at the Palace for a long time up and leave.
On hearing Valjean’s initial lines it’s pretty hard to make a decision, but so far so good. He certainly did possess a much deeper toned voice than is normally used for Valjeans but that was no problem for me. Peter was as good as ever – good at being bad! He seemed to be particularly snappish during his first exchanges with our soon-to-be-ex con. Simon began to come into his own during the early scenes. He has elected to portray a more angry Valjean for the first part of the play, and his treatment of Paul Monaghan’s excellent Bishop was incredibly scathing. For his grand exit from the prologue, Simon’s rendition of his Soliloquy was strong and convincing. No, he does not sing the higher notes as some have, but it does not detract from his performance. His voice is very resonant and deeper in pitch than previous selections, and therefore he elects to sing certain phrases at the lower end of the scale. His acting was carefully studied and each expression echoed the sentiments in the lyrics. Just before Who Am I? when Javert has told him about the man he has captured, before saluting to leave, Simon stretches his arms out and shrugs – a great gesture I thought. His treatment of the dying Fantine could have used a little more tenderness as he practically dragged her back onto the bed and also made to leave before her death, but really a minor quibble. His recognition of Javert was classic and once he’d picked out Marius on the barricades, he kept throwing him sideways glances. While Niklas is ending Drink With Me, he looks at him in half-amusement and then launches into a very powerful rendition of Bring Him Home. For an actor whose expertise lies in the rich, deepness of his voice, his main song was even more remarkable.
Peter Corry once more provided a very nice foil for Valjean’s calm reasoning in a neatly controlled Inspector. His voice is rather matched to Simon’s and so Confrontation needed the extra push of some forceful gestures which we duly received. Javert’s complete contempt for Fantine was cruel and heartless and showed that his hatred of Valjean, for it was hatred, was the only thing he cared about. Almost spitting out ‘Clear this garbage off the street’ the stage was ready for Stars which was sung with clear conviction and an effortless last note. Back on the barricades, Peter might have felled Gavroche with his glance but he lived to fight another day, just. On letting Valjean pass with the injured Marius, Peter ran after them, stretching out his hands and calling ‘No, wait…’ before launching into his fast and furious initial lines of his Soliloquy. Wonderful stuff! He had never once wavered from his position of stoic lawman until that second when his World fell in on him. By this point in the show, the audience were really getting the hang of it, and having clapped A Little Fall of Rain, Drink with Me and any other time the orchestra left a two-second gap, Javert’s Suicide was also applauded. Peter had earned it! His ‘reprieved’ goes on forever and he drops to his knees at the end of it, before falling a greater distance to his death moments later. Ahhh!!!
Rebecca Thornhill made a very emotive Fantine. From her rather quiet initial scene, she soared into I Dreamed a Dream with ease and increasing volume. She sang perfectly plainly and each word seemed to find new meaning. Her fight with Bamatabois was vicious and convincing, especially when he elected to drag her halfway across the stage by her hair - ouch! For the arrest scene, she was particularly pleading with Javert, who was taking absolutely no notice of her at all, and did that leg-hanging thing. Her ‘If I go to jail she’ll die’ was most entreating and her exchanges with Valjean were nice and meaningful. During Come to Me she was expressly fixated at some point in the theatre and her entire demise was very well handled. She is incredible at full belt and has a very rounded voice, although she can’t quite get down as far as the low notes for the Finale, so she sings a slightly modified tune but it really does not matter too much. Well, it didn’t to me and I loved her portrayal which was full of passion and very, very moving.
Paul Manuel has returned briefly to cover for Enjolras until Jason McCann is available. He plays the role of our favourite leader most ably but I still think he should ditch the facial hair! His inserted head shot in the cast list portrays a much nicer face than the 1930’s matinee idol who appears on stage. However, his voice is once more plain and rallying and his acting is first-rate as he bandages here and consoles there. He almost comes to blows with the meddlesome Grantaire during Drink With Me but he soon cools and takes a consolatory swig from the bottle instead. His leadership qualities are never in doubt and his treatment of Marius is kindly and not condescending. His final, despairing prayer on one knee is a nice touch and he puts in everything he’s got when he rushes up the barricade for the last time, followed by the penitent Grantaire, a superb performance by Sam Hiller. His death scene was spectacular, in fact all the students managed to do their best here, but Grantaire really looked like he felt every blast and even as he slumped down, he kept twitching which was rather eerie. Grantaire is well on his way to eclipsing Marius as my second-favourite student. But then I hadn’t banked on Niklas!
Mr. Andersson really comes into his own as soon as Eponine appears. He treats her rather well, with plenty of easy friendship between them, which is not always shown by other actors. I realise that I might really be flying against the wind here, but I also think he looks a bit like a young Michael Ball! Don’t go by his headshot in the cast list but on stage, he has a certain resemblance about him. He’s not a long lost twin or anything, but that’s who he reminded me of. Anyway, vocally he is an incredibly capable performer and he smiled a lot during the show which somehow endears you towards him even more. He is very confident in his approach and while Marius is still played as the naïve young pup, Niklas adds a certain charm. He was even able to laugh at the jokes Grantaire was contriving at his expense. The love-triangle scene was played out with tremendous feeling by all three and his greenness seemed completely natural. Eponine’s dying scene was beautifully enacted and despite the fact that this is not the first time that Joanna has breathed her last in Niklas’ arms, it was most expertly done. His helplessness was touching and he tried his best to offer her what comfort he could, and when he stretched out his arm to call for aid and she pulled it back around her, indicating that this was all the assistance she wanted, he seemed to finally get the hint and became the perfect beau she’d always dreamed of. He almost barked out the lines ‘Her name was Eponine, her life was cold and dark yet she was unafraid’ as if he was admitting to Enjolras for the first time that he was scared. Enjolras’s replying glance said it all; he was scared too. Empty Chairs was sung with great control and emotion and on hearing out Valjean’s confession he seemed even shocked at what he was being told, then more concerned about Cosette’s feelings than his newly acquired inlaw, the outlaw! His wedding scene was again both funny and touching, and he was rather harsh toward the Thenardiers. Not that they don’t deserve it, but his remembrance of Eponine was able to wipe the smile off my face for a while.
Barry and Mandy are wonderful as the gruesome twosome, bringing new life back into the characters. It’s great to see Mandy back again as she was my very first Mrs. T. and hasn’t changed a bit! She is able to be amusing yet still contain a hint of menace behind her portrayal. After her own lines at the end of Master of the House, she takes up the ladle and for want of a better description, beats the life out of a wooden barrel! She really lays into it and you even feel a tinge of compassion for Thenardier as you get the impression that she’d like to be doing it to him. Barry has made Thenardier really seedy and grabbing and his personal glee at ripping off whoever he can is most evident. When Valjean returns with Cosette, Mandy is actually reading a book while Thenardier is picking over the spoils of the day. His mistrust of everyone is shown as he rushes to conceal his money box and then the oil is pouring as he tries to worm his way round Valjean. Their gestures and mouthing owe more to cunning than comic and so you get to see another side of the Thenardiers. Whichever side you look at them from, they’re pure evil, but these two make you think more than laugh - not that they are not funny: they are, but they are also pathetic and when they sing ‘Jesus won’t we see you all in Hell’ and the audience largely cheer, it’s quite indicative. However, Barry makes a fine job of the role, and when he’s grave-robbing in the sewers, he brings the sickening aspect of it to the fore. For the Wedding they were both on excellent form and Barry emits a barely audible groan as he bounces Mandy across him for ‘Paris at my feet’ which was an original touch. He also re-instates the Colette/Cosette mistaken name, but instead of hurriedly repeating it after his wife, he just said ‘hmmmm’. They still get one of the loudest cheers from the audience and I hope it’s in recognition of the wonderful characterisation of the actors, and not the dubious characters themselves.
Their grown daughter is now played by Zoe Curlett whose voice is in direct disproportion to her height! She has the most glorious, crystal-clear, bell-like high soprano and her top notes are wonderful, delivered with ease. She is incredibly loving towards Marius and her father and there is plenty of romance to contend with. She can probably sing the part in her sleep but her acting is also dreamlike! She was all over Marius like a rash after the blessing had been given! I must add that she might have been attempting to disguise the row which was being caused by the nurse who had lost control of the water jug and glass from the tray and was making a pig’s ear of getting them back. But she is a wonderful Cosette all the same. She is almost, but not quite, harsh towards Valjean in the garden scene but she redeems herself fully in the next lines, where she beckons him toward her to tell him what she thinks of him. Showing a very fleeting recognition of Eponine, she conspires with Marius when she should be packing. Teenagers, eh? What are they like!!!
Joanna Ampil is the latest in a long line of superior Eponine’s whose portrayal and vocal ability are completely faultless. She has incorporated all the of the best bits from the most recent interpretations and, added to her own unique talents, has made the character even more likeable. She leaps onto Marius’ back for ‘Good God, oh what a rumpus’, and the tie and hair-straightening at the garden gate is now just perfect. Her voice is suited to her character too, in that it has a modern edge to it. Her treatment outside Rue Plumet is appalling and she really gets pushed around, again, being dragged over the stage by her hair, this time her own hair. She looks completely crestfallen when Marius offers her money, but is pleased later when he gives her the letter to take. On arrival at Valjean’s house, I got the impression he had seen past her ‘disguise’ and when he said ‘Give me that letter here, my boy,’ she hides it behind her back. The gate seems to have acquired a better lock now, and so he ushered her back into the night without having to wake the dead with the catch, and read the letter - very nicely I may add. Eponine, sneaking back to the gate, listens intently, and wanders round to stand in place for her big number. She is quite animated for On My Own, and at one point rushes to the footlights in despair. Her scenes with Marius are always both amusing and heartbreaking as she tries so hard to please him but he just doesn’t get it, until it’s too late. The final kiss she receives from him is so well-timed that it might even have come three seconds too late. As she reaches up, he at least meets her halfway but as she fades away you never know if she made it in time. Her spectral return for the Finale with Fantine is a nice sight and she gazes at Marius AND Cosette with such benevolence, it makes for a perfect ending. So - with the accompaniment of a fine ensemble, the new cast passed the test with flying colours. The show itself has been injected with some original portrayals once more, and is looking as fresh and new as it did last month. Enjoy!
© Julie Meader 2000Read more Julie's fascinating reviews!
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LA CAVA
Thursday 25th May 2000th Victoria Palace Theatre.
With previews delayed by a week due to set problems, our rescheduled attendance at this show only added to the excitement. Another new musical, with music by Laurence O’Keefe and Stephen Keeling, lyrics by Laurence O’Keefe and John Claflin based on the novel Florinda, by Dana Broccoli, opened at the Victoria Palace on 22nd May after a brief try-out at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Boasting a cast headed by Oliver Tobias, Julia-Alanah Brighten, David Bardsley and Paul Keating, and set amid the Spanish religious turmoil of the 8th Century, La Cava sounded more than promising.
The show opens with General Julian Espatorias (Bardsley) and his daughter Florinda (Brighten) planning to leave their North African port of Ceuta for Toledo in Spain so that the motherless Florinda can escape the upcoming wars over the land. She has other ideas and has formed a romantic but chaste relationship with Somal (Daniel Redmond) the Muslim son of the Moorish leader, Tariq (Joshua Bancel). Their doomed love must wait one year while Florinda lives out her enforced exile in Spain, cloistered in the King’s castle and overseen by Gurda (Dawn Buckland understudying), who teaches the girls in her care the art of becoming good wives; namely tapestry and deportment! The girls get to perform the comical First Kiss and imagine what married life might be like. Julian visits the King and it is established that they are old friends and their amusing duet You and I was pleasant enough. Entrusting his feisty daughter to the care of King Roderic, Julian returns to Ceuta to fight it out with Tariq. Making friends with Isabel (Louisa McCarthy) and Queen Exilona (Claire Massey, another understudy on this night) Florinda is finding the whole thing rather tough-going. And so are we by this point. While the foundations of a very interesting story are being laid down, the music is rather unmelodic and uninspiring. The voices, however, are fine, particularly David Bardsley’s (you didn’t expect anything less, did you?!) and while Oliver Tobias is not renowned for his singing voice, he can put across some feeling and emotion, and not insubstantial humour. He is a rather unhappy King, and his wife and he are not seeing eye-to-eye at the moment, due to her indiscretion with another man. He is also sick of the constant fighting for land around Spain and North Africa but is being pressured to continue in re-claiming Spanish soil by Archbishop Oppas (Patrick Romer) who also has some strange ideas of his own about ethnic cleansing. Nice to see how much we have moved on.
Sick of her new life and longing for home, Florinda, aided by Isabel, hatches a plan to escape the castle surrounds, and attempts to flee. Roderic catches her and while he knows who she is, she is ignorant of his regal identity. Queen Exilona’s loyal servant Agon (Paul Keating) witnesses the blossoming relationship between his mistress's husband and Florinda and tells the plotting Archbishop what he has seen. Roderic allows Florinda and Isabel a day outside the constraints of the castle by letting them go to the bazaar, where Florinda is bought a beaded necklace by Ezzak Mendez, a Jewish leader, just in case there weren’t enough factions in the equation already. At this performance, the string broke before the trader could take it out of the bag, and when Florinda shows Roderic what she has bought, he says ‘It’s beautiful, and it’s broken’, which ad-libbing bought some welcome relief to the audience.
Deciding that she likes Roderic (even though she still knows neither his name nor identity) Florinda resolves to stay at Toledo and is being hotly wooed by him. Somal then reappears, having made his way to Spain, to reclaim his girlfriend. Agon, always lurking in the background, alerts the guards and while trying to escape along the castle roof, Somal is killed by Roderic. The penny then drops for Florinda and while grieving in her room, she is visited by Agon, who plants the seeds of vengeance in her by describing in no uncertain terms how she has the power to bring down the King by seducing him totally, and then she can destroy him. Woman’s Hands was well sung by Keating but his odd portrayal of sheer dedication to his queen seemed rather strange, and he acted camper than a row of Bedouin tents. Anyway, deciding this as her only way forward, to avenge Somal’s death, Florinda picks up upon Agon’s proposition and goes all out for the King - quite literally in fact, as Act One ends with a semi-nude scene where Florinda gets Roderic all hot under the cloak. Marcos Cordoba, one of Julian’s envoys, arrives at the castle to ask for Florinda’s hand in marriage, having been given permission by Julian. Florinda tell Marcos that Roderic has raped her and he returns to Ceuta with the news.
Act Two begins with Julian, having received word of Florinda’s white lie, making a pact with Tariq the leader of the Moors to overthrow Roderic and avenge his daughter’s ordeal. What Would You Do For Your Child was probably the strongest song in the show, and was certainly put across with all the seething resentment necessary for an aggrieved father. Meanwhile, back at Toledo, Roderic is lavishing gifts on Florinda in order to amuse her. Her lament to the dead Somal in the orange grove he’s had imported into Spain especially for her was nice, and Florinda now lets slip the fact that while her original intentions of bringing down the King were a little premature. She is now rather falling for him. Meeting with Ezzak by chance, he tells her he is being banished from Spain because he will not relinquish either his Judaism or his Nationality, and will return to Ceuta, being hounded out by Oppas, the Archbishop. Florinda asks him to tell her father that the message she sent with Marcos was a lie, and hopes to head off the army she knows Julian will have assembled. The meddling Archbishop feels threatened by the Jews under Ezzak and his own plot to overthrow Roderic is seen through by Ezzak and so the Bishop has him killed before he can tell Roderic of the plot to oust him. On finding Ezzak’s body the next day, Florinda is distraught and knows that the danger is looming. Word has got to Roderic that Julian has joined with Tariq and Florinda knows she must get to Julian first but no-one will help her as she is an Espatorias who is now the enemy. Entreating the Queen, she tells her that she is carrying Roderic’s child, and Exilona, still protected and nursed by Agon, sings the title song, La Cava, which incidentally means harlot. She sings of her eventual imprisonment in this living death of being caged by Roderic (Exilona is not allowed to leave the castle since her misdemeanour) and says that she too will end up the same. She gives Florinda her own horse and supplies so that she can head off Julian and Tariq’s allied forces, or rather just to make her leave. Exilona then takes a chalice of poison and dies, swiftly followed by Agon, loyal to the end!
Preparing for the fight, the battle lines are drawn up and Tariq and Julian’s men prepare to swashbuckle their way to victory over Roderic’s mutinous troops, swapping sides after being got at by the Bishop with promises of riches and lands should Roderic be defeated. The Moors’ preparation scene is lifted in almost its entirety from Martin Guerre, as they stand in triangle formation and rush the edges of the stage, waving imaginary weapons and screaming for blood while miming disembowellments galore. During the fights, with some nifty sword-fighting scenes, Julian is wounded and falls to the ground, and Roderic finishes him off, having never been told why Julian is gunning for his blood and thinking his old friend has in fact just changed sides. Being severely wounded himself, Florinda arrives at the scene almost too late, and Roderic dies in her arms, leaving Tariq to place his Moorish flag on the Ceutan soil.
So there you have it! La Cava is in fact La Carve-Up, being a piece consisting of elements from all the shows you’ve ever seen. The story is fine, the plotting and general action scenes are well-enacted and believable while the characters are rounded and comfortable. It is unfortunately let down by the mostly drab music and hardly any of the songs are memorable or particularly tuneful. They are, however, mostly sung well, and while as I mentioned, Tobias is not a natural singer, he copes well and his casting in a musical shouldn’t be called into question because his acting is spot-on for the part of Roderic. Julia-Alanah is totally different from her previous incarnation of Belle and plays the naive Florinda very well. She is certainly pretty enough to be believable in turning a King’s head and the only thing I didn’t like was that she didn’t go to her father’s dead body at the end; poor old Julian, left lying in blood and dust all alone! Why does David always get to die? Probably cos he does it so well. There are some nice performances from some of the ensemble, particularly Luke Evans as Theo, Isabel’s husband, who perhaps should have had a bigger part, but the whole cast all work very hard with what is really very little scope. The orchestra did a fine job and the scenery is amazing, if familiar, with a large castle wall with opening doors all over and the obligatory revolve. I can’t personally see this production lasting a long while, but if you are a fan of any of the actors in it, give it a go, but don’t expect a sweeping Guerre-like score, because you won’t get it. But you will get to be amused, either intentionally or not, and the cast put every effort in to make it zoom along. Act Two I preferred over One which, as some of the refrains were repeated, perhaps indicates that the music grows on you after second or third hearing? The action scenes are good but some of the story-telling could be tightened up a little, so on the whole, La Cava is rather aptly named - a bit like Champagne, but not quiteJ
Julie Meader 2000
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