THE GATES OF KYIV at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“Mixing storytelling, music and dance in a unique and quite fascinating way”

Maria Yudina, a Soviet piano virtuoso, enjoyed notoriety as much as fame. Born in 1899 she grew up to be fiercely defiant of the repressive regime under Joseph Stalin – publicly denouncing him as well as demonstrating her faith in the Orthodox church. In Communist Russia that could have easily earned her a death sentence, yet somehow, she lived. There is one particular myth about this “holy fool” that goes some way to explaining her ability to survive the scourge of Stalinism. Apparently, Stalin listened to the radio a lot, and on hearing Yudina’s recital of Mozart’s Piano Concerto no. 23 one night in 1944, he called the station demanding a copy of the recording. The producers, afraid of the consequences of admitting that no recording took place, promised to deliver it the next morning. In panic they assembled an orchestra and called Yudina back to record it through the night. Legend has it that she slipped a note into the album sleeve stating that she would “pray for you day and night and ask the Lord to forgive your great sins…” All according to her lifelong friend, the composer Dmitri Shostakovich, whose fondness for imaginative tales adds to the fantasy of the folklore.

Although it often defines her, this late saga in her life forms little more than a footnote in Ian Kelly’s extraordinary “The Gates of Kyiv”. Mixing storytelling, music and dance in a unique and quite fascinating way, Kelly casts a panoramic eye over the life of Yudina, focusing on her sometimes-fractious relationship with Shostakovich. Michael Praed is a commanding figure as the renowned composer while Stockard Channing wears the pianist’s brittle yet mutinous mantle. They narrate their story in retrospect, portraying them late in life, intermittently talking out to the audience and to each other, scaling the heights of harmony and discord in equal measure like frantic arpeggios on a grand piano. Yet it’s not just the black and white notes that are struck. There are many shades of grey within Kelly’s rich, rhythmic and expressive text. Sometimes the couple step out of time and there is an over reliance of the script in hand, but the performances are charismatic and the chemistry between them keeps our attention throughout. There are occasions when we feel we are about to step into a history lesson, but the natural delivery and flair keep us outside – on the fun side of the door. And we are also grateful to learn so much about Maria Yudina and her fascinating life.

Revolving within their tale is the star attraction. Gala Chistiakova is forever present at the glorious ebony Steinway that dominates centre stage. Yet somehow her beautiful, passionate and evocative playing does not dominate the narrative. It weaves, underscores, illustrates and accentuates the subject before crashing over us in waves of passion at the climax of each act. Chistiakova covers much of Yudina’s repertoire, taking in the greats including Bach, Mozart, Rachmaninov, Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky, Pasternak, Mussorgsky; and Shostakovich of course.

Complementing it all is dancer Xander Parish who moves in time with balletic musicality, adding further layers to the already rich tapestry, although occasionally the visual bonus is an extra flavour with faint hints of indulgence. The music more often says it all. It leads us on the journey, right up to the last number that gives us the title of the piece. Mussorgsky’s ‘The Great Gate of Kyiv’ from his 1874 piano suite ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’. A stirring finale, and symbolic in many ways. Originally built in the eleventh century, the Great Gate of Kyiv served as a triumphal arch – a prominent symbol of the Ukraine capital. At one time a monument to Tsarist rule in Ukraine it can now symbolise Kyiv’s defiance against Russian invasion. A defiance that Maria Yudina shared, and which is wonderfully illustrated in this unique tribute. The music is the most defiant of all, and no matter what troubles may surround us, its power and its beauty will always survive. We don’t necessarily need a reminder of the reality, but this show reinforces it. Classical and classy – it is a triumph in itself.

THE GATES OF KYIV at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed on 4th September 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Jack Merriman

Previously reviewed at this venue:

ACCOLADE | ★★★½ | June 2024

OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR | ★★★★ | April 2024

CLOSURE | ★★★★ | February 2024

THE GREAT GATSBY | ★★★ | February 2024

ALONE TOGETHER | ★★★★ | August 2023

THE GATES OF KYIV

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★★★½

“a grand revival that entertains and chills in equal measure”

“We all have one thing we’re ashamed of. Even the judge has, who’ll be peering at you over his glasses, making you feel like dirt. His secret may be the nastiest of the lot. Only you have committed the sin of being found out…”

The Theatre Royal has taken a bold decision with this revival of Emlyn Williams’ 1950 drama about a Nobel prize winning author with an addiction to sleazy sex. A knighthood from the king is about to propel William Trenting into the very heart of the establishment. But as his acquiescent wife knows, down at the Blue Lion in Rotherhithe he’s plain Bill Trent ‘the tramp’ who has a penchant for regular orgies.

The set is an immaculately brown period re-creation by Julie Godfrey who also designed the costumes. But how relevant to today’s audience is the moral anguish of 75 years ago? The answer is that accents and social mores may change but human fallibility does not. ‘Accolade’ sharply echoes recent sexual scandals involving any number of contemporary high profile individuals.

And although the plot relates the story of a man accused of sex with an underage girl, there are LGBT undercurrents. Emlyn Williams was bisexual throughout his adult life and took the lead at the show’s first production.

Director Sean Mathias has taken some imaginative decisions in both casting and design. Ayden Callaghan (Emmerdale and Hollyoaks) opens the show encased in something like a giant test tube which seems to symbolise the punishing glare of public scrutiny to which his character is about to be exposed. In this central role, his low-key performance was uneasily at odds with the rest of the cast. His Trenting does not belong in this sophisticated middle class world. But this is a provocative play of uneasy opposites. Public and private lives. Adults and minors. The establishment and the rest of us. In a telling line, Trenting admits that he is ‘growing up in front of my own son’.

Honeysuckle Weeks sparkles as Trenting’s compliantly loving wife Rona. As Trenting’s son, Louis Holland gives an engaging performance, literally drawing a veil across the scene in what seems to be a vain attempt to hide his family’s private drama from our gaze. Holland plays a bookish and privately educated 14 year old, in a pointed parallel to the child victim of Trenting’s philandering.

The sound design by David Gregory was particularly effective. Jamie Hogarth gives an intriguing performance as Albert, Trenting’s secretary with a dodgy past the author managed to pick up in a pub. Narinder Samra is terrific as Trenting’s insinuating blackmailer. Williams’ writing is peppered with witticisms, but very much of its time. Sara Twomey and Gavin Fowler give colourful performances as the cheery proprietors of the Blue Lion pub, who slip gleefully into Trenting’s posh home life.

‘Accolade’ is a grand revival that entertains and chills in equal measure.

Tag Archives: Bill Kenwright Ltd

THE GATES OF KYIV

★★★★

Theatre Royal Windsor

THE GATES OF KYIV at the Theatre Royal Windsor

★★★★

“Mixing storytelling, music and dance in a unique and quite fascinating way”

THE GATES OF KYIV at the Theatre Royal Windsor

Reviewed on 4th September 2024