RUTH THE MUSICAL
Wilton’s Music Hall
★★★
“The score, though, is an eclectic delight with vocal performances that are quite magical”
A few years ago, one might have been thrown off balance by the prospect of a musical about a convicted murderer and the last woman to be hanged in the United Kingdom. But it is a sign of the times that, in an age where no subject matter escapes the songfest treatment, barely an eyebrow is raised. But that hasn’t curbed the curiosity and anticipation that has surrounded “Ruth: The Musical”; the story of Ruth Ellis who shot and killed her violent, upper-class lover. A story of love, death, obsession, sex, jealousy and murder.
Ruth Ellis’ life has been covered in film and TV, but this stage adaptation goes a step further with its quest to empathise with her. It is a tall order which will surely provoke debate, but it adds contrasting and dramatic layers to a character who is chiefly recognised by mugshots and newspaper headlines. It is these headlines that open the show, projected onto the back wall of the atmospheric Wilton’s Music Hall stage, as dry ice snakes its way out of the wings, followed by the cast, silhouetted against the monochrome backdrop. We are in film noir territory, enhanced by an emotive and powerful ensemble opening number.
Written by Caroline Slocock and co-composed by John Cameron, Francis Rockliff and James Reader, it features Ruth at three stages of her life. ‘Cell Ruth’ (Bibi Simpson) is the first we meet. Ben Bull’s video design evocatively suggest the stark prison cell in which Ruth sits in conversation with Pierrepoint (a wonderfully down to earth yet mysterious Ian Puleston-Davies), one of the prison staff, whose specific job description I have to resist giving away. Between them they are looking back over Ruth’s life. Simpson cuts a hypnotic figure while her affected upper-class accent cleanly slices the muddy acoustics of the hall. The bulk of the story is portrayed in flashback by Hannah Traylen as ‘Past Ruth’, the nightclub ‘hostess’, surrounded by her lovers, colleagues and cohorts. Tagged onto the narrative is the appearance of ‘Young Ruth’ (Me-Li Yap) which seeks, less successfully, to demonstrate the abuse she received at the hands of her father.
Under the co-direction of Andy Morahan and Denise Silvey, the staging is beautifully executed (excuse the pun). Full of split levels and split scenes, the transitions from pre to post murder are seamless. The fact we already know the outcome heightens the poignancy of Ruth’s earlier struggles as she tries to make her way in the male-dominant, class-conscious society she has chosen. Traylen’s ‘Past Ruth’ is as equally a tragic figure as her resigned older self, but with more defiance. The story focuses on her chaste relationship with the devoted Desmond (John Faal) and the intense love affair with posh but penniless racing driver, David Blakely (Connor Payne). The stakes are somewhat low, however, and although the bullets may fly, the sparks never leave the ground. Payne’s ill-fated Blakely is uninspiring, stripping away any belief we might have in the fatal attraction he is supposed to ignite in Ruth. Much of the dialogue is delivered on one level and the emotional peaks invariably feel unearned.
The musical numbers, likewise, appear unearned at times. The score, though, is an eclectic delight (especially in the first act) with vocal performances that are quite magical. Late night jazz rubs shoulders with soulful ballads and rousing ensemble chorales; with a surreal comedy number thrown in to break up the seriousness of the courtroom scene. John Cameron’s filmic and sultry arrangements complement the narrative in what is more of a play with music rather than a musical. There is an undeniable glossy sheen to the show which only hints at the darkness beneath. We would like a more dangerous and grittier illustration that digs deeper. There is a quite crucial reveal for example, in the lead up to Ruth’s hanging, that could have been expanded upon. Otherwise, the elements are all present – the blonde femme fatale, the violent hard-drinking lover, the smoking pistol, the trial and the execution – even if the passion and the shock value elude us. Although not to die for, it is definitely a show to keep in one’s sights. The aim is right – it hasn’t quite reached the target yet.
RUTH THE MUSICAL
Wilton’s Music Hall
Reviewed on 19th March 2026
by Jonathan Evans
Photography by Charlie Flint
