★★★★

“The songs are pools of splendour we would happily bathe in for hours”

According to tradition, King Solomon wrote three books of the bible, the most famous of which is ‘Song of Songs’ (also known as ‘The Song of Solomon’) – a collection of erotic verse that, over time, has been interpreted literally and metaphorically. It is either an allegory for the relationship between God and his people, or a description of a romantic and sexual relationship between a man and a woman. It is apparent that Ofra Daniel, the force behind the musical play – “A Song of Songs” – is of the latter persuasion as she reinterprets the ancient Hebrew text, spinning her own eroticism on the timeless poetry and weaving it into an extraordinary and striking celebration of love, and music. Lush, passionate and sexy, it is a unique theatrical experience that fuses poetry, dance, music and storytelling.

Written, composed (with Lior Ben-Hur) and directed by Daniel, she also plays the narrator – Tirzah – a woman who is “organised differently”. A bittersweet tale of a woman consumed by desire for a lover she never meets. In an unsatisfying marriage to a fisherman, she starts to receive anonymous love letters from a secret admirer which awakens a deep longing in her. Her awakened sensuality turns into obsession until she is eventually known as the ‘crazy poet of love’, surrounded by the Women of Jerusalem who ostracise and envy her. While they obey Solomon’s musical refrain, ‘do not arouse love until it so desires’, for Tirzah it is already too late. She can never put it back to sleep.

Daniel’s performance is powerful and compelling, yet vulnerable and often allowing her to retreat into the shadows cast by the formidable supporting cast. This is in no way a one woman show. The onstage musicians, the dancers and the supporting roles are all on an equal footing, which lends a gorgeous harmony to a musical score that mixes Flamenco, Klezmer and the exotic sounds of the Middle East. The musicians often wander into the action. Daniel Gouly’s haunting, glissando clarinet and Amy Price’s melancholy violin can often be seen and heard dancing with the voices of the ensemble (Laurel Dougall, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Shira Kravitz and Ashleigh Schuman). The Gypsy King’s Ramón Ruiz is simply stunning on Spanish guitar, while multi-instrumentalist Ashley Blasse oozes charisma from behind their double bass. Ant Romero, on percussion, ties each strand of the musical styles into solid knots of rhythm.

The musicality is undoubtedly the star of the show. Whether or not the songs enhance the narrative is irrelevant. The songs are pools of splendour we would happily bathe in for hours. Matthew Woodyatt’s rich baritone adds depth and layers of strength onto the female dominated chorus, while Joaquin Pedro Valdes hovers between the two in an androgynous mid-range. Woodyatt is often accompanying the musicians on accordion and also takes over the narrative from Daniel, portraying the wronged husband with a masterful sensitivity. Valdes is the lover that Tirzah conjures from her heart to spend her life trailing through the streets searching for.

Will they ever meet? The story follows a cyclical path that kind of gives us the answer at the start as well as the end. As the twist is revealed to us, we feel like the story might be starting over. Even at two hours long we wouldn’t mind if that was the actual case. Instead, though, we have an upbeat refrain of the opening number. This is, ultimately, a celebration. There are warnings along the way, and we drift through many moods, enhanced by Aaron J Dootson’s ambient lighting, full of ingenious little tricks and innovations.

Tirzah is a woman who lived from one poem to another. A woman sick with love, crazy for love. Who has lost her way for love. Yet in the hands of Ofra Daniel she remains powerful, feminine, erotic and independent. Beneath the ‘crazy poet of love’ outer shell is a vivid embodiment of the human condition that is as old as the bible itself. “A Song of Songs”, describes itself as a musical play rather than a musical (despite boasting nearly twenty musical numbers). Whatever label you want to give it – it is a musical feast.

DEATH NOTE – THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT at the London Palladium

★★★★

“When the ensemble cast sing together the effect is mesmerising”

It is twenty years since “Death Note” stormed into the public consciousness, originally serialised in weekly instalments in Shõnen Jump, Japan’s most popular and iconic Manga magazine. I have to confess that this global phenomenon passed me by, but I humbly accept being in a minority bracket, judging by the crowds dressed in unconcealed enthusiasm at the London Palladium. The story was originally a bit of a risk for its publishers, straying from the tried-and-tested formula of intense action catering to an audience of mainly adolescent males. But it worked, and having been adapted into various media, including a US produced Netflix film, video and card-trading games and various sequels, the musical adaptation is the next obvious step.

Composer Frank Wildhorn shared my ignorance (I prefer innocence) of the Manga world when asked to turn it into a musical, but you’d never think it. Spurred on by his son who urged him to “drop everything and do this – because it will make you cool”, Wildhorn immersed himself in the source material. The end product is a score that redefines the word ‘cool’. A combination of electronica rock with an orchestral strength; it is both triumphant but also a lamentation. Bombastic but never overpowering, it reflects the atmospheric setting with a dark energy. Despite the subtle Japanese influences (perhaps too subtle), the production has the overall feel of an American rock concept album.

The concept of “Death Note” is fantastical, yet serious. High-school prodigy Light Yagami (Joaquin Pedro Valdes) is dismayed by the failures of the justice system. Meanwhile, two ‘Shinigami’ – gods of death from an otherworldly, unspecified dimension – watch over and decide, for fun, to drop the eponymous ‘death note’ into the human world. Light is the one who picks it up, thereby being granted the supernatural power to kill anyone whose name he writes in the pages of the book. Far from being horrified at the prospect, he immediately grasps the opportunity to use it to wipe out anyone he deems immoral. The aim is to create a crime-free society. From this very dubious precedent, what ensues is a cat-and-mouse psychological thriller that explores the quite weighty subject of justice and vigilantism. Light’s self-belief blinds him, and his acolytes, to the supposition that isn’t he just as murderous as his victims? “Death Note” shies away from instructing us which way to think, though the Shakespearian ending gives a couple of nudges.

Being unfamiliar with the ‘Manga’ genre and its iconography and terminology is not necessarily a bar to the intricacies of the plot, although the second act requires you to be slightly more on your toes. The characters are well formed, even if occupying the same two dimensions of the original animation. Billed as a musical in concert, the dialogue is subsequently sparse, with Jack Murphy’s lyrics guiding us through the narrative. Jason Howland’s sumptuous orchestration is given full justice by Musical Director Chris Ma’s sixteen-piece band. It is a sonic binge, yet the vocal performances cut through with a clarity that displays the talent within the cast. When the ensemble cast sing together the effect is mesmerising, and each of the seven lead cast members has their moment to shine. Francis Mayli McCann, as Misa – the rock superstar in awe of Light’s misplaced taste for vengeance, has strength and versatility matched by pretty much everyone else. The richness of Adam Pascal’s Ryuk (the spirit – Shinigami – who sets it all in motion by dropping the death note into the world) is complemented beautifully by Aimie Atkinson’s Rem – the other Shinigami. Atkinson’s and McCann’s duet that opens Act Two is a moment that lingers long after curtain call.

Dean John Wilson, as Light’s nemesis – the enigmatic detective known simply as L, has the richest pickings of the dialogue, conveying some of the humour and dynamism that is lacking in the show. One presumes Ivan Menchell’s book has been cut back for the concert version. The full text would allow for more light and shade, and the implicit humour and pathos would be given a longer rein. There is a noticeable emotional detachment, and consequently there is nobody we are rooting for.

But for pure musical rapture and spectacle, this show is second to none. Every pitch perfect note resonates through the vast auditorium of the Palladium. It is monumental and memorable; but also sold out. I wouldn’t leave it long, though, to book for its transfer to the Lyric, Shaftesbury Avenue in September. Although something tells me that “Death Note” is in for a long life.

A SONG OF SONGS at Park Theatre

★★★★

“The songs are pools of splendour we would happily bathe in for hours”

A SONG OF SONGS at Park Theatre

Reviewed on 14th May 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Pamela Raith

Previously reviewed at this venue:

A SONG OF SONGS

A SONG OF SONGS

DEATH NOTE – THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT at the London Palladium

★★★★

“When the ensemble cast sing together the effect is mesmerising”

DEATH NOTE – THE MUSICAL IN CONCERT at the London Palladium

Reviewed on 21st August 2023

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Mark Senior

More top rated shows reviewed this month:

Death Note

Death Note