“the score is filled with wit, melody and emotion”
‘The Little Match Girl’, adapted from Hans Christian Anderson’s classic fairy tale is an enchanting musical running at the Tabard Theatre over the festive period. First performed forty years ago at the Orange Tree Theatre (under its original title ‘Scraps’), it was later adapted for television in the eighties featuring Twiggy and Roger Daltrey. That it is being revived now with the composer Keith Strachan directing is quite a coup, and testament to the theatre’s (and producer Simon Reilly’s) ever growing reputation for staging quality productions.
Set in a wintry, Victorian London, the ‘Little Match Girl’ of the title is out on the streets selling matches, and is not allowed home with her father until she has sold them all. It is a beautiful yet achingly sad tale, full of contradictions: the story paints a dismal picture of life for the poor in Victorian London, but it also carries a grim hope. We are plunged into this world as soon as we enter the auditorium. Mike Leopold’s steely set (complete with snow) is enhanced by Tom Huxley’s sound design – alternating between a cutting, cold wind and the hubbub of street markets and carol singers.
The real challenge for the writers is that the original story is a very slim one indeed. So fleshing it out into a full length musical is quite a task. Consequently the interest needs to hinge on the characters and the music. This doesn’t always succeed, but when it does, one is transported – the score is filled with wit, melody and emotion and the ensemble acting and singing filled with gusto that sweeps you along.
Recent graduate Emily Cochrane, in the title role, gives a very watchable and convincing performance. Waif like, quirky and vulnerable there are shades of a young Shirley Henderson about her. It is sometimes not easy to tell, though, whether the action is in her head or actually happening. The lines between her dreams and the reality are often blurred. In fact, overall, the production could have benefitted from a clearer distinction between the surrealism and the naturalism inherent in the narrative.
Likewise there could have been more light and shade in the musical arrangements. Though, saying that, there is a lovely simplicity to the songs which, to be fair, is probably the intention. With Musical Director, Richie Hart, almost single-handedly providing the accompaniment, there is a refreshing absence of trying to be clever. The lyrics, too, tell it like it is. The score notably includes the Ivor Novello Award-winning song ‘Mistletoe and Wine’ which went on to become a Christmas No.1 single for Cliff Richard. The musical highlights though are ‘Richman’s Banquet’ sung by Anthony Williamson with a manic dark humour (with a wonderful twist at the end), and Aimee Barrett (who also choreographs) singing the show-stopping ‘An Ordinary Life’.
As an alternative to the traditional Panto on offer, there is enough magic in this show to put you in the festive mood. The message is indeed worthy – that our imagination can give us comfort, solace and reprieve from so many of life’s hardships – but it’s a message told here in an entertaining and life-affirming way; complete with laughter, and maybe the odd tear too.
“A faithful adaptation of the book executed with a boldness and flair all its own”
I was intrigued to see how a story carved from the expanse of the desolate Bodmin Moor and battered by wild wind and rain could be told in the intimate setting of the Tabard Theatre. The dim, misty lighting and Maira Vazeou’s set design – simple, yet containing the essential elements of the surrounding marshland and stark life – beautifully foreshadow this gothic tale by Daphne du Maurier. Set in the 1820s, it follows young Mary Yellan, recently orphaned, as she arrives at Jamaica Inn to stay with her aunt and uncle. Her headstrong nature embroils her in its sinister secrets and deceptions which she neither wants to discover, nor can resist.
Lisa Evans’ adaptation is impressively close to the novel, keeping much of the original dialogue and drama to maintain the suspense and balance. The small space is used to create a sense of claustrophobia and isolation, leaving the outside to rely more heavily on the imagination. The cast is excellent with an especially spell-binding performance from Helen Bang as Aunt Patience, while Anastasia Revi’s direction grips the attention from beginning to end through the ingenious use of props, movement, sound and character detail.
Kimberley Jarvis as Mary captivates the stage, often in tightly choreographed scenes which recreate the action and texture of the book and there is an effective interplay with her thoughts skilfully woven into the soundscape. The bullying figure of Uncle Joss, played by Toby Wynn-Davies, swings frighteningly from aggression to ominous charm, and Peter Rae portrays an intriguing Frances Davey, the local vicar.
On a technical level, the performance uses imaginative lighting (Ben Jacobs) and slick, original stage management. The sound design is a tour de force and the music, composed by Jonathan Bratoëff, enriches the work with both instrumental passages and songs, though occasionally this detracts from the harshness of the content. It is quite an achievement that only once does the space hinder the dramatic impact of the play, at the story’s denouement following a powerful build-up of tension. In addition, the short interaction between Mary and Mrs Bassat could have been a more engaging contrast to the surrounding urgency had Phoebe Hyder’s role been better defined.
Truly enjoyable and befitting the long, dark winter evenings, this production of Jamaica Inn blends fine acting with artistic allure and technical mastery. A faithful adaptation of the book executed with a boldness and flair all its own.
