HANDEL’S MESSIAH: THE LIVE EXPERIENCE at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane
★★★
“The soloists are captivating”
When Handel composed the music for “Messiah” in 1741 it initially had a mixed and modest reception and caused a rift between Handel and the librettist Charles Jennens. Handel completed the score in just over three weeks, the speed of which many perceived as a sign of ecstatic and divine energy but Jennens merely put it down to carelessness and laxity. Despite the faltering start, the oratorio gained in popularity eventually becoming one of the best known and frequently performed choral works. The ‘Hallelujah’ chorus being instantly recognisable and often performed as a standalone piece.
“Messiah” tells the whole life story of Christ from birth to death, and beyond. The go-to work to perform during the Easter or Christmas period, conductor Gregory Batsleer’s interpretation draws it away from the classical concert hall with the intention of pulling in a wider audience from the West End and beyond. The scale and ambition are on a grand scale; combining the London Symphony Chorus and the English Chamber Orchestra with four of the top soloists of the classical world. It is billed as an ‘immersive’ experience although the hype merely adds fuel to the debate as to what ‘immersive’ actually means in the theatrical context.
There is no getting away from the fact that the production is visually and aurally stunning. The libretto leaves more to be desired. A series of reflections and soundbites from the Old and New Testaments with none of the singers having any identifiable role. So, the success has to rely in part on the drama of the piece. The soloists are captivating: the soprano Danielle De Niese, Mezzo-Soprano Idunnu Münch, Baritone-Bass Cody Quattlebaum and tenor Nicky Spence perform with the requisite pageantry and purity, reinforced by the choir. The orchestra fleshes out the less muscular choruses to bring them in line with the stronger numbers, although the consistency does veer close to monotony at times. It is interspersed with narration from the charismatic Martina Laird and Arthur Darvill as ‘Mother’ and ‘Child’ respectively; reciting poetic prose on the themes of hope sacrifice and redemption.
The inclusion of dance adds another layer. Dan Baines, Jemima Brown and Sera Maehera accompany the music in the guise of rebel, leader and healer. They appear and disappear from the narrative, sometimes poignantly and sometimes superfluously, but always beguiling – especially Brown whose presence is quite hypnotic.
But the question remains as to how much this adds to the experience. It is often at odds with the performance, and most guilty of this is the vast video screen that splits the choir down the middle. Unavoidable, it intrudes throughout with images that bear little relation to the story, unless the references are deliberately oblique. Interesting as they are, they distract somewhat. As do the choice of costume for the narrators; a kind of Mad Max battle garb with token Biblical accessory – apocryphal and apocalyptic – the point of which misses its target.
Which is the fundamental flaw. The programme notes explain the intention to bring classical music to the masses. To make it inclusive and, I suppose, immersive. It assumes that the general population regard classical music as ‘dull and stuffy’ and that it is not something most people can relate to. Handel might not have agreed, but he would have approved of the approach. He was a showman himself after all; interested in the drama and not just the music. The multimedia elements are a response to the way the world is now. But while they might draw in a new crowd for this ‘dull and stuffy’ (the conductor’s words, not mine) music, they do little to make us follow the story and therefore capture the passion inherent in the score. Which is disengaging, instead of having the desired effect. “Messiah”, as an oratorio, has no story as such – so is not the easiest to follow. But the audience can wallow in the beauty of the music and let the imagination construct the scenes. This production unfortunately takes that away and replaces it with more confusion.
“A sumptuous spectacle of sequins, shuffle and song”
As the thrilling overture comes to an end, the curtain rises just enough to reveal a line of sparkling tap dancing feet … 42nd Street is back in town!
Based upon a 1930s novel and subsequent film, 42nd Street returns to the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane after three decades away. The story, set in the Great Depression, tells of theatre director Julian Marsh’s (Tom Lister) attempts to put on a show to outshine all others. Marsh has to cast Dorothy Brock (Sheena Easton), an ageing former star who can hardly dance as leading lady as the production is to be bankrolled by her sugar daddy Abner Dillon (Bruce Montague).
After initially missing her audition, and attempts by would be suitor Billy (Stuart Neal) to get her seen failing, fate intervenes and a small town girl, Peggy Sawyer (Clare Halse) eventually lands a part in the chorus.
On the opening night of ‘Pretty Lady’, Peggy is pushed into Brock causing her to fall and break her ankle. Immediately sacking Peggy, Marsh then closes the show (nicely woven into the end of the first act) as he has no leading lady. The chorus intervene and tell Marsh that Dorothy is the only one who can save the show – he rushes to the station to beg her not to return to Pennsylvania.
With only a couple of days (comically condensed into about ten minutes) until curtain up, can this unknown save the show?
42nd Street is a nostalgic spectacular of a show, a delightful nod to a bygone era. Crammed with well known songs such as ‘I Only Have Eyes for you’, ‘We’re in the Money’ and ‘Keep Young and Beautiful’ the show will keep you tapping (and there is a whole lot of tap in the show!) throughout.
The sheer size of the cast makes the big production numbers such as the titular ’42nd Street’ utterly breathtaking to watch. The many costumes (Roger Kirk) are a feast for the eyes and with so many quick changes going on, credit must be given to the unseen backstage teams making it all look so effortless.
The set (Douglas W Schmidt) ranges from necessarily simple in the backstage scenes to stunning in the big numbers of the show. Design delights include the ‘Honeymoon Express’, a rather precariously placed giant mirror and the delightful dressing room set.
Randy Skinner’s choreography is, as you would expect, top notch. Tap on a scale you’ve probably never experienced before.
Wonderfully cast so hard to single anyone out, but Clare Halse’s Peggy is perfection and Jasna Ivir (as writer Maggie) is also one to watch. Shout out must go to the ensemble though, how they manage eight shows of non stop energy a week is beyond belief.
This is one big show, a classic perfectly housed in the sumptuous Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Sequins, shuffles and song – superb!
