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Snapdragon and the Finborough Theatre present:
Me & Juliet
Music by Richard Rogers
Book and Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Directed by Thom Sutherland
Finborough Theatre
5 – 30 Oct 2010
A review by Richard J Thornton for EXTRA! EXTRA! Me & Juliet is in many ways the philosopher’s musical - it both questions its own existence and examines the effects of its art. Set on Broadway in 1953, the plot tracks the various personalities of those who make their living through big game theatre. From the thuggish stage hand to the tortured aspiring director, the piece juxtaposes shiny on-stage drama with gritty backstage politics, and in doing so raises the curtain on the social mechanics of performance-based industry. Yet this all sounds a little heavy-handed, and if you’re looking for an intellectual dissection instead of a sparky and melodic extravaganza, you might prefer to stay in the library. At first the tone of the production falls a little flat – airhead ditties of seamless love and archaic chants about T-bone steaks seem omens that the show would have been better left ‘neglected’. But oh, when the show-within-the-show begins, cynicism becomes as unfashionable as the T-bone and there’s no chance of a negative revival. The pianist comes to life, the actors voices meet in harmony and their shoulders swim past each other like a school of silver fish. It feels as if the fingers guiding Joseph Atkins’s piano are imperceptibly lifting the actors into perfection, and by the time the stage-based number is complete, the backstage scenes have lifted with them. The show is a light-hearted analysis of the hopes and fears of the people in a theatre, and Hammerstein’s life-long immersion in Broadway ensures a script with continued accuracy and deft expression. As a musical comedy it is unique in its ability to reveal the fragility and futility of its art, without losing touch with its essential core, the power to entertain. Rodgers’ music is cleverly unlocked by Southerland’s emotive direction, not least helped by Atkins’ composed musical authority, and by subtly moulding each characters voice the team disguises the often poor American accents, without losing the precision of the songs. This is a difficult play to act as its self-referential nature, tongue-in-cheek lyrics and underlying sincerity form an odd cocktail to swallow, and at some points it feels that the villains aren’t villainous enough, and the love makers not quite in love. Having said this, most of these scenes appear before the entry of the outstanding Jodie Jacobs as Betty, then Carmen. Her presence, poise and accent are phenomenal and my heart quickly searched the stage for the time-machine that had zapped her in from mid-50’s Manhattan. The other actors work well as a unit, and emanate a soft grace which warms the stage softly, but the explosion of Jacobs kicks the piece into a thrilling fandango and brings the ensemble with it. Once she appears, the remaining cast bloom: Laura Main’s feet slip comfortably into the nervous and modest Jeanie’s shoes, Daniella Gibb and Olivia O’Shea sparkle as the supporting Monica and Suzy, and Dafydd Gwyn Howells’ stage manager Mac holds his reigns with a deeper masculinity and richer authority. The set demands awkward entrances and various complications, but Alex Marker’s familiarity with the Finborough (he’s been resident designer since 2002) means that the set becomes an integral character of the performance. From the use of the space above the stage doors as lighting perches, the secret dressing room concealed up-stage and the explosive (not to be revealed) elevated entrance of Bob in Act II, the stage becomes more akin to the tunnels and passages of a fantasy computer game than a black-box theatre – and all the better for it. Howard Hudson’s lighting features prominently as the stage hands Bob and Sidney weald the spotlights on stage themselves, a technique which illuminates the show as much literally as it does metaphorically. Moreover, the overall mix of beaming flood light in the stage sequences and brooding mood light when ‘backstage’ builds a dichotomy which enriches the balance of the piece and reminds the audience of the two faces of every theatre. If this musical had been reborn in a different London space, I might’ve worried - elements of the plot feel dated, and the complicated and deeply American character interactions are a difficult to recipe to master. Nevertheless, with the golden hand of Neil McPherson’s Finborough steering the ship, this production of Me & Juliet is set to soar … maybe even to the West End.
Box Office: 0844 847 1652 / www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk Finborough Theatre 5 October – 30 October, Tues – Sat @ 7.30pm, Sat and Sun @ 3.00pm Tickets: till 17th Oct - £15 / £11; from 19th Oct - £18 / £15 (check website for details)
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