SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
DC
Connecticut
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
Writing for Us
A CurtainUp 
London Review
London ReviewSoho Cinders
by Sebastian King
|
They don’t make glass slippers. It’s no great surprise. If they make glass slippers, they don’t have my size.— Robbie
|
Company in Soho Cinders (Photo: Roy Tan) |
James Prince (Michael Xavier) is a London mayoral candidate, engaged to the beautiful Marilyn (Jenna Russell). But in his rare moments away from the spotlight and the machinations of his campaign manager William (Gerard Carey), he has secret romantic meetings with Robbie (Tom Milner). What James doesn’t know is that Robbie is a rent boy, and one of his clients is Lord Bellingham (Neil McCaul), who just happens to be James’s principal campaign sponsor. To make matters even more complicated, Robbie’s best friend Velcro (Amy Lennox) is facing eviction from her launderette by Clodagh (Suzie Chard) and Dana (Beverly Rudd), Robbie’s sisters. And yes, in case you didn’t guess, they’re ugly.
There are several strong musical numbers, most notably the Ugly Sisters’ ‘I’m So Over Men’ and ode to overnight celebrity ‘Fifteen Minutes’. Beverly Rudd and Suzie Chard are in their absolute element, serving up smutty one-liners and modelling increasingly grotesque costumes. ‘Let Him Go’ is a touching duet between Marilyn and Velcro, with both Amy Lennox and Jenna Russell delivering fine vocal performances, as well as making the most of rather underwritten characters. The most memorable song is Robbie’s ballad ‘They Don’t Make Glass Slippers’, with a haunting melody and heartfelt lyrics. Not all songs hit the mark though sadly: a duet between Robbie and James in which they saccharinely refer to themselves as ‘Gypsies of the Ether’ suffers from inane lyrics, and ‘It’s Hard to Tell’ – about the similarities between gay and straight men – is a poor relation to the very similar ‘Gay or European’ in Legally Blonde.
Jonathan Butterell’s direction serves the piece well, and Drew McOnie’s choreography is nice, if a little unimaginative and somewhat under-rehearsed. Morgan Large’s set is impressive and certainly makes the most of the Soho Theatre’s auditorium. Stephen Fry provides the voice of a droll Narrator guiding us through the almost unrecognisable vision of Soho. In this, his first professional theatre role, Waterloo Road star Tom Milner sings it well, but his voice pales in comparison to his far more experienced colleagues, and his accent wanders around the whole of the UK over the course of the show. Also disappointing is Gerard Carey as Prince’s spin doctor William, who lacks the charisma of his predecessor in the role, David Bedella, causing his musical numbers to fall flat. To be fair to Carey, it’s not all his fault: the role is burdened with frequent casual racism and sexism, which sometimes make for uncomfortable viewing.
Also uncomfortable is the slightly homophobic message, which seems strange given the show’s creative team and subject matter. A reference to gay men who spend their time mincing around shouting about rights leaves a bitter taste, as was the apparently ‘happy ending’, which seemed to suggest that being gay is something to apologise for, and that it’s impossible to have a successful political career as well as a homosexual relationship. Despite these slight discrepancies, the plot is cleverly constructed, if a little predictable, and the script is full of camp humour and local references. In fact, as an adult pantomime, Soho Cinders ticks a lot of boxes. However, if it’s looking for a future as a credible piece of musical theatre, it could certainly do with a little more magic.
| Soho Cinders
Music by George Stiles Lyrics by Anthony Drewe Book by Anthony Drewe and Elliot Davis Directed by Jonathan Butterell Starring: Tom Milner, Michael Xavier, Amy Lennox, Jenna Russell, Beverly Rudd, Suzie Chard, Neil McCaul, Gerard Carey, Stephen Fry (voice) With: Raj Ghatak, Amanda Posener, Lewis Barnshaw, Vivien Carter, Christopher Doyle, Julian Hoult, Lewis Kirk, Johua Lovell, Nigel Roche, Philippa Stefani Designed by Morgan Large Lighting: Hugh Vanstone Musical Director: Stephen Ridley Orchestrator: David Shrubsole Sound Designer: Adam Fisher Choreography: Drew McOnie Running time: Two hours 30minutes including interval Box Office: 020 7478 0100 Booking to 9th September 2012 Reviewed by Sebastian King based on 8th August performance at Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London. W1D 3NE (Tube: Leicester Square/Tottenham Court Road) |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email . . . also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. |
