Review: REBECCA, Charing Cross Theatre
Photo credit: Mark Senior
The London musical premiere production of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is very entertaining and enjoyable but probably for the wrong reasons.
This adaptation of du Maurier’s classic thriller is extraordinarily camp - and is more reminiscent of Mitchell and Webb’s sketch parody of the Hitchcock film than the novel form of the dark, psychological thriller.
Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay’s musical is packed with sometimes laboured reprises and few musical through-lines, and the score cooperates little with the book and lyrics to create a fully cohesive journey.
It is nothing short of astonishing that the English book translation and lyrics by trained linguist and celebrated theatre writer Christopher Hampton (of Sunset Boulevard fame) could lack somewhat in nuance and poetry.
The most distracting elements of this show predominantly lie in the production design, a flaw that could be overlooked if it weren’t for the fact of this story being so intensely location focused, be it the setting Monte Carlo or the famously grand estate of Manderley. There is a preponderance of front-of-curtain scenes aided by projections which betray a profound lack of innovation and imagination in design and direction. The lighting and sound of this production also leaves a lot to be desired as it is difficult at times to both hear and see the actors on stage.
The direction takes a…not necessarily expected direction. The casting of Mrs Danvers is an especially interesting choice - Kara Lane is a surprisingly young and austerely glamorous Danvers, leaning into the reading of this typically matronly character as a love rival, obsessed with Rebecca. Lane takes the insane evil lesbian direction and runs, no, *sprints* with it - punctuating her impassioned performance with wide eyes filled with gay panic and vengeful rage.
Most of of the characters are bizarrely and delightfully pantomimic. The ensemble numbers are camp and quirky and lend an almost jarring element of comic relief to the plot.
The shipwreck scene in which the boat of the late Mrs de Winter stands out as astonishingly dynamic and boasts some ripping choreography and a score that does more musical storytelling than the rest of the production together.
Lauren Jones as ‘I’ is sweet, naive and sincere. She shows the most character growth in the show through her voice and physicality and brings some genuine poignancy and sobering emotion to this production. Jones’ voice is crystal clear and beautifully controlled and raises the musical bar of this show.
Richard Carson as the enigmatic Maxim de Winter is charming and dashing, and his chemistry with Jones palpable. The leading couple battle through some questionable direction and design choices to make an altogether compelling romantic pairing.
This show is a pleasant enough event, but not a show that we think anyone will be lauding as a life changing theatrical phenomenon. A fine night out if not taken too seriously.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett
Rebecca plays at the Charing Cross Theatre until 18 November, with tickets available here.