THEATRE REVIEW: Gone with the Wind
- Posted on April 17, 2008 10:35 AM
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Gone with the Wind
New London Theatre
Opens April 22 following previews from April 5.
Review by Angela Lord
Gone with the Wind breezes onto the London stage in an ambitious re-working which aims to breathe new life into this classic by setting it to music.
The story follows the fortunes of feisty heroine Scarlett O’Hara as she weathers the storms whipped up in the wake of the American civil war. American Jill Paice makes a superlative Scarlett – an elfin beauty, slight but strong, with a voice clear as a Southern belle.
I have to admit I was taken aback to learn that Darius Danesh has been chosen as the male lead. Darius from Pop Idol? The poseur who didn’t win, but went on to have a hit single with Colourblind? Yes, that’s the one.
The ruggedly handsome Rhett Butler is a bit of a Byronic hero: mad, bad and dangerous to know. Clark Gable starred opposite Vivien Leigh in the 1939 movie, a hard act to follow, and I wasn’t convinced that Darius was man enough for this meaty role.
Actually, he’s not bad at all. To his credit, he’s matured into more than a one hit wonder. Apparently director Trevor Nunn was unaware of his pop background when he was cast, which was probably just as well. In the past couple of years, Darius has branched out into musicals like Chicago and Guys and Dolls and can belt out a tune like a trouper.
The dashing Captain Butler is no gentleman, as he acknowledges, pointing out to the capricious Scarlett that she is no lady – so the couple seem made for each other. But Scarlett is blinded by her crush on golden boy Ashley Wilkes (Edward Baker-Duly – otherwise known as Joe Fisher in Emmerdale and sports master Mr Malachay from Grange Hill) – whose marriage to the safe and saintly Melanie (Madeleine Worrall) makes him out of bounds.
As the on-off affair between Scarlett and Rhett plays out against its equally stormy backdrop, there are some humorous touches along the way. At times the dialogue crackles with witticisms and one-liners worthy of Oscar Wilde.
When one self-righteous woman denounces the renegade Rhett as “a viper in our bosom”, he laughingly retorts that he could find more ample refuge elsewhere. While wooing Scarlett he impatiently insists: “I can’t wait all my life to catch you between husbands.” And his classic parting shot: “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn!” is delivered with enough panache to merit a round of applause.
The script remains faithful to the original book by Margaret Mitchell – perhaps a little too faithful in places, as writer and lyricist Margaret Martin tries to cram in all the key scenes from the Pulitzer prize-winning novel and sometimes risks overloading her script with historic detail.
The result is an over-long second half which occasionally loses momentum. It could do without the death bed singing scene, one place where I felt the music jarred with the action. Bursting into song with your final breath might work in Monty Python’s Life of Brian, but not here. I won’t say spoil the plot by saying whose death bed – there are a number of deaths along the way and some are handled more effectively than others.
Still, it’s not all gloom and doom, there are plenty of lighter moments, the music is pleasant, if not massively memorable, with some toe-tapping tunes as well as more poignant passages. Overall the ensemble pieces such as Wings of a Dove worked better for me than the solos.
Costume designer Andreane Neofitou rustles up a rich seam of colourful crinolines, including a witty little number for Scarlett, who, when times are hard, has to supplement her wardrobe with a pair of curtains … (pull yourself together woman! there’s a war on!)
The imaginative set design serves well to take the story through its changing moods. There was one slight technical problem (acceptable as this was a preview performance) which was fixed as quickly as possible, and taken in good part by the audience.
There may be a few hitches along the way, but the show must go on. Like its fiery heroine, it’s not perfect, and may have its critics, but it’s also likely to find plenty of fans.
As the winds of change sweep the past aside, Scarlett is a survivor, living to fight “Another day”.
*Gone With the Wind the musical is now showing at the New London Theatre.
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Gone with the Wind tickets.
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