Riverside Studios, London
**
It’s easy to see why this show is one of the longest running
Off-Broadway: it tackles with wit the relationship issues that crowd after
packed crowd can identify with, but it needs to pack a few more punches to make
it to the Great White Way. But it has made it to the Riverside Studios in
London where the pattern is broadly the same. This musical revue strings
together a series of sketches and songs about relationships since the dawn of
time, from Adam and Eve to the average modern-day cinema-going couple, from
first dates to funeral homes.
The acting is funny but mostly emotionally hollow, owing to
the lack of real, three-dimensional characters to cling to. This is especially
apparent in the second half of the show when the hilariously awkward (and
unnervingly accurate) portrayals of first kisses and dates gone wrong segue
into the adult world of cars, kids and accompanying mayhem via a wedding in the
middle. When a man mourns his wife, and an elderly pair meet at another funeral
we are delicately reminded where all the dates and weddings eventually lead;
but the show fails to linger on these poignant moments, depriving the audience
of the emotion that is sorely lacking. Although the actors carried off the
comedy pretty well, they were largely too ‘jazz hands’ to deal plausibly with
the tinges of melancholy that could have transformed the show.
Given how the show swings through scenarios like Elizabeth
Taylor through marriages, the performers cope very well, attacking each new
caricature with admirable gusto. But in a show driven by songs rather than
story the music was underwhelming and the singing unremarkable. The notable
exception was Nancy Hill, a charismatic and talented performer whose rendition
of Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride
was a highlight, and who captured wonderfully such diverse characters as the
Jewish widow from New York and the squealing kid in the back of the car.
The show’s strength lies in the comic treatment of universal
themes – I defy anyone to leave without having a blush of recognition or
familiarity. But unfortunately it is often the execution that lets it down – I
don’t think anyone will have left humming one of the easily forgotten songs. It
seems to try just too hard most of the time, laboriously filling the stage with
unnecessary bits and pieces of set and rushing through barely noticeable
costume changes, when the characters could have sold themselves.
This production has finished its run.
For more information on the venue: http://www.riversidestudios.co.uk/cgi-bin/theatrelist.pl
@RiversideLondon
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