A Model Girl - Greenwich Theatre (Review)
Review by David Munro
PROFUMO – first the scandal, then the lies to Parliament followed by political disgrace and retirement from public life into charitable works; next the books, followed by the film and now the crowning disgrace, the musical!
Luckily, John Profumo was spared this ultimate indignity as he died a year or so ago, which is presumably why the authors chose now to put the show on.
As almost everyone knows John Profumo, whilst Conservative Secretary of State for War, became involved with a “model”, Christine Keeler, who at the height of the Cold War had also slept with Eugene Ivanov, a naval attaché at the Soviet Embassy; forcing the resignation of Profumo after he denied his involvement with her to the House of Commons when it was felt he had compromised British security.
Keeler was introduced to Profumo by Stephen Ward – an Osteopath and high society ‘Pimp’ – who subsequently committed suicide at the height of the scandal.
She went on to be imprisoned for perjury following her appearance as a witness at the trial of one of her other lovers and subsequently disappeared from public life.
However, in her autobiography, The Truth At Last, she alleges she was used as a cover for an Anglo-Soviet spy ring and this is the mainspring of the plot of A Model Girl.
Whilst this may be a fascinating twist to the story, to turn it into a musical requires more talent than is apparent in this production.
Although the construction of the book has some skill, the actual libretto has not. The dialogue is inept and clumsy and reminds one of the voice bubbles in illustrated pulp fiction, a similarity to which can also be discovered in the scenes and direction.
The music is banal and reminiscent of almost every other bad score one can remember, while the lyrics must be the worst ever heard within a hundred miles of the West End.
Even if it’s fashionable in the more inane popular songs to repeat the same line a number of times, in a musical a lyric requires a little more than this; a fact which the lyricists appear to have overlooked in too many of the songs.
Many an inept show has been saved by direction and performances but not in this case. James Clyde does his best with Stephen Ward and manages at times to breathe some life into the character and his songs.
Lorraine Bruce gives a bouncy, if stereotyped performance, as a club Madame and one has some sympathy with Dale Rapley’s Profumo, if only for the inadequacy of his part.
In what should be the central role of Christine, Emma Williams fails miserably. She has no charisma, she is unable to “sell” her numbers although, in her defence, one feels they would defeat anyone.
She also delivers her lines without conviction and generally gives the impression she wished she was spending her Saturday afternoon anywhere else than on stage at Greenwich for which, perhaps, one cannot entirely blame her.
It’s difficult to assess whether the tatty choreography was meant to be just that (the chorines were meant to be performers in a grotty club).
If it was, it succeeded admirably as certainly it is a long time since I have seen a line of girls so superbly out of step with each other and the music.
I will draw a gentle veil over the direction although the fact that the director, according to her CV, is to be involved with the forthcoming Lord of the Rings at Drury Lane fills me with foreboding for that production.
However, looking at the quality of the some of the successful musicals now running successfully in the West End I’m probably all wrong and being very unfair and this will take its place alongside them with a long running future.
Perhaps this is what the public wants, certainly my companion enjoyed it more than I did – who knows? Nonetheless, I cannot advise you to take a trip to Greenwich to find out.
A Model Girl – Book, lyrics and music by Richard Alexander, Marek Rymaszewski and others.
Director – Ruth Carney.
Designer – Paul Wills.
Choreographer – Nichola Treherne.
Lighting – Oliver Fenwick.
Sound – Mick Lidster & Terry Jardine for Autograph.
Musical Director – Stephen Hill.
CAST: Lorraine Bruce; Emma Williams; Jeni Hicks; Victoria Kruger; Lee Reynolds; Laura Selwood; James Clyde; Mark Oxtoby; Stuart Nurse; Dalre Rapley; David Riccardo-Pearce; Graham Bryan.
Presented by The Greenwich Theatre in association with Incidental Colman, Hilary Williams, Tulchin/Bartner Productions and the Ambassador Theatre Group.
Greenwich Theatre, Crooms Hill, London, SE10 8ES.
Evenings: 7.30pm/Matinees – Wed & Sat 2.30pm
Box Office: 020 8688 9291