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Review: King Cotton

September 15, 2007


Venue: The Lowry
Date Reviewed: 14th September 2007

star

King Cotton is one of the most ambitious and highly anticipated musicals to open in the North West. This brave but flawed piece combines the talents of Jimmy McGovern, Jude Kelly, Ti Green and Ian Brownbill.

The focus is on two competing plotlines; the Lancashire Cotton Famine and the American Civil War. Dealing with slavery and the effect that these barbaric acts had on humanity are big issues; ideal material for musical heaven, right? Well, if you think of how moving a show like Broadway hit The Color Purple can be, you might be expecting more of the same. But there are some problems here, which stop this earnest and well meaning musical from becoming a modern classic.

When the show opens, it is clear that the producers fear the musical genre, as there is no show stopping number, just dialogue, with the odd song, shyly tapping you on the shoulder, asking you to listen, but only if are in the mood! When the excellent performers are permitted to sing, they oblige, with real heartfelt passion. Wendy Mae Brown and Emma Jay Thomas, in particular, imbue the show with so much vocal strength and emotion that they light up the stage, even when the lighting, itself falters.

The multitude of talent involved behind the scenes does give the show a lack of direction. You can almost hear McGovern fighting for fewer songs, and more drama. Yet, there is no real narrative drive or pull which means that scenes are loosely linked together and the ‘comedy’ seems out of synch with the high emotion. The songs themselves are memorable, particularly the gospel tracks, which are excellent. But the musical interludes are so rushed that the emotional pay off is almost lost.

The brass band music is so unusual to hear in a musical, that it does offer the show a unique selling point. But some of the accompanying imagery featuring Northern stereotypes ‘a plenty’ remind you of a Hovis advert, which jars with the Roots style slavery plot.

Ti Green’s epic, all encompassing set design suits the Lowry stage, doubling up as a cotton farm and a ship in stormy waters.

The performers do have real soul and a special mention should go to the hilarious John Henshaw as God himself. But this cotton picking tale is just too muddled and loosely assembled to become the emotional, operatic and divine powerhouse that you desperately want it to be.

- Glenn Meads

King Cotton continues at the Lowry until Sat 22 September. It then moves to the Liverpool Empire from 25- 29 September 2007.

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