Well as a sondheim fan I have always enjoyed the music from this show on the soundtrack but have never been able to see a production so was very happy to have the chance (also one of the girls i teach is playing baby Joan Well Done)
anyway I thought the show was actually very good it takes a lot of concentration to watch and understand but i actually think it is a very good show which works well in the small cosy space of the jermyn street theatre. Rosalie Craig was fantastic as Fay Apple her voice was lovely and she gave a fantastic rendition of trumpets my fave sondehim song. overall i was very impressed by the production and the cast i feel sorry for those who walked out because they obviously dont have the intelligence to see past smoke and mirrors which fill the current theatres in the west end not that i dissaprove of those shows in anyway i find them equaly as strong (in most cases) but the music from this show is very strong and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance.
- Joshua Bird
09 Apr 10
was pretty blown away by this actually, though it certainly isn't an easy watch. one of the best casts i've seen for ages, led by the brilliant rosalie craig (whos voice is just stunning). go with an open mind and don't expect an easy ride. i have to say that i preferred the second half (because i found some of the first half a bit confusing) so i think the poster who left at the interval probably missed what really made this a great show - loz grayson
30 Mar 10
Its true the story is messy but we could have overlooked that if the performances had been stronger. The ensemble were mostly very weak and the musicians had some serious tuning issues. Ms Van Randwyck overacted, over-gurned and oversung throughout the first half. We didn't manage the second half. Rosalie Craig definitely stood out. - atagirl
28 Mar 10
Nothing, and no-one - not the very talented cast, or even the spectacular Issy van Randwick - could save this clunker. Even the wonderful songs. Sondheim really should have binned this awful show after its first outing and let the songs sing for themselves. I felt very sorry for the excellent cast, who could not have worked harder. But, like a previous reviewer, I spent one of the longest hours of my life - I would have left earlier but didn't want to make a scene - before escaping at half time to the welcome tranquillity of Jermyn Street. - Bill Guest
27 Mar 10
Sorry, no one loves Sondheim more than I do but this just won't do. Issy van Randwyck sang her numbers well but the characterisation was like Hyacinth Bucket on something or other. David Ricardo-Pearce was too young for Hapgood and the town council as white face Brechtian baddies didn't work either. The director trying to turn this into some kind of warning on facist takeover just crushed an already flimsy book. I knew what to expect when I went to Jermyn Street, I've been before, but I didn't expect to have to flee at the interval with a raging headache brought on by the 'musical arrangement' which was too far over the top for this very intimate venue. No, no,no - Sondheim not well served for me. - KJ
24 Mar 10
Tom Littler does well to make a compelling tale of Arthur Laurents' rather messy book. This production boasts excellent performances from its leads and there is the sublime score. Lots to enjoy, just be aware that the book, while it has some funny moments, is not going to be the star. - Rick Light
22 Mar 10
I was really pleasantly surprised by this show, which I think has been underrated in the past. It's helped here by a terrific cast and clever, quite dark production that is a long way from the wacky story I had been told to expect. Then again, I could watch the fabulous Issy van Randwyck in anything! But with such a beautiful set of songs, I'd urge any fan of musicals to go and see this (if you can still get a ticket- we struggled this weekend!) - Mark Lowton
22 Mar 10
Sondheim does Brecht & Weill! This early (36-year old) Sondheim show was only his third. It would be another six years before he'd produce his first great musical, Company (though the earlier A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum was fun, I wouldn't call it great). He seemed to be finding his way, trying out things which would later become part of his unique style. It is clearly derivative of Brecht & Weill's 'political' musicals with what seems to be tongue-in-cheek sniping at the then generic Broadway style. It's the story of a town mayor who 'creates' a miracle in an attempt to breathe life into the local economy. What follows is exploitation, corruption and oppression. There is a charming naivety to it, but in terms of plotting and story-telling, it's all a bit clumsy. There's little of the lyrical inventiveness or musical originality which Sondheim was soon to deliver. Tom Littler's production makes the best of the material and the cast of 14 double up as musicians in the John Doyle way. I was particularly impressed by Roslaie Craig as the nurse, but felt that Issy van Randwyck was too doll-like as the Mayoress. It's an excellent contribution to Sondheim's 80th year, as a rare opportunity for fans / completists / collectors like me to see the development of someone who was to become the greatest writer of musicals, rather than as a great musical itself. - Gareth James
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