It’s been a while since Andrew Lord Webber has given us a new musical, his last one co-wrote with Ben Elton (before Elton started churning out rubbish) The Beautiful Game was a delightful show which closed far too soon, fortunately he’s now back with The Woman In White.

Lloyd Webber’s score forms the backbone of the free adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel The Woman In White. The new book by Charlotte Jones has reduced this colossal story into easily digestible chunks and the lyrics by David Zippel mean we zip through the story at pace, yet never loose the irresistible qualities that make this book a classic.

The show has a lot to live up to, it’s massive promotion and celebrity cast members such as Maria Friedman and Michael Crawford only add to the hype surrounding this production…fortunately it’s more than lived up to expectations.

Trevor Nunn’s cunning direction keeps the show from dawdling and avoids any musical clichés, it in turns helps to create a musical with real depth, emotion and a haunting quality which is incomparable. If you had to look for something similar Blood Brothers, in terms of emotional impact and story would be the first thing on your mind, but it doesn’t come close to what The Woman In White has done for musical theatre. This production enlightens, inspires and immerses you into this Victoria novel with real vigour and belief.

The Wilkie Collins novel tells the story of Walter Hartright who arrives as a teacher for Mr Fairlie’s daughter Laura and half daughter Marian. On his arrival he sees a woman in white at the train station who tells him of a secret. The ghost story, come horror, come thriller, come investigation then transcends any expectations and twists and turns leaving you constantly invigorated by the tale.

The zest of this production comes from the chilling tale, which is perfectly complimented by a near flawless Lloyd Webber score. The swirling melodies, atmospheric tunes and unforgettable harmonies turn the score into a character of its own. Its haunting melodies get right into your soul and compel you further into the story. The catchy I Believe My Heart soars as the stand out track, but the real feat of this production is that it never sounds like a collection of songs, it’s is a transitional score which doesn’t fail to excite your ears.

This is a musical which will appeal to the older generation, but will happily offer something for everyone, it’s not in the family league as many other Lloyd Webber shows, but is a musical to rival any play.

At times the play seemed to slow, but the pace was quickly picked up, the most talked about thing on the stage however is not the music, the story or the cast but the technological advanced set. The production uses projection throughout on a series of cyclorama, moving set pieces and a revolving stage, the effect is immersive and unusual. The major problem with something like this is that after ten minutes or so it becomes very much a one trick pony. It’s clever and a fantastic idea but for nearly three hours it becomes just too much. Projection seems to have had a much better use in Mary Poppins where it appears only now and then, and thus doesn’t start to grate. The costumes and lighting work in harmony with the set, and this novel way of creating set and scenery will certainly leave you in awe, and will no doubt have you questions whether it is a good or bad thing.

Strong performances come from the cast, particularly Maria Friedman as Marian Halcombe whose effortless voice gives you goose pimples. The delightful villainous Sir Percival Gylde is played with conviction from Oliver Darley, Jill Paice’s performance as Laura Fairlie and Angela Christina’s performance as Ann Catherick both send chills down the spine. Finally a wondrous turn by Michael Crawford as Count Fosco adds an element of charm, humour and smiles to an otherwise deep and emotional story…it’s great to see such a master at work.

The Woman In White is traditional, it’s a classic, and it’s virtually timeless. An effectively astounding piece of musical theatre.

The Tick List

Story

Set

Costumes

Cast

Music

Overall

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