THE show that everyone has been RAVING about. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about, naturellement. Passion is one Sondheim musical that I know nothing of. It is the winter flu of my musical theatre world - should I prepare for it and am I going to get it? WELL I went totally unprepared, not knowing the story, music, NO nothing not-a-thing, and I was READY to understand the secrets that lay beneath. Don't say that I'm not daring...
Director Jamie Lloyd has created a beautifully atmospheric production - lighting and audio are excellently and effectively employed to summon up beating, warm rain or daylight streaming through towering shutters, perfectly evoking the grandeur of 19th century Italy, where the story unfolds. An overall, haunted feel is created throughout the one-act production, with candles musting the air and costume designed to reflect the stark contrast between the masculine military austerity and the female blithe spirit.
Lloyd's direction is faultless. Movement is a sublime mixture of ethereal poise ruptured by measured, soldierly precision. The narrative is painted in the space romantically, with dream-like quality. Spellbinding moments occur as the all-male ensemble lend their combined voices to Sondheim's closely-knit harmonies.
Scarlett Strallen as the refined, lithe Clara floats balletically across the space, entertwining with synchronic scenes at the provincial army out-post as she reads and writes letters to her love, Giorgio. She is as graceful as ever.
David Thaxton's Giorgio however was rather too naive, leading my mind far too swiftly and easily to the predictable conclusion. HE.IS.DOOMED. (I imagine that I might not have been so quickly and innocently led astray myself. SCHOOL BOOK). However in 'No one Has Ever Loved Me' he displays a depth of performance that would have been welcome in his interpretation of Giorgio throughout the rest of the piece.
Elena Roger, the minute ingenue, conjured up the haunted Fosca with powerful, disturbed affliction. Her delicate, exotic voice lilts so skillfully from piercing pain to soft despair and her slight frame commands attention and caution as the troubled and difficult Fosca in equal amounts. Fosca's 'Loving You' was disturbing, tender and quite simply wonderful. Here, Sondheim and lyricist James Lapine have superbly immersed themselves within the fragile neuroses of a woman. As that wise devil William Congreve said, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.' Except Fosca is never quite as simple as this quote suggests. Hats off to Elena. She plays in 6D.
The piece, however, is flawed. Above all, this is a tale of love, as the title 'Passion' suggests. Yet, with a score that mostly sails upon one orchestral tide and timbre throughout, the passion feels somewhat overlooked in lieu of romantic sadness and longing. Whether it be at fault of the production or the piece, it is much more affecting to watch people struggle to rise above grief and pain. I rather fear that this epic tale, drenched in a gothic romanticism, allowed the collective cast to drown a little in theirs.
Sondheim's presentation of intertwined love affairs is tangible and studied for the most part, yet there is little comic relief in his composition. Rather, Sondheim has here focussed upon the serious side of love, but without any dramatic or notable musical climax. I felt that, in terms of musical composition, 'subtle' is the key word here. Thus, I remained in an emotional limbo, a kind of wishy-washy dream. Normally Sondheim is the master of musical ebbs and flows that govern emotion in his works. Yet, with only one exposed storyline in Passion, it evident that musical colour is limited.
Passion as an emotion is, alas, rarely a wishy-washy affair. Instead, it is achingly raw, and throws one left to right with little care for the consequences. This production remained steadfast, albeit true, to its path straight down the middle. Never quite reaching far enough out of its comfort zone.
Was 'PASSION' the passionate ache that I had hoped for? Sadly, no.
