The Selfish Giant, by Guy Chambers
Apr 25, 2018 11:05:49 GMT
Mr Crummles, mallardo, and 5 more like this
Post by Steve on Apr 25, 2018 11:05:49 GMT
I saw this folk musical at the Vaudeville theatre on the night of Saturday 14th April, as part of the Oscar Wilde season. It's been and gone now, but here's hoping not for long.
Like Tommy, it's sung through, which is why it billed itself a "folk opera," and it told the story of Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant:" a very topical story about an anti-social Giant who builds a wall around his property to keep the local kids out, only to later regret it, and tear it down again.
This was exquisite to listen to, a languorous bathing in what felt like a whole season of music: an awakening of solo tinkling piano notes, followed by folk voices chorally uniting in the joy of summer, the bass voice of the giant, Jeff Nicholson, introducing the threat of autumn to this halcyon world, minor keys signalling the coming of winter, the tenor rock voice of Olly Dobson transitioning from mellow folk to a mischievous Hair-the-musical style rock, then the changing heart of the giant signalling the coming of spring's chorus once again, and at the end of the season, a final goodbye for the giant, before a new season began. . .
Just the most wonderfully orchestrated folk, and mellow rock, that even on first listen, was pure pleasure, like riding on a sailboat of music, so moving to hear, with composer Guy Chambers performing the piano part himself.
If the piece had a problem, it was the soft dramatisation, in which the Giant, having built his wall (a Styrofoam puzzle-piece edifice that looked like a mini-me version of the one Roger Waters creates in his "the Wall" concerts), got lonely and sad too quickly, and hence relented too easily to the children's desire to break down the wall again. Still, it's an elemental piece, and the soft dramatisation makes it appropriate for little children too, as the Giant never got too violent or frightening.
The kids were played by young adults, the giant by a very human Jeff Nicholson, all of whom I loved: Rose Shalloo (Chava in Chichester's Fiddler), as the mysterious boy who leads the other kids into the giant's garden, sang sweet sainted soprano notes that soared and sat lightly on top of the other kids' choral combine; Jeff Nicholson, as the Giant, evoked latterday Leonard Cohen, with less wit, but more grit, his full bass baritone voice threatening to frighten the kids in the audience, though his elegant top hat and platforms and perma-grumpy-stumps expression made him no more large and fearsome than Hagrid, in Harry Potter; Olly Dobson shone for his rock tenor, which yelpingly expressed a passion for freedom beyond that dreadful wall; and among the wider ensemble, Laila Zaidi expressed a confidence and exuberance in expression that was a sheer joy to behold, while Scott Sutcliffe evoked a tenderness that was truly touching.
Oscar Wilde's story is so short it takes only 5 minutes to read, so perhaps it was always destined that it's dramatisation would fall short in a one hour ten minute production. And this production sticks to Wilde's coded religious resolution to the story, which CS Lewis like, evokes a Christian theme, and may deter some religion averse punters. But by the same token, this show could have huge legs among US Christians, fed up of Trump's wall, who want to present themes of love and acceptance in community shows, where the utterly transporting music can elevate the spirits of all (including an atheist like me) not only over walls, but to a paradise far beyond.
4 and a half stars.
Like Tommy, it's sung through, which is why it billed itself a "folk opera," and it told the story of Oscar Wilde's "The Selfish Giant:" a very topical story about an anti-social Giant who builds a wall around his property to keep the local kids out, only to later regret it, and tear it down again.
This was exquisite to listen to, a languorous bathing in what felt like a whole season of music: an awakening of solo tinkling piano notes, followed by folk voices chorally uniting in the joy of summer, the bass voice of the giant, Jeff Nicholson, introducing the threat of autumn to this halcyon world, minor keys signalling the coming of winter, the tenor rock voice of Olly Dobson transitioning from mellow folk to a mischievous Hair-the-musical style rock, then the changing heart of the giant signalling the coming of spring's chorus once again, and at the end of the season, a final goodbye for the giant, before a new season began. . .
Just the most wonderfully orchestrated folk, and mellow rock, that even on first listen, was pure pleasure, like riding on a sailboat of music, so moving to hear, with composer Guy Chambers performing the piano part himself.
If the piece had a problem, it was the soft dramatisation, in which the Giant, having built his wall (a Styrofoam puzzle-piece edifice that looked like a mini-me version of the one Roger Waters creates in his "the Wall" concerts), got lonely and sad too quickly, and hence relented too easily to the children's desire to break down the wall again. Still, it's an elemental piece, and the soft dramatisation makes it appropriate for little children too, as the Giant never got too violent or frightening.
The kids were played by young adults, the giant by a very human Jeff Nicholson, all of whom I loved: Rose Shalloo (Chava in Chichester's Fiddler), as the mysterious boy who leads the other kids into the giant's garden, sang sweet sainted soprano notes that soared and sat lightly on top of the other kids' choral combine; Jeff Nicholson, as the Giant, evoked latterday Leonard Cohen, with less wit, but more grit, his full bass baritone voice threatening to frighten the kids in the audience, though his elegant top hat and platforms and perma-grumpy-stumps expression made him no more large and fearsome than Hagrid, in Harry Potter; Olly Dobson shone for his rock tenor, which yelpingly expressed a passion for freedom beyond that dreadful wall; and among the wider ensemble, Laila Zaidi expressed a confidence and exuberance in expression that was a sheer joy to behold, while Scott Sutcliffe evoked a tenderness that was truly touching.
Oscar Wilde's story is so short it takes only 5 minutes to read, so perhaps it was always destined that it's dramatisation would fall short in a one hour ten minute production. And this production sticks to Wilde's coded religious resolution to the story, which CS Lewis like, evokes a Christian theme, and may deter some religion averse punters. But by the same token, this show could have huge legs among US Christians, fed up of Trump's wall, who want to present themes of love and acceptance in community shows, where the utterly transporting music can elevate the spirits of all (including an atheist like me) not only over walls, but to a paradise far beyond.
4 and a half stars.
