This August, three musicals were produced as concert versions at the iconic Theatre Royal Drury Lane: Chess, Kinky Boots and Treason, a brand-new musical by Ricky Allan and Kieran Lynn about the 1605 gunpowder plot. I was clearly not alone in being very excited for the emergence of a new historical musical to the West End stage, as the two nights were fully sold out weeks before the show. The anticipation for a production that no one has ever seen live before, except for their preview at West End LIVE, was immense, so I couldn’t wait to find out if the show was going to live up to its hype and do justice to the talent of its incredible leading stars.
As a whole, this musical has the potential to become a West End great. Teasing the production with two exclusive concert performances at Theatre Royal Drury Lane gave audiences the chance to get to know the show, while the production team will now be in a better position to take the show to the next level. Without a doubt, they are already there with the songs: from romantic duet between the two main leads, Blind Faith, to Take Things Into Our Own Hands, performed by Simon-Anthony Rhoden as plotter Robert Catesby, the soundtrack has a strong, original and memorable sound.
However, comparing the new musical to the Broadway and West End smash-hit Hamilton cannot be helped. This isn’t just because they’re both historical musicals: there’s plenty of those knocking around. But the themes and motifs of Treason overlap with Hamilton considerably that it’s difficult to enjoy some aspects of the show without feeling that Lin-Manuel Miranda must deserve a little credit. Firstly, Treason’s hilariously camp King James, portrayed by Daniel Boys, is almost a carbon copy of Hamilton’s King George III. He’s a crowd pleaser, but I wish I was remembering his own strengths rather than similarities to an already-iconic musical character.
Both also use rap, but unlike Hamilton, which merges hip-hop and musical theatre in an unimaginably slick way, Treason’s outbursts of grime by the ‘narrator’ fit less naturally with the rest of the musical’s tone. The narrator’s main function seemed to be emphasising to the audience the theme of history repeating itself and history being erased, but again, Hamilton has already conveyed this in a more subtle and less didactic way. Instead, I’d have liked to have seen the narrator, you know, actually narrate the tale. There’s a few gaps of context that the musical lacks – we’re told Robert Catesby is dangerous, but never actually why. Similarly, the audience is led to believe that Cedric Neal’s Earl of Northumberland is a trustworthy character, but why? I found myself inclined to trust him, but mostly because of how great he was in the Kinky Boots concert two weeks ago, rather than the characters’ merits…
The costumes, although less abrasive in person than the production shots, are what require the most work going forward. While it was only a two day run and the fact that the costumes are the show’s biggest flaw speaks volumes about how impressive the actual show was, the concert production lacks a fully-formed set, so the costumes are at the heart of the production shots that will sway future audiences. The dresses of the female characters clashed, rather than a clever contrast, with the men’s black Levi’s with &Juliet-esque jackets, and as a central character, Carrie’s Martha Percy would have benefitted from a brighter coloured dress rather than the pale peach shade – wouldn’t it have made more sense for her to dress in a bright yellow, rather than an ensemble member? Most puzzling was the Urdang Academy Dancers’ 1600s-urban-B&Q worker combination – especially the one who seemed to have popped around the corner to the Back To The Future musical and stolen Marty McFly’s orange gilet.
Talent wise, Treason was always going to be nothing short of spectacular. Thomas Percy, the show’s central protagonist, was played by Bradley Jaden, who currently stars as Javert in Les Miserables and, in my opinion, has the best voice of the whole of the West End. His duet Blind Faith with Carrie Hope Fletcher, who starred as his character’s wife, Martha Percy, was electric, while her solo performance of The Inevitable gave me goosebumps; it had such raw emotion. It was interesting to see her portray a woman who defies the man she loves, Martha Percy is a world away from Carrie’s previous role in Cinderella as the titular character, as instead of pining for a man, Martha defies her love in Treason’s attempt to write women back into the historical narrative. Arguably, their individual agency is actually more authentic than that of Hamilton, where Eliza’s achievements are shoehorned into the finale, leaving her a sidelined wife and mother until then. The role Treason’s women play is not just important but pivotal, yet it still comes too late – Martha suddenly transforms from abandoned wife to bold and righteous wife, but the two roles could co-exist earlier on in the show.
Comic relief comes in the form of Les Dennis’ role as Robert Cecil, who is underutilised in Act 1, but has a dazzling moment to shine in Act 2 with light-hearted song Paperwork, featuring cleverly-timed gags comparing the contemporary government with that of 1605 which had the audience howling with laughter. I would liked to have seen him interact more with the other characters, but the role provided an excellent comedic break that suited a musical of this genre.
Treason has the potential to reach the heights of the previous two musicals to be performed in concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane this August: Chess and Kinky Boots. Its stellar cast and beautiful soundtrack are a winning combination – the book just needs a little more plotting.
What shows have you seen lately? Comment below and read my review of the Kinky Boots concert here!
