BEHIND THE IRON MASK. To 20 August.

London

BEHIND THE IRON MASK
by John Robinson (music, lyrics, concept), Colin Scott and Melinda Walker (book)

Duchess Theatre To 20 August 2005
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Runs 2hr One interval

TICKETS: 0870 890 1103
Review: Timothy Ramsden 3 August

Best draw a veil over this Iron Mask.Some skilful theatre pieces fail to take flight because the marks of the writing class stay visible. Not this piece, useful in any theatre-writing session as an exemplar of how not to do it. Which would be fine if it came to life itself. But it never does.

The Iron Mask story, made famous by Dumas, is promising; a royal prisoner secluded lifelong in a metal mask so nobody could identify him. Anything called Behind the Iron Mask should have some insight into the story. There's something suggested, very late on, briefly and vaguely, but no newsworthy revelation or theory. The really interesting questions remain unanswered: what does a man in an iron mask do when his nose itches, or when he has a head-cold?

The title refers to the arrival of a Gypsy woman awakening desire and memories of love. Little enough, in itself, for 100 minutes' playing-time even with songs. John Robinson's score can be attractive (though his lyrics frequently clunk along in rhyming couplets) but has little to do except repeatedly reflect a few states of desire.

Lacking plot or character development, the script doesn't go anywhere, and seems unaware it ought to be on the move at all. It's about striking attitudes, in language theatre mothballed long ago.

It's hardly surprising, dramatically, the performers seem to have given up before the start. Robert Fardell compensates for flat spoken delivery by delivering Robinson's sustained, high-pitched melody ends while constricted by the ferrous-seeming face-cover. Mark McKerracher keeps to the manner of gruff expostulation he instantly adopts after a ludicrous opening dance' episode.

This is wise; more characterisation and we'd ask why someone who's shown years of loyalty should risk his life upon instantly meeting Sheila Ferguson's Gypsy. She makes pronouncements about her Carmen-like sexual force yet mostly speaks with the enthusiasm of a cheesed-off whore on a flat Monday night in Goole.

Except, the accent suggests she's been living in the USA. Still, Ferguson is the only one with a sense of going somewhere downstage centre for maximum audience impact. That's showbiz; which this new piece, alas, ain't.

Gypsy: Sheila Ferguson
Prisoner: Robert Fardell
Jailer: Mark McKerracher

Director: Tony Craven
Designer: Nicolai Hart Hansen
Lighting: Tim Mascall
Sound: Mark Dunne
Musical director/Arranger: Alasdair MacNeill
Musical Supervisor: Gary Hind
Choreographer: Conchita del Campo
Assistant choreographer: Nuno Campos

2005-08-04 10:46:57