Robert Lonsdale and cast in From Here to Eternity at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Picture: Roy Tan
From Here to Eternity opened at the Shaftesbury, London on 23 October.
Based on the novel by James Jones, From Here to Eternity tells the story of the lives and loves of career soldiers in G Company, stationed in Hawaii in the days leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbour in 1941. Jones’ novel was turned into a hugely popular movie in the 1950s starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr and Frank Sinatra and the sequence between Lancaster and Kerr, frolicking illicitly in the surf remains a potent celluloid image. Behind the surf, leis and the inherent romance of the island of Hawaii lies a darker aspect that comes to the fore in Jones’ novel. The tensions of service life, the repression, inherent sexism and homophobia bubble to the surface only to pale into insignificance when Japan opens fire on Oahu killing nearly 3,000 soldiers and civilians and catapulting the USA into the Second World War.
Shaping Jones’ novel into a piece of musical theatre was never going to be easy and yet lyricist Tim Rice and composer Stuart Brayson insist that the lure of its multi-faceted storyline is an irresistible challenge and indeed, this is Rice’s first original musical in 13 years. Adult, informative and occasionally surprising, the sad fact is that From Here to Eternity, currently running at three hours, is remarkably un-engaging. For the first two thirds, the two leads – Robert Lonsdale as Private Robert E Lee Prewitt and Darius Campbell as First Sergeant Milt Warden – embark on ill-advised romances, and when finally the Japanese attack, chaos ensues resulting in Prewitt’s sadly ignominious death.
Amid the testosterone-heavy mix of barrack antics and visits to the New Congress Club, hosted by the magnificently coiffured Mrs Kipfer, we are then introduced to the Waikiki Club, Oahu’s underground gay bar where the soldiers can be found ‘rolling queers’, an activity that is sadly not as much fun as it sounds. Mostly edited from the original novel and completely removed from the movie, the homosexuality and homophobia play an important part in shaping the narrative although, like much of Bill Oakes’ adaptation, the emotional moments are a hit and miss affair. Thankfully Rice’s lyrics are crafted with much greater precision and although Brayson’s score neatly references elements of the period with a few stand-out numbers, the reprises add little but time to the evening.
The performances suffer somewhat from Tamara Harvey’s perfunctory direction, which seldom allows any light and shade, even in the most intimate moments between either the lovers or the men. Campbell’s Warden is deeply masculine and imposing, so it’s a pity that his number ‘Marking Time’ is not allowed the applause it deserves. Rebecca Thornhill as Warden’s love interest Karen Holmes gamely attacks her role with gusto, and at an emotional level hers is the most satisfying journey in the show, although there is little chemistry between the two of them. The ill-fated love story that frames the narrative is that of Prewitt and his working-girl love interest Lorene, played by Lonsdale and Siubhan Harrison. Both actors commit to the roles and there are some strong vocals, particularly from Harrison as she urges the strong-minded Private to ‘Run Along Joe’.
In a stand out performance Ryan Sampson, taking time out from TV’s Plebs, makes an exceptional Angelo Maggio, the sexually ambiguous Italian-American Private, whose fate gives this musical its heart and soul. Sampson’s insouciant delivery teeters on the edge of comedy and Maggio’s downward trajectory into an unforgiving stockade and brutal death is handled with respect and sensitivity. It also goes some way to explaining why historically Sinatra fought so hard to secure the role in the movie.
Arguably the most successful aspect of this production is the musical staging and choreography by Javier De Frutos. From regimented marching formations acting to the wild rough-housing in the Schofield Barracks, De Frutos’ work permeates the script and score, physicalising both the repression and boredom of the boys from G Company. A visit to the New Congress Club provides welcome relief from this tedium and again De Frutos’ choreography reflects this in a frenzy of movement. The slow motion sequences that pepper the show are effective if not innovative and provide a final burst of excitement in a story that desperately lacks momentum.
Given the subject matter this is a musical that may well touch a chord with the American market and indeed, a transfer to Broadway may solve some of its problems. As it stands, From Here to Eternity is a musical adaptation that lacks the passion of the source work and uses patriotism as a shoo-in for sympathy.
Paul Vale
www.fromheretoeternitythemusical.com
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.