Broken Wings – Theatre Royal Haymarket

Nadim Naaman and the company of Broken Wings at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London. Picture: Marc Brenner

Broken Wings continues at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, London until 4 August 2018.

Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩

Based on Kahlil Gibran’s 1912 novel, this curiously old fashioned (traditional?) musical is touching without being mawkishly sentimental.

The autobiographical source material tells the story of Gibran’s returning to his native Beirut after spending most of his childhood in America. He falls in love with a girl who is then married against her will to a philandering, rich man who believes that “married men are more desirable”.

The two of them meet clandestinely (and by implication fairly chastely) for some time until she bears her husband’s child – which doesn’t end well.

Music by Dana Al Fardan and Nadim Naaman (who also plays the older Gibran and wrote the show’s book) is delightful. At its heart is a string quartet with double bass and guitar on one side of the stage with pianists and two percussionists on the other.

Orchestrated and conducted by Joe Davison, the sound is rich and lustrous and largely based in the Western classical tradition except for some of the atmospheric music to connote the mysteries of the middle East. Then we get some fabulous virtuoso folksy fiddle work (bravo Dmitri Torchinsky who plays first violin) and evocative effects such as dulcimer.

The story unfolds as a flashback with Naaman as Gibran in his study in New York (skyline projected) looking back, wandering through the action and commenting on his memories. He looks like a dishy young Omar Sharif and sings with resonant warmth.

Rob Houchen’s younger Gibran – pleasing tenor voice – is convincing as a passionate young man in love for the first time and with an ability for words which is already obvious to everyone around him.

As Selma, Nikita Johal has both a sweet voice for quiet thoughtful moments and a rather impressive full belt for when the going gets rough.

Soophia Foroughi, who plays two different mothers, finds rich emotion in her singing and Nadeem Crowe is strong as Gibran’s close friend in Beirut.

There’s also some nice ensemble work in this show – especially in the wedding which opens the second half.

Some of the dialogue between sung numbers is, however, woodenly stilted especially in conversations involving older characters such as Adam Linstead as Selma’s father and Irvine Iqbal as the Bishop. Director Bronagh Lagan could have taken measures to make these scenes feel more naturalistic and less hammy.

And finally, full marks to lighting designer Nic Farman who creates impressively appropriate atmospheres for both New York and Beirut in the early 20th century.

Susan Elkin