Jon Robyns and Cayleigh Capaldi in Figaro at the London Palladium. Picture: Fahad Alinizi
Figaro: An Original Musical was reviewed at the London Palladium.
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
If musicals are meant to enchant, Figaro leaves its audience less mesmerised and more confused. Co-writer and director Will Nunziata, whose career spans collaborations with Broadway veterans and pop stars alike, and co-writer and composer/lyricist Ashley Jana, a prolific pop singer-songwriter with over 60 million streams to her name, have undoubtedly assembled a show with all the makings of a spectacle. But despite the pedigree of its creators and a cast brimming with musical talent, Figaro stumbles under the weight of its own ambitions.
Musically, Jana’s score, unlike her lyrics, swings for the rafters, blending pop hooks with operatic grandeur the way Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera successfully did. The London Musical Theatre Orchestra, conducted by the seasoned Simon Beck, delivered lush orchestrations that shimmered with emotional intensity. When the music soared – particularly in standout numbers like ‘Brightest Star’ and the fiery ‘I’m on Fire’ – one could almost believe the show might take flight, but Jana’s compositions frequently demanded Herculean feats from the vocalists, pushing them into registers better suited for acrobats than singers.
Even seasoned performers like Aimie Atkinson struggled to navigate the jagged contours of Jana’s melodies. Atkinson, whose powerhouse pop belt has dazzled audiences in shows like In The Heights and Pretty Woman, sounded a little uncomfortable here in the role of Lucia, particularly during the ill-conceived trio in Act II.
Cayleigh Capaldi, as Sienna, faced perhaps the toughest vocal challenge. With a background in both musical theatre and concert work, Capaldi is no stranger to demanding scores. Yet even she seemed caught in a vocal tug of war between sky-high belts and low, breathy passages. Her rendition of ‘I’m on Fire’ was a near-miraculous feat, imbuing the song with raw emotion despite its punishing range.
The supporting cast fared somewhat better. Cian Eagle-Service and Sophia Goodman, as the mischievous circus urchins Gianni and Amelia, brought a refreshing burst of energy to the production. Eagle-Service – currently one of the young performers playing the title role in Oliver! – showcased a thrilling high mix and an infectious stage presence. Goodman, a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music with a background in classical vocal training, recently seen in Matilda, brought clarity and warmth to her role, her voice cutting through the often chaotic orchestrations. Together, these two upcoming stars provided some of the show’s highlights and few coherent moments.
Jon Robyns channelled a rakish charm reminiscent of Broadway’s great showmen in the role of Figaro. With a background in rock musicals and immersive theatre, Robyns is well-equipped to navigate the role’s bombastic demands. His voice, a robust tenor with a gritty edge, anchored numbers like the hypnotic ‘The Tease’, even when the plot around him spiralled into absurdity.
About that plot: if only it made as much sense as the music occasionally did. The narrative follows Sienna, a poor merchant’s daughter with dreams of singing, who gets lost in an Italian market and inexplicably ends up 200 miles away in another town. She’s swept up by two orphaned circus urchins, hypnotised by Figaro (whose ‘hypnosis’ consists of prancing around blindfolded), and thrust into a rivalry with Lucia, Figaro’s current leading lady.
Lucia emerges as one of the show’s more compelling characters despite being saddled with thin material. Atkinson’s background in pop-inflected musicals allowed her to inject some much-needed edge into Lucia’s solos, though even she couldn’t overcome the book’s reliance on tired tropes. The inevitable lovers’ quarrel ends with Figaro ‘shooting’ Lucia, only for her to reappear as a deus ex machina, revealing Sienna’s whereabouts to her father.
The plot’s descent into absurdity reaches its nadir in the final act, which oscillates between operatic melodrama and head-scratching incoherence. Sienna transforms from a vengeful Valkyrie to a meek damsel, witnessing her father’s failed murder attempt and Figaro’s successful one. Both men are stabbed, yet both seem to survive. Whether this was all meant to be a dream, or merely a writer’s fever dream, remains unclear.
The costumes switched wildly between eras, with Sienna’s stiff polyester gown clashing against her father’s 18th-century-inspired attire. Sophia Pardon, tasked with designing the show’s costumes, appeared to have raided both a Renaissance fair and a 1990s rave. The result was a chaotic mishmash that only added to the audience’s disorientation.
On the other hand, Justin Williams, who recently did brilliant work in the concert version of Nine in Manchester, continues to prove his unparalleled talent in set design, here a visual masterpiece worthy of a fully staged production.
Jo Goodwin’s choreography, however, while intricate and energetic, often felt at odds with the show’s narrative rhythms. Moments of genuine spectacle were undercut by abrupt tonal shifts and inexplicable staging choices. One wonders whether a more unified creative vision might have allowed the cast to shine more brightly.
Despite its many flaws, Figaro boasts moments of beauty and raw emotional power. The cast’s dedication was evident, and Jana’s music, while often unwieldy, hinted at a composer with a deep well of creativity. But musicals, like magic tricks, require focus and discipline to succeed. Without them, the spectacle dissolves into a blur of missed notes and muddled intentions.
Nevertheless, this show has potential, and it’s always fascinating to witness a work in progress, especially in such a gorgeous venue as the London Palladium.
Patrick Honoré
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