Finian’s Rainbow – Union Theatre

A scene from Finian’s Rainbow at the Union Theatre, London. Picture: Roy Tan

Finian’s Rainbow continues at the Union Theatre, London until March 15.

The older a musical, the more its reliance on stereotypes becomes a struggle to deal with in a modern revival. Finian’s Rainbow is now of pensionable age, and some of its characterisations – most notably of Irish traditions and folklore – do rankle. But director Phil Wilmott has softened some of the larger racial overtones in this tale of immigrants in the Deep South of America, giving more space for the financial allergories which still have relevance today.

The eponymous Finian (James Horne) has, along with his granddaughter, emigrated from Ireland, having absconded with a magical crock of gold belonging to feisty Leprechaun Og (Raymond Walsh). Their arrival in drought-hit Rainbow Valley, and use of the ‘borrowed’ magical gold, earns security for the poor workers, and the emnity of the bigoted local Senator.

In truth, the book by EY Harburg and Fred Saidy seems to take an age to get going, preferring to concentrate on song-and-dance numbers instead of encouraging an emotional connection to the characters. The familiar trope of the romantic leads falling in love within seconds of first meeting works less well than in other musicals, with Christina Bennington’s Sharon and Joseph Peters’ Woody struggling to convince as lovers until well into Act II. But this does allow for some exuberant performances, with choreography by Thoms Michael Voss that at times struggles with the strictures of the Union’s limited confines.

It is a quality mark of the musical’s songs that so many are familiar to audiences.. The combination of Gaelic and gospel influences creates some memorable moments, delivered by a lively and spirited ensemble.

As the residents of Rainbow Valley find themselves overwhelmed with new-found wealth, the promise of buying luxuries on credit brings one of the show’s most topical numbers, ‘When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich’. In combination with Senator Rawkins’ (Michael J Hayes) contempt for his poverty-stricken constituents, the topicality overcomes some of the show’s other inherent flaws. Perhaps wisely, director Wilmott changes a major element of the show, where an inadvertent wish over Og’s crock of gold originally turned the white senator black. Here, the wish instead makes him poor, which ties in with the rest of the show’s monetary themes but requires further suspension of disbelief when nobody recognises him. Thankfully, Hayes’ performance helps enormously, with a larger-than-life performance that suits the show to a T.

With all the inherent imperfections in the musical’s structure, the crock at the heart of the show could so easily have been full of something less than edifying. But when the rainbow falls to land under a railyway arch in Southwark, it reveals an exhilarating bucket of something rather precious instead.

Scott Matthewman

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Finian’s Rainbow opens at the Union Theatre – News

The World Goes ‘Round – Union Theatre – Review