Rebecca – Charing Cross Theatre

Lauren Jones and Richard Carson in Rebecca at the Charing Cross Theatre, London. Picture: Mark Senior

Rebecca continues at the Charing Cross Theatre, London until 18 November 2023.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

If there is a range of slickly produced merchandise on sale in the foyer on premiere night, including a large, glossy programme, T-shirts and mugs, you know expectations for the new show are high. Depending on whether you had seen the gloriously gothic 1940 movie adaptation of the novel Rebecca, penned by Daphne Du Maurier and directed by the ultimate master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, you entered the Charing Cross Theatre with either a sense of excitement or a high level of trepidation. Probably excitement if you hadn’t, the latter if you had, such was the lasting effect from watching that original film starring Laurence Olivier, Joan Fontaine, Judith Anderson and George Sanders, nominated for 11 Oscars, winning both Best Picture and Best Cinematography categories. Not just big shoes for this cast and production team to fill then, but iconic.

It’s much to the credit then of Richard Carson, in the role of Maxim de Winter, Lauren Jones as Mrs de Winter 2 and especially Kara Lane as the dressed in black, demonic and deranged housekeeper Mrs Danvers, that despite its many stumbling, unconvincing moments, this English language premiere succeeds – just.

With original book and English lyrics by Michael Kunze and music and orchestrations by Sylvester Levay, Rebecca had its world premiere at VBW’s Raimund Theater in Vienna back in September 2006 where it went on to play to houses in three seasons and is now apparently enjoying a successful revival. At times during the evening it’s touch and go whether this Rebecca will pull it off and certainly the opening segment does this production few favours, excluding the opening number, ‘Last Night I Dreamt of Manderley’, sung hauntingly and with some foreboding by Jones and which sets the macabre scene beautifully.

The early, crucial scenes where an innocent, naive young girl meets a handsome, wealthy stranger, falls in love and is whisked away to Cornwall to get married all happens in a flash and is pretty devoid of any real romantic chemistry – even speed dating took longer than this. Thankfully, there are a couple of solid comedic appearances by Shirley Jameson in the guise of the curmudgeonly, all ‘airs and graces’ Mrs Van Hopper who’s in total disbelief at losing her young, downtrodden, companion to Mr de Winter.

With an orchestra of 18, direction from Alejandro Bonatto, English book adaptation and lyrics by Christopher Hampton (the latter penned with Kunze) and featuring no less than 22 new songs, plus a whole lot more – far too many in fact – Act I is almost painfully stretched out. It is not without its moments though as when Mrs Danvers makes her entrance and the production starts to find its musical mojo. ‘Invincible’, sung full throttle by Lane, is a moment you’ve been waiting for, one that resonates, brings memories of that original film flooding back and even puts a few shivers up the spine. Without a convincing Mrs Danvers any new version of Rebecca, a bit like the first Mrs de Winter, is dead in the water – as it actually proves later on.

The plot of Rebecca, of course, is a dark one from the same writer that penned, among many other titles, the quite shocking (for its day) The Birds, also a later Hitchcock film – this is no fluffy, feel-good, warm and cosy family musical.

What does impress is the menacing, dark and Halloween spooky look and feel of the constantly changing sets and the collective creative achievement of designers Nicky Shaw (production), David Seldes (lighting) and Matt Powell (projection) is worthy of much praise. Even more so given that the Charing Cross Theatre never feels like the right venue for this musical. In their programme notes, Kunze and Levay state: “with deep respect for the English audience, we’ve chosen a theatre that is in line with the humility and ambition of our endeavour for its London premiere.” They couldn’t have looked far given the many intimate West End venues that would have suited this production so much better.

There are glaring missed opportunities here, like the pivotal, cruel moment when the new Mrs de Winter is tricked into wearing an exact replica of a dress worn by her predecessor at the Manderley costume ball, coming slowly down the spiral staircase to shocked guests and a mortified Maxim. If there was a perfect moment to use the impressive ensemble to full effect, this was it, yet they are nowhere to be seen and the vital scene just slips away. When the ensemble does appear, as the full house staff greeting (then mocking) the new marital incumbent of Manderley, singing ‘A Brand New Mrs De Winter’, and later as a disparate bunch of shore line scavengers belting out ‘Flotsam and Jetsam’ in Act II, their esprit de corps instantly raises the bar while the energy-fuelled choreography (Ron Howell) is worthy of a much bigger stage.

Act II is a big improvement and the reprise of ‘Rebecca’ with Mrs Danvers and the woman she despises is perfect, as is ‘I’ll Never Forget Her Smile’, performed by Carson – on the surface a reflective, loving tribute to his dearly departed wife, but in truth a shocking exposé of her real, cruel inner identity. Acting-wise, he is no Laurence Olivier, but I’m guessing the great man wasn’t the greatest singer, whereas Carson is vocally very competent. It’s when he combines with Jones right towards the end that at last you’re convinced of their characters’ deep felt love and that it has conquered all – the evil of Mrs Danvers, past ghosts, betrayal of close family and terrible hidden secrets. ‘Through the Night’, performed by these two leads is a flawless, beautiful number and almost worth the wait on its own in what is an ultimately rewarding, but far too drawn out musical experience.

Derek Smith