Zorro The Musical in Concert at Cadogan Hall, London
Star rating: three stars ★ ★ ★ ✩ ✩
Based on a 1919 novel set in 18th century California, the stories of Zorro are well known from numerous film and TV adaptations, as are the hit songs of the hugely successful Gipsy Kings.
The films succeed because of their thrilling adventure sequences. Swashbuckling, last minute interventions, escape against all the odds, which are difficult to re-create in a concert performance. Added to which this production is bedevilled with the problem afflicting many works depicting non-English speaking inhabitants, of diverse accents, some adopting Spanish accents, some playing it straight.
Even recent Zorro films fall into the trap, but gloss over it with having the peasants speak accented English, while most of the aristocrats speak posh English. Compounded by singers attempting to re-create the flavour of Spain with a pseudo Flamenco style, difficult to carry off when we are now so exposed to the authentic sound, not least from the Gipsy Kings’ own recordings.
It’s a great shame as the performances by the principals are worth five stars. Musicals like Man of la Mancha, which remain true to the American canon of musical theatre, conjure Spain by the subtle use of instruments and Spanish rhythms, the vocal accents and style consistent with musical theatre. Similarly West Side Story uses accents to depict the two different ethnic groups.
Opening with a childhood flash back, Devon Francis is a delight as Young Diego, a true natural, with a lovely singing voice.
We soon launch into one of the GK hits, ‘Baila Me’ (a glossy programme, but as all too often these days, no list of songs). The story of perceived fatherly favouritism unfolds with Young Diego (Zorro) being sent to Spain for his education, his disgruntled brother remaining behind to usurp his father and instigate a regime of cruelty.
In adulthood, childhood sweetheart Luisa is sent to Spain to persuade Diego to return to challenge his brother’s regime, and the scene is set for jealous encounters with her Spanish rival Inez. The pot unfolds as we see the group return to California, Zorro adopts his dual identity, foils his brother, rescues his father and ends up with his old sweetheart. There is a lot of comedy, which is when the book is at its best.
Emma Williams as Luisa sings beautifully and is very moving, but has no trace of an accent, not even an American one. Lesli Margherita as Inez has a real flair for comedy and quite rightly stops the show with her rendition of possibly the Kings’ greatest hit, ‘Bamboleo’. Both Williams and Margherita were in the original West End production, albeit some 12 years ago, and it really shows in the confidence of their performances.
Ricardo Afonso acquits himself well as Zorro/Diego and sings thrillingly in his Act II song, with his repeated cries of ‘Ayudame (Help Me!)’. Robert Tripolino manages to make the villain of the piece, Ramon, charismatic and likeable, and, like all the principals, his singing is superb. In the secondary part of Garcia, Jo Parsons makes a real impact, credible and funny. Zubin Varla is underused.
The book by Stephen Clark is very funny at times, alternating with generalised emoting about the plight of the poor, and longing and yearning and ruminating about love and hope. The principals often break the fourth wall, as so often happens in concert performances. Annabel Mutale Reed’s staging does what it can, with the orchestral sections crying out for the choreography that a fully staged production would include.
The London Musical Theatre Orchestra under Freddie Tapner does its best to re-create the Gipsy King sound, with the addition of three guitars, but doesn’t quite achieve the authenticity. The male and female onstage chorus also struggles in the Flamenco sections. Flamenco singing requires such a different skill, a dominant chest voice, which often sounds like it’s right on the throat. These excellent singers, who have very different voices to enable them to work in the field of musicals, give it their best but it all sounds a bit genteel and cautious as they ascend into head voice.
Musicals like Mamma Mia! manage to integrate the familiar ABBA songs into a daft but endearing storyline and make them seem as if they were written specifically for the show. Zorro The Musical manages this intermittently, but the story which paved the way for other dual identity avengers of the under trodden like Batman and Superman, is less convincing with its blend of naturalism and Boy’s Own adventure story gung ho without the action sequences. However, the danceable music of the Gipsy Kings carries the day and had the audience on their feet dancing along with the extended encore to end the night on a high.
Leon Ferguson
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