Originally announced prior to the composer’s death last year, Hope Mill Theatre’s revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Passion is now dedicated to his memory, and what more fitting tribute could there be than this, arguably one of his most lyrical and intimate works, performed in a space that brings it so close to the audience.
When it first appeared in 1996 the show divided opinion, hailed as a piece of genius by some and dismissed by others as unbelievable. Sondheim himself suggested that maybe what led many to find the story so hard to swallow was that the actions of the three central characters were a little too close to the truth for comfort.
It certainly isn’t an archetypal love story, and it is easy to become frustrated by the destructive relationships set out before us. That a handsome, respected, soldier like Giorgio should sustain a long term, long distance affair with a married woman like Clara is awkward enough, but to then become entangled with the troubled and manipulative Fosca, and to openly discuss the two women with each other, does seem like madness. But then what is passion but a kind of madness, and when it overtakes us do we really act rationally?
As the play opens we find Giorgio and Clara in an act of lovemaking, its proximity to the audience on Hope Mill’s stage setting a tone of intimacy that is sustained throughout the show. There is an uncomfortable sense of voyeurism in our closeness with the actors, but this is a perfect atmosphere in which to experience narrative that is told as it is in Sondheim’s lyrics and James Lapine’s book. As Giorgio announces his transfer to a distant outpost, the affair is continued in their letters to each other, and it is via the written word that he is introduced to his commanding officer’s cousin Fosca, having lent her books to read.
The use of text spoken as if letters are being written and read is a neat dramatic device that allows the three protagonists to remain onstage at the same time although miles apart. It also gives them a vehicle for exposition that helps keep the story moving.
It is the quality of the singing that really distinguishes this production. Whilst the show is headlined by the legendary Ruthie Henshall in the role of Fosca, as we have come to expect from Hope Mill Theatre she is surrounded by a splendidly assembled cast. Kelly Price and Dean John-Wilson are outstanding as Clara and Giorgio, but there are great performances from the ensemble too, with particular note going to Danny Whitehead, Charlie Waddell and Juan Jackson, who add to their principal roles by acting out other characters’ past actions as described in letters, in a sort of choreographed pantomime.
Musically, Passion has the lyricism of Follies, the raw edginess of Sweeney Todd and the intimacy of A Little Night Music or Company. A five-piece band under the direction of Yshani Perinpanayagam provides a fine accompaniment from offstage with a subtlety that allows the vocals to really shine. Director Michael Strasson has used the maximum possible depth of the stage to emphasise the emotional and physical distances between the characters but pushes much of the action well forward, really giving us the full impact of the voices. This is high octane emotion compressed into Hope Mill’s simmering crucible of a space.
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| Kelly Price, Dean John-Wilson, Steve Watts, Ray Shell and Adam Robert Lewis |
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| Danny Whitehead, Adam Robert Lewis Charlie Waddell, Juan Jackson and Steve Watts |
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| Dean John-Wilson and Kelly Price |
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| Ruthie Henshall and Dean John-Wilson |
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| Ruthie Henshall, Dean John-Wilson, Tim Walton and Ray Shell |
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| Ruthie Henshall, Juan Jackson, Danny Whitehead and Tim Walton |
This review was originally written for and published by Musical Theatre Review
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