05 Sep 2024
Stand and deliver! Deborah Heath discovers how Kitty Morgan has adapted the acclaimed poem for an OVO/Norwich Theatre production…
After more than three months, I have finally reached the end of my epic task of reviewing all the shows on offer at this year’s Roman Theatre Festival. OVO started off with a bang with ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ and close with another show-stopper in the shape of ‘The Highwayman’, a dazzling new musical by Kitty Morgan.
Based on the poem of the same name by Alfred Noyes and the true story of highwayman Claude Duval, it is not only a touching tale of a mother’s love and sacrifice but a rollicking crime drama with a comic undertone.
It even features King Charles II and Nell Gwyn as you have never seen them before. I am not going to spoil the plot for you but be assured that it is extremely exciting, drawing parallels with social issues still faced by women today and is complemented by a spine- tingling score. This combined with outstanding design and a strong cast of actor musicians, makes it the best musical I have seen in many years.
Let’s start with the music. Firstly, I must commend Kitty Morgan on being not only a wordsmith but an extremely talented composer. So often I see a musical where the book and score are not equally matched as they are here. ‘The Highwayman Theme’, a folk/rock hybrid number was bold, engaging and the perfect way to kickstart the show.
This was complemented by clear and humorous character establishment in the script. The audience immediately knew they were in safe hands.
Favourite songs of mine were the upbeat ‘Hammer’ with it’s spine-tingling harmonies and the poignant ‘Your Life For your Girl’.
So often the musicians are overlooked in a musical. Not in this review; I have rarely heard a pianist as talented as Adam Morris. He was the backbone of the show, having to play almost constantly throughout, never seeming to lose energy or purpose and demonstrating mastery of so many styles. It was a real shame there wasn’t a drum kit as it would have elevated this musical even higher and I do recommend the company consider this going forward to give an extra edge.
I was mesmerised by Guido Garcia’s talent as a guitarist and actor. They held the audience in the palm of their hand as Thomas French by using their eyes, physicality and beautiful shoes to great advantage!
I was pleased to see Lyle Fulton back on the OVO stage strutting his stuff as a guitarist and actor – although he didn’t have huge roles in this show he made everything count and was a pleasure to watch throughout.
Faith Turner too, another OVO regular who never fails to bring joy provided comic relief in her acting and demonstrated a strong singing voice. Melissa O’Donnell as Rose and Josselyn Ryder as Bess portrayed their important roles with great power as actors and singers, in fact Melissa can also boast the role of vocal coach. The rest of the cast were an absolute delight to watch and I’m sorry that space prevents me from listing them all.
Finally, I must give praise to the design team for this production. Adrian Rees’ costumes were bold and eye-catching by cleverly using period style garments alongside modern pieces such as cropped jeans. Lighting and sound were spot on and stage management clearly highly effective.
Movement in this show had been well choreographed by Stephanie Allison and never felt awkward despite a rather unreliable trolley which often formed part of routines. Adrian Rees’ eye-catching set design blew my mind! The period lanterns on modern curved poles were beautiful and the huge swirl provided the perfect backdrop for the variety of scenes, particularly for Nell Gwyn’s (Emily Law) brilliant solo number ‘Nell’s Ditty’ where it was lit up Broadway style. It also represented the cyclical nature of life/generations which is pertinent to this story.
I highly commend OVO for embracing new writing; there is so much new talent out there and Kitty Morgan deserves every accolade she gets. Once again, Adam Nichols has proved himself to be the master of directing actor-musicians. His approach ensures that these multi-talented performers all have the chance to shine in a pacey interpretation where moving between acting and playing is seamless.
The cutting-edge design was the icing on the cake, elevating the show with royal pizazz which theatre-loving Charles II would surely have appreciated. OVO, you have surpassed yourself with this thrilling end to a marvellous season.
Thank you to all the creatives responsible for ‘The Highwayman’ and may the show go on to get the kudos it deserves. I think we may have a new classic!
Photos: Elliott Franks
Production shots from performances at Norwich’s Theatre Royal by Andi Sapey
