Stiletto

Charing Cross Theatre

This musical is a diamond in the making! Utterly divine music, a story of a castrati who is navigating his career in opera and finding his identity.

This musical has been in production on and off for over 40 years! It is a diamond in the making, and carries all the drama and glamour of an opera. It is a magnificent mix of opera, musical theatre and throws in a few other music genres. The audience are transported to 18th Century Venice. The unique story follows main character, Marco a castrate who is building his career in opera, all the men and women he encounters on his journey find him utterly alluring. He struggles with his identity, feels forced into the opera world and he is not sure what he wants for his future. He meets a young black girl called Gioia, and the two fall in love. Marco decides he will help the insanely talented Gioia get into the opera world... Although, the opera world is a man's world! The high society decide to push their prejudices to the side and give Gioia her chance, but drama unveils, and the Count fabricates a lie to sets a horrid fate for the blooming star.

Music and lyrics were crafted by American musician Matthew Wilder, who wrote the music for Disney's Mulan (1998) and is a three-time Grammy Nominee. The music is a perfect mix of a set of genres, but fuses opera and musical theatre. This is a fantastically composed score, that helps musical theatre fans dip their toes into the serenity of the opera sea. Marco's soprano operatic solos are divine, sang by the enchanting Jennie Jacobs. It is difficult to not leave the theatre with one of the songs in your head and wanting to add the tracks to your Spotify playlist. As the fusion of genres is so unique, it gives this show it's own authentic stamp and its exciting to see a style that is so new and original introduced into the musical theatre world.

David Gilmore has directed the show, which paints a picture of an 18th Century Venice and how the characters embody the elitist high society in the opera scene. The difference between the status of characters is clear. This is a great choice when portraying to the audience the history of the piece. Young boys were castrated to preserve their higher range to have a longer, more successful career in opera as female roles and the boys were usually from poor families. The relationship between Marco, played by Jack chambers and his teacher Faustino played by Greg Barnett, hints at how much the young boy relies on his teacher and owes him for granting him with his fame. Faustino's character touches on how he has played on Marco's vulnerability and attachment to create their relationship, which the audience it shifts to a romantic relationship, and this comes as a shock. More work on non-verbal acting and the on-stage relationship would make this romance clearer and less unexpected. The shift in power as Marco realises it's Faustino that needs him, not the other way, is strong and adds to the drama.

One of the most drama coded character is the Countess Azzurra, played by Kelly Hampson who brings an abundance of comedy and charm. Her voice is beautiful and clearly displays her character. She is a sharp, sassy character and shows the female power of the show. Her performance is one of the highlights of the musical and her talent radiates. Her costume is grand and shows the elegance of the Renaissance period. The costume is designed by Anna Kelsey and compliments the characters at a high standard. If it was possible, it would be great for there to be a few costume changes for the Countess and the higher-class characters, because it would indicate their wealth and class. Upper class people of that time had a costume for every occasion. This would be desirable, but of course budget could be a barrier. The costumes that each character wear clearly display their personalities and backgrounds.

Having this new, authentic addition to London theatre is an absolute treat and it will be exciting to see the future for this brilliant new production. There is not enough representation or opening for new opera in the theatre industry and the stigma that opera is for the older, middle/upper class audiences is untrue. This is a perfect way for the younger audiences to be introduced to the opera world, it is high drama, grand and such an impressive theatrical skill to perform opera! Showing emotion, character, story through high energy in the demanding style that opera presents is a high standard skill and anyone who can perform this well deserves a standing ovation. Notably, Jennie Jacobs' voice in this piece is moving and stunning! If you are interested in history, love a bit of Renaissance style and are interested in the grand opera world then this is the show for you! Championing new work is important for the industry and the endless amount of hard work that went into Stiletto is crystal clear. This musical has a bright future... and I will be seeing this again!