As some of you may recall, today was my day to see a matinee of "Lestat", the new Elton John/Bernie Taupin musical.
I offer my review, and I ask that you consider that when I saw the show, I had some distractions that I did my best to overcome in the early going of Act I (the person in the seat next to mine occupied her seat and a chunk of mine, wedging me against the left arm rest of my seat). I was fortunate that the seat to the left of me was vacant, and I moved about 10 minutes into Act I (when I was certain no one would be seated there). That, plus being a bit medicated to fight what seems to be an impending head cold, may have tempered my reaction to Act I a bit...or more than a bit.
At any rate, I'm home, I'm more than delighted to have experienced "Lestat," and I offer this opinion:
The production of "Lestat" currently playing in a pre-Broadway tryout at San Francisco’s Curran Theater is opulent, engaging and easy on the ears. The book by Linda Woolverton creates a chronology of the life of Lestat as was told in the novels Interview With the Vampire and The Vampire Lestat. It is entirely true to the spirit of Rice’s novels and to her vampire ethos, but it also takes artistic license with chronology that should be understood by fans of the novels.
The cast is first-rate. Hugh Panaro is dashing as Lestat and has a beautiful voice. Jim Stanek, as Louis, Roderick Hill as Nicolas, and Drew Sarich, who replaced Jack Noseworthy as Armand, are equally good. All the principals have superb voices and make the score sound as wonderful as it is/ought to be. They all perform their roles beautifully.
Overall, this production is well done. It is my second pre-Broadway experience, although I must say it is not as completely satisfying as I found "Wicked" to be the first time I saw it, even with that show’s problems with length and a few numbers that never completely satisfied me, but this show has some stunning moments.
Here, of course, we have Elton John writing the score and Bernie Taupin writing the lyrics. I thought the songs in Act I extremely expositional without much appeal.
I saw Elton John on some TV show a few weeks ago and he performed, from the show, "Make Me As You Are." Gabrielle, Lestat’s mother sings this song, to her son in Paris where she has come to see him because she is ill and going to die. She quickly recognizes that her son has been given a dark gift that she, too, wants to experience. John’s performance was fine. At the time, I thought it a nice piece of expositional writing with an interesting, if understated, melody, but I never dreamed it would be the best song in Act I.
It was impassioned and powerful as sung in the show by Colleen Fitzpatrick who substituted as Gabrielle for principal Carolee Carmello.
Another first act number, also beautifully sung by Fitzpatrick, was “The Crimson Kiss” sung by Gabrielle to Lestat as she takes her leave of him to go live in the wild, away from the marking of time that comes with civilization.
The sets and costumes are handsome, atmospheric and wonderful. Scene changes are marked by words projected upon a screen as Lestat speaks them. They represent passages from Lestat’s tale -- the play starts with a modern-day scene of Lestat narrating/typing his history on a laptop. There are also video effects that accompany blood drinking (i.e., the vampires see the life experiences of each victim from which they drink) and video effects for fire projected on a dropped panel that, for me, was a bit cheesy. Work is needed to sharpen the focus of the videos, and something more special than projection on a panel for the fire scenes should be developed.
The first act ended (big) with an explosive, uplifting entrance by Michael Genet (excellent) as Marius, the ancient one, whom Lestat has been seeking. It was a rousing conclusion to an act that was, for me, mostly low-keyed. Don’t get me wrong. Taupin’s lyrics are extremely good...but they go on and on (almost slavishly relating the details of Lestat‘s life), and Johns’ music for the first act does nothing to accentuate them beyond accompaniment (i.e., da-da-da, da-da-da, da-da-da, dum-dah).
I am a huge fan of the Lestat novels, and here in Act I, the story screams out for brilliant, tragic bits of melody which don‘t happen. I never get a sense of the “vampire“ in the musical development. Other Act I songs are called "From the Dead," "Nothing Here," "In Paris" (reprised once), and "The Thirst" (reprised twice). All appropriate and necessary to the story, but without the kind of melody that appeals to my senses.
Happily, Act II was a fulfillment of the promise of the rousing final scene of Act I. The act begins with Lestat arriving in New Orleans ("Welcome to the New World" -- a rousing ensemble number extolling the pleasures of New Orleans and its melting pot culture) and encountering Louis, to whom he gives the dark gift. "Embrace It" is Lestat’s deadly/loving command to Louis, during which I felt the show began to come vividly alive.
It virtually explodes when Claudia arrives. Beautifully performed and sung by Allison Fischer, Claudia has two standout numbers in the early going. Her magnificent tantrum number -- "I Want More" -- was spellbinding and funny. Even though the play is about the living dead, this number proved that nothing about the living dead need be somnambulistic. For me, it was a starting point from which the composer should backtrack and reconsider melody and more strident rhythms for Act I. Lestat truly needs a kick-ass number, and he doesn’t have one.
Next came "I’ll Never Have That Chance," a song in which Claudia sings of her lost opportunities for a mortal life and for the tragedy of having been made too young, an eternal child doomed to never experience womanhood. This song is emotionally wrenching, brilliant and beautifully sung by Fischer.
Most of the numbers in this show are duets or solos with only the actor(s) singing on the stage. This gives it an intimacy that I liked. One of the more effective solos was Lestat’s ballad "Sail Me Away" as he has embarked upon a sea journey from New Orleans to Paris, defeated by the treachery of Claudia and Louis who deserted him, leaving him for dead because they felt it was the only way they could escape him.
Once in Paris, he seeks out Armand and begs to drink from him to restore his health. Little does he know that Louis and Claudia are in Paris and working in Armand’s theater. Armand, using Lestat and taking advantage of his weak condition, doles out some vampire justice as the company performs "To Kill Your Kind." It’s an energetic song and the ensemble invests it with macabre delight.
Armand then has a prime moment -- "After All This Time" -- when he tells Lestat how much he hates him for destroying the old ways and old values. It‘s a very good number and beautifully, powerfully sung.
"From the Dead" -- the finale -- was emotionally satisfying and a touching conclusion for this production as all the characters who had been a part of Lestat’s life are laid out before him as integral parts of the most curious and engaging vampire that he has become.
I liked this show...a lot.