Review: From Here To Eternity at the Shaftesbury Theatre

From Here To Eternity 

Shaftesbury Theatre

Reviewed on Thursday 24th November 2013

Tim Rice's new musical has been adapted from one of the greatest novels of the twentieth century. But unfortunately in a year which has seen many big musicals open in the West End, From Here To Eternity doesn't quite live up to the standard of its competitors. Tim Rice (lyrics) teamed up with West End newbie Stuart Brayson (music) and Bill Oakes (book) to write the musical.

Set in Pearl Harbor during 1941, From Here To Eternity is a fairly flat tale of love, lust and army life until war eventually breaks out during the musical's gripping climax which sees the lives of the soldiers torn apart and love ripped to shreds.

For the majority of From Here To Eternity I didn't feel as if I was watching a polished West End musical. At the heart of the show is a good idea and a strong concept. However, along the way something has been lost. The storyline is very slow and does not become at all gripping until the gruesome, tragic conclusion. I felt like I was watching an early preview.

I could tell that I wasn't the only audience member feeling underwhelmed as jokes only received only a small murmur of laughter and in the interval the atmosphere was very dull. When seeing shows such as Wicked and Les Miserables, or even The Bodyguard, during the interval the audience are always buzzing - either with amazement at what they have just witnessed, or with anticipation for the second half. While the first act of From Here To Eternity is far from dreadful, it doesn't allow the audience to become swept up in the piece at all. 

The majority of the second act continues moving slowly until the final ten minutes which are insanely gripping. With further development this show could easily be improved. With a tighter text, the removal of a few songs and perhaps one or two extra memorable company numbers From Here To Eternity would be a very good piece of theatre. I just don't think the show is quite ready for the West End. I understand a lot of progress was made during previews, but perhaps an out-of-town tryout or a short UK Tour followed by a few months of re-writes would have proved hugely beneficial. 

Most of the cast are very strong, although one or two voices did sound strained at times. The stand out performance comes from Rebecca Thornhill as the seductive and playful yet innocent and vulnerable Karen Holmes. Rebecca gives a layered performance and I grew to care about Karen more than any other character. Karen has an affair with First Sergeant Milt Warden played by Darius Campbell. Darius, who is still remembered from his stint on Pop Idol, has moments of greatness, although I thought he looked a little awkward during some of the love scenes. I didn't feel as if he let himself go on stage, he needs to really sink his teeth into the role.

Robert Lonsdale leads the cast well as Private Prewitt, I particularly enjoyed listening to his unique vocal tone. The male ensemble are slick and on point while performing Javier de Frutos's choreography, but it is the underused female ensemble who light up the stage with their charm and exciting energy. Soutra Gilmour's design is very clever and allows From Here To Eternity to become quite a spectacle. 

From Here To Eternity is by no means an awful disaster, but neither is it the best musical ever written. It is performed by a strong cast and with some love, care and attention could grow into something very good. The final ten minutes are unforgettable. I'm not going to end my review with some pun about whether or not the musical will run for eternity,  but I am certainly intrigued to see what the future holds for this show.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

andrew@westendframe.com

From Here To Eternity is currently booking at the Shaftesbury Theatre until 26th April 2014.
Click here to book tickets.

Photo Credit: Johan Persson

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