Review: Andrew Lloyd Webber's Stephen Ward at the Aldwych Theatre

Stephen Ward
Aldwych Theatre
Reviewed on Friday 20th December 2013

2013 has seen some incredible, as well as some terrible, productions open in London’s West End and Stephen Ward, Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical about the Profumo scandal, is neither. The production is far from awful, but it doesn't seem to connect with audiences. 

From the moment Lloyd Webber announced that he was working on a show about the Profumo scandal everybody seemed to be asking how such a topic would work as a musical. I was open minded but unfortunately I don't think it quite works. 

The score has some great moments. I grew fond of the instantly catchy 'Human Sacrifice' and enjoyed listening to 'You've Never Had It So Good' (aka the orgy number, which features some revolting staging), and, despite sounding a little dated, '1963'. One issue with the score is that Ward dominates the first few numbers which lose individuality and begin to roll into one tangled song. 

Alexander Hanson gives quite a performance in the title role, giving a strong portrayal and demonstrating sharp vocals. Despite lacking vocal control at times, Charlotte Spencer is fantastic as Christine Keeler. She has powerful stage presence and good chemistry with all her co-stars. Charlotte Blackledge shines as Mandy Rice-Davies giving a charmingly likeable performance. 

However, the show is stolen by Joanna Riding as John Profumo's wife Valerie Hobson. Riding only has a couple of scenes yet gives the most tremendous performance. Her rendition of 'I'm Hopeless When It Comes To You' is nothing short of world class. Riding stands on a balcony which could easily become cheesy, yet she performs with such ease and emotional depth. She clearly moved the audience as the fairly reserved crowd gave a passionate round of applause after her wonderful number.

The response Riding received made me realise why Stephen Ward doesn't work - there is no character for the audience to get behind and care about: Stephen Ward is shifty and mysterious throughout, Christine Keeler is very manipulative and whilst Mandy Rice-Davies is likeable, she is seemingly capable of looking after herself. At no point does the show become gripping as there is nobody to relate to... yet with only a few minutes of stage time in the second act, when Valerie Hobson learns of her husband’s affair she has the entire audience passionately behind her. The role should be far bigger, it's seems such a wasted opportunity as in the great scheme of things Valerie Hobson is irrelevant to the story which is such a huge and frustrating shame! I was left utterly intrigued by the character and wanted to learn more about how she coped with the revelation and continued with her life.

Stephen Ward features a very strong supporting cast and ensemble, I was left longing for more company numbers. Ian Conningham and Christopher Howell give terrific performance during 'The Police Interview' as CI Samuel Herbet and D/Sgt John Diggs who do anything they can to twist/make up evidence in order to charge Ward. Daniel Flynn is well cast as John Profumo; interestingly the Profumo affair is only a small chunk of the piece, it is the aftermath that follows which takes centre stage.

The design isn't overly lavish or ground-breaking, but is fairly neat. The draping curtains which swivel round add an extra layer of mystery to proceedings. The sound design compliments the score perfectly; raising the volume throughout the more powerful moments of the score proves rather effective.

As I gather my thoughts prior to writing a review, the question I always ask myself is "who would I recommend this show to?" There is no hiding away from the fact that Stephen Ward lacks appeal - it's not suitable for families or tourists, it doesn't provide escapism, a fun night out or a gritty and compelling evening at the theatre – I do not have a clue who I would recommend it to. Perhaps if the Profumo scandal is of particular interest to you you'll find Stephen Ward of great interest, although it doesn't really tell us anything we didn't know before. 

The musical also takes Lloyd Webber in a very different direction so if you're intrigued to see how his style has progressed Stephen Ward is certainly worth seeing. Despite being a little pointless, Stephen Ward is a good new musical and certainly deserves a run in the West End. I have never seen anything quite like Stephen Ward in my life and I doubt I will ever see something similar ever again.

Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)

andrew@westendframe.com

Stephen Ward is booking at the Aldwych Theatre until 1st March 2014.

Click here to book tickets.

Photo Credit: Nobby Clark

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