#queen hall

[steveversustheworld]

Vietnamese Circle Pit

[markhaafilm-blog]

John and Paul's schizophrenic adventure

— Some notes on shows sitting around doing nothing so I’ll post ‘em up —

John Paul Jones, a musical, by Julian Wagstaff and Joel Jenkins. Queen Hall, Edinburgh. 24-25 Sept, 2010

The problem with history pieces is that modern history books are just too damn good, the complexities revealed can swamp the story line. In the case of John Paul Jones it has induced schizophrenia. At two hours the musical is never less than entertaining -- but enjoying the songs requires ignoring the plot. The gap between the rhetoric of the songs compared to John Paul’s actual behaviour is huge, emphasised by the running commentary on JP‘s moral standing held in the pub back home. More post-modernist opera than commercial musical. The strangeness is emphasised by the love story that only starts towards the end of the first half and fades out early in the second. It all makes you wonder what audience is in mind.

The music wears its schizophrenia better. Requiems, folk ballads, operatic quartets, Victorian patter songs, modern Disney and power ballads, are cleverly arranged, easy on the ear, and with tunes that people whistle during the interval. There's cracking singing from the principals, very effective group pieces; and the two lead girls (Helen Wilding and Natalie Toyne) sing their socks off.

It's refreshing to go and see what is - to be honest – a rather weird show. Strange things sometimes catch on, and it would be nice if John Paul Jones became a roaring success. But it seems an uphill task. Fittingly for such a schizophrenic musical, I'm in two minds about it.