Upon entering the theatre, the indistinguishable set is visible, acting as a balcony for the orchestra. Never before have I seen a show where the conductor is always visible; an interesting but valuable choice that only added to the musical aspect of this production. After an amazing overture featuring foot-tapping snippets from the show’s favourite songs, Mack, played by Michael Ball, enters the stage and concludes the opening scene with his rendition of ‘Movies were Movies’. Not only did he ‘run the show’, but he set the standard of the show, and after that performance, the rest of the ensemble had their work cut out. But, boy, did they smash it!
Mack and Mabel tells the story of a couple’s journey over a period of almost twenty years. Narrated retrospectively by Mack, he tells us the discovery of his Mabel, her rise to fame through his two-reelers, their journey to Hollywood, before their inevitable spiral into desire, temptation, and fame.
“The relationship, in the audience’s eyes, was real, and the build-up resulted in half the audience (including myself) crying at the story’s conclusion”
Michael Ball’s portrayal of Mack was everything that a leading man’s role should have been; watchable, emotional and captivating. His baritone voice mellowed the jazzy songs to the point you were lost in the song and his showmanship. Likewise, Rebecca LaChance who plays Mabel, did an amazing job depicting the youth and vitality of a young Mabel, her growth as an individual and artist, and eventually her downfall – at no point did her emotion falter. Every facial expression was precise and sincere; with so many emotions to establish in two hours, LaChance did incredibly well to maintain a flawless character throughout. With her childlike innocence at the start, I was apprehensive for her rendition of ‘Wherever He Ain’t’, one of my favourite musical songs. I was wrong to be, however, as she sure did sparkle and fizz, paving the way for Mabel’s transformation that was believable at every point!
Together, the couple were beautiful. The relationship, in the audience’s eyes, was real, and the build-up resulted in half the audience (including myself) crying at the story’s conclusion.
Whilst the leading man and woman were incredible, the ensemble are not to be forgotten. No member was a weak link, which isn’t unheard of in a large cast. Every moment was precise and well executed, and only added to the beauteous story. A stand out ensemble moment for me though, was the harmonies of the three men in ‘When Mabel Comes in The Room’. The barber-shop style Jerry Herman created is heart-warming and a perfect opener for the second act.
“With an incredible cast, orchestra, sound and lighting, this production is unmissable”
There was absolutely no fault in the show’s execution; every decision made by Jonathan Church, Stephen Mear, Robert Scott, and the rest of the company was right. My only qualm with this production was the set: initially, it seemed very geometric, and stripped back. Enhanced with the use of projections, it was breath-taking. However, in certain scenes a lot of set was moved and replaced during action or music which could be rather distracting at some points, either completely detracting the audience from the main point of focus, or causing scene changes to be more clunky than slick. Of course, while it’s easy to understand the necessity of such things, there’s a possibility that the production could have been just as incredible without it. Similarly, in the second act, two musical numbers were incredible long, and laying no fault on the orchestra or the choreography, these numbers could have been shortened so they still aided the storyline along, but didn’t take away from what the audience wanted to see; Mack and Mabel reunited.
With an incredible cast, orchestra, sound and lighting, this production is unmissable! Having never seen Mack and Mabel live before, Michael Stewart and Jerry Herman have written a musical beyond words. Never before has a book been so well written that the story could be just as decipherable without the songs; though they effectively highlight key moments of plot. The only thing left to say is that the standing ovation was well deserved!
9/10
Jessica Millott
Mack and Mabel is running at Theatre Royal until Saturday 28th November, for more information see here.
