Set to the backdrop of Mussolini’s Italy, The Fabulist is a new musical carved from the opera ‘The Imaginary Astrologer.’ When fabulist (a traditional term used for magician) Agrofontido becomes infatuated by screenwriter Clarice, a journey to romance begins - which is less then smooth when combining her turbulent romantic past and a society where science overrules wonder, mystery and magic in the eyes of the Catholic Church. Describing itself as a ‘romantic, musical comedy’, this piece strives for its themes but, unfortunately, doesn’t always hit the mark.
Central to the story are two sisters, Clarice (Réka Jónás) and Cassandra (Lily De La Haye) who happen upon wondering Fabulist Agrofontido (Dan Smith) when shooting for their newest feature. The relationship of the sisters is a standout of the piece, perhaps the most successfully portrayed relationship of them all, as their personalities differ but collide to allow them to strive for their desire to override the dictatorship they exist within. Both performances are very strong but Jónás’ performance throughout is bubbly and captivating, with fantastic vocal abilities frequently receiving the most applause.
The Charing Cross Theatre, while small, has become known for ambitious productions and this fits the bill. While the set is rather stationary, it still feels grand, and the cast undertake a number of special effects. Naturally, magic plays a part within this show and the moments of mystery are well executed, in particular a scene towards the end where a trick is set to some really lovely, violin led orchestration.
Unfortunately, where the piece fails is its lack of connection to the themes it claims. While there are some witty one liners, the book fails to be particularly comedic and scenes can often feel drawn out to get to one punchy joke. The romantic element also struggles to connect with the audience as, while no fault of the actors, the story does little to draw us to
the two main characters and has more success in its side narratives, such as the relationship between the sisters and their father. Ultimately, it could do with refining its writing, as it does suffer with becoming slightly too longwinded and lacks the punch of either quick witted comedy or a developing romantic plot.
To really take much away from some of the jokes, theatregoers will benefit from an understanding on the period of history. While a history lesson isn’t required in the theatre, perhaps more could be done to help the audience understand why there is so much at stake with the budding relationship, as a lot of the jokes were guided by the assumption of having
background knowledge. A slightly confusing choice was the actors using their own accents, apart from in a scene where Agrofontido masks as a Greek man to convince Clarice’s father of her hand in marriage. The voice overwhelmingly begins to sound like a popular cartoon movie character, which is rather distracting when attempting to really route for the characters. When so much of the plot hinges on its setting, the cocktail of accents can feel a little disorientating.
There is a lack of memorable songs, although this is perhaps to be expected in an operatic musical. The songs often focus more on guiding us through the story, supposed to having much more of a profound meaning of what couldn’t simply be said with words. Once again, this is a shame as the vocal performances are, on the most part, very strong and shine, particularly when Clarice has a solo number exploring her emotions.
Ultimately, the show is a pleasant and enjoyable night at the theatre, but with no ultimate take-aways. There is neither a hilarious comedy or undying romance within the plot, but strong performances and stage trickery keep things ticking along nicely.
The Fabulist runs at Charing Cross Theatre until 21st September - for tickets and more information, you can follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Mark Senior
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