Can-Can! (Union Theatre)

I caught the pen-ultimate performance of Can-Can which forms part of the Union Theatre's Essential Classics season yesterday afternoon. Interested to hear whether any fellow board members have seen this and what you thought of it.

The show received a one-star mauling from The Stage who lambasted it for being "heinously cheesy" and "groaning with cliches". Other reviews, while mixed, have included a number of four-star write-ups and a couple of five-star raves. The premise of a fun and frivolous new dance musical, adapted from Offenbach’s original operetta Orpheus in the Underworld, sounded intriguing so I decided now was as good a time as any to make my first visit to the new Union.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Featuring a 17-strong cast, Can-Can follows the Orpheus Theatre troupe and its company of characters loosely based on real-life stars from 1890s Paris.

The central narrative arc, freely adapted from a plot by Sir Arthur Wing Pineroare, is rather flimsy for sure, as we follow the Orpheus' leading lady Jane as she tries to give up the stage for love, only to find herself trapped in the strict, rigid household of the Bontoux banking family with a tyrannical patriarch watching her every move. As forbidden love blossoms only to be torn apart, the Orpheus Theatre is closed down and Jane and her lover Christian find themselves separated as she rejoins the Orpheus troupe as they decamp to England before things inevitably resolve themselves for a happy ending.  

Where the production really succeeds is in bringing the world of 1890s French music hall and cabaret to life. A revolving proscenium arch denotes front stage, back stage and the stage door effectively, aided by some sumptuous costumes in the can-can tradition and suitably shadowy lighting. 

Making her professional debut, Katherine Peacock sparkles as leading lady Jane Avril, dancing sublimely and delivering a dynamic performance that does the demanding score full justice. There's great work around her from PK Taylor as La Goulue, memorably sniping how "I used to be a tour de force, now I'm just forced to tour", as well as Lauren Wood's Fifi and Sarah Kacey's Francesca as ladies' maids whose stunning operatic vocals and infectious enthusiasm threaten to steal every scene in which they appear. It would be remiss not to also acknowledge Emily Barnett-Salter who imbues the vulgar and sassy Yvette with a delightful brashness.

While the male members of the ensemble are all excellent, one or two of their counterparts in leading and supporting male roles seemed to struggle at times with the ambition and scope of the score. All of the songs are based on Offenbach and his contemporaries' classics, from Strauss' Thunder and Lightening Polka to Victor Herbert's Cuban, many of which have had lyrics written and added especially for this production. Much of the music is performed live by Rosa Lennox and Corinna Marlowe, while a small number of scenes rely on pre-recorded orchestrations. 

The star of the piece is undoubtedly the dancing. From a gorgeous, spellbinding ballroom sequence from James Alexander-Chew and Grace Manley, to a passionate and beautiful ballet from Damjan Mrackovitch and Katherine Peacock that's elegantly and expressively performed. It's really all about the full ensemble numbers though, from the chaotic opening sequence as the troupe of performers prepare back stage to the wonderful act one finale, set to Tico Tico by Zequinha de Abreu, as the French police gatecrash the Orpheus Theatre mid-performance and an epic chase ensues.

The choreography by Adam Haigh provides a brilliant, frenzied showcase for the cast as the company fill the stage with exuberant tricks, leaps, kicks and turns, all delivered with extraordinary precision and technique. Inevitably, the show culminates in a spectacular can-can routine which delivered a suitably breathtaking, joyful and triumphant finale. It was completely exhilarating to watch these moments up close in such an intimate setting and particularly impressive that the cast didn't appear inhibited by the limited performance space, even if it did feel at times that those of us on the front row may be at risk of an inadvertent kick in the face! 

There's the most to appreciate about Can-Can when it's taken as a fitting celebration of music hall and variety, serving as a fun-filled ode to life, liberty and the pursuit of the stage. The electric energy of the cast and the superb choreography they have to perform do an iconic era and art form full justice. With a musical fart sequence and a healthy dose of theatrical mayhem thrown in for good measure, Can-Can proves to be every inch the high-kicking delight in 2019 that it was when the dance of the musical's title first scandalised Paris and took the Moulin Rouge by storm all those years ago. 

Four stars.