Berlusconi - Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Had a big crush on Ant Jones back in the day but could never warm to Freddie.

Bunga bunga all round.

This is great fun. It's very funny, the music is terrific and so are the performers. It's like the perfect concept album because every song is so much fun to listen to, even on the very first listen, which is a rare triumph. The only drawback is that the accelerator and brakes of the plot are constantly alternating, so it fails to properly build to a dramatic climax. Very much recommended, regardless.

Some spoilers follow. . .

There's a lot of peak Lloyd Webber in this: from the playful eclecticism of styles that you see in Joseph; to the blend of sentimentality and sardonic critique you see in Evita; to the rocking duality of Judas (the women) vs Jesus (Berlusconi opens by saying he's the "Jesus Christ of Politics" lol).

This show wants to entertain you the way Berlusconi, a one-time lounge singer (I learned this from the show), wants to entertain everyone. I even heard the opening strains of Robbie Williams's "Let Me Entertain You" underscoring one moment before it morphed into its own unique and uniquely entertaining song.

The structure is that Berlusconi is on trial, and we await the verdict. Meanwhile, we get a guided tour of Berlusconi's life, which Berlusconi insists is worthy of a Grand Opera, rather than a trial. However, the show suggests that rather than "the Jesus Christ of Politics" he thinks he is, he may in fact be the new Emperor Tiberius, each as autocratic and sexually debauched as the other.

But that's the boring bit of the setup, cos the good bits feature all the women in his life, going at him hammer and tongs, each conjuring different emotional reactions for the audience:

(1) Sally Ann Triplet's sneaky Prosecutor conjures up excitement and sheer drama: she's the primary antagonist/protagonist, and like Al Capone before him, she sees tax evasion as the best way to bring the big beast down, even if it's the least of his sins. In one song, he is like a bull and she is like a matador, her shiny red heels the red rag;

(2) Emma Hatton's ex-wife, Veronica, conjures all the deep emotions: her love betrayed make for the songs that brought tears to my eyes, a desperate sense of what might have been;

(3) Jenny Fitzpatrick's ex-mistress turned reporter is bitter reproachfulness. Her bruised fired-up soulfulness scorch the audience with the damage Berlusconi has done;

(4) His dear old mama, Susan Fay, mourns her son's moral fall, repeatedly singing "I taught him to be good;"

And (5) Natalie Kassanga's Bella may just be the "Smoking Gun" that finally finally topples the Emperor.

Meanwhile, like a snake, together with his powerful bass consiliere, Matthew Woodyatt's Antonio, Berlusconi slithers smoothly around the giant steps of a stage, eluding all of them, his beaming smile and knowing shrugs charming us (or attempting to). I loved Sebastien Torkia as Berlusconi: he's the ultimate comedian and showman, while somehow simultaneously taking himself so seriously that he believes he deserves an opera about him.

The songs and performances are a smash. However, they don't build dramatically, so the audience's tension is constantly relieved before being built up again.

What is needed, I think, is to build Triplett's Prosecutor role up even further, like Che in Evita, so that Berlusconi is constantly chased by her devilishly oppositional and frighteningly clever voice, maintaining and ramping up the tension from her viewpoint from first to last.

As it is, I was dazzled and entertained by every performance and song, but dramatically, I was coasting.

All in all, a terrific, and politically prescient new musical. A 4 star show that could easily be better with tweaking. Recommended.

Well I'm enjoying it- booked solely on the strength of Steve's review, in lieu of Black Superhero.

Here's an Italian assessment of the show, pretty positive:

www.musical.it/news/repubblica-ha-visto-in-preview-berlusconi

Hope your suspicion about this show possibly not having a longer life/future are unfounded, Steve, though I understand it. I wonder if it will be one of those word-of-mouth hits which does well despite the professional critics' reservations - after all, there are plenty of examples of this and the audience reaction yesterday was very positive and enthusiastic. I would also not discount the UK-based Italian audience as there were certainly a lot of people speaking in Italian at the performanceI attended yesterday, ie before/after and during the interval.

I'd certainly urge people to see it for themselves, though I'd point out that the running time is longer than advertised (2 h 30 rather than 2 hours) and the matinee didn't finish until 5.05 pm as it started a little late, too. It's 65 mins each half plus a 20-minute interval. Other info which may help those making their first visit to this SP venue: it's a little further than the existing site from the nearest tube entrance/exit (shopping centre rather than university, which involves using a lift) and quite a long wait to cross the major road alongside, though easy to find once you're walking down Newington Butts and is signposted from the main road, albeit only slightly set back from it so you can see it as you approach anyway.

Plenty of seating in the foyer at ground level but also around the corner in the direction of the auditorium (downstairs) and again in the downstairs foyer - bars on both levels. Only tea/coffee at present as far as hot drinks are concerned but a very affordable £1.60. The only downside for me was the ghastly unisex loos but there are plenty of them.

Took a chance on this tonight. Big mistake. I thought it was probably the worst musical I’ve ever seen and certainly the first I’ve walked out of during the interval.

The score was, indeed, banal and basic. It was mere hours ago but I can’t remember the names of any songs. They did absolutely nothing to move the story on - a bit of a problem for a sung-through musical.

Usually when I dislike a show, I’ll be polite about the cast and acknowledge their vocal abilities. However, the score did nothing to showcase any of their talents. The lyrics were unimaginative and boring.

I found Sebastien Torkia irritating and jarring as the title role. Talk about one dimensional! Arguably it wasn’t his fault but this muddled and confused musical gave its audience zero insight into the personality and defining moments of Silvio Berlusconi’s life.

It simply isn’t enough to have a populist politician repeat “I’m the Jesus Christ of politics” for us to believe it. The real Berlusconi is one of the most divisive, charismatic and vile politicians in recent years, how could he be so boring and uninteresting in this show?!

When I walked in, I really like the set and the use of the space. My first visit to Southwark Playhouse Elephant and I’ll certainly be back, it’s a unique space. But when it got going, I hated the staging. I didn’t like the constant hands appearing from the stage.

I also didn’t see the need for the TV presenter character (Fama?) to be filmed live and projected in such an intimate space.

To top it off, the two women sat in front of me spent the whole first act either texting or chatting to each other. They also took lots of pictures of the show but there didn’t seem to be an usher in the entire auditorium? If I’d stayed, I would have had to move.

Very disappointing. One star and that’s pretty generous.

Matinee and evening performances today cancelled due to cast illness unfortunately.